Vowel raising and social networks in Michoacán
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Jennifer Barajas
Abstract
I present an acoustic analysis of variable vowel raising in rural Mexican Spanish. This process involves the mid vowels, /e/ and /o/, in unstressed post-tonic positions and their variable realizations as [e, i] or [o, u], respectively. I perform a sociophonetic analysis using the formant values of the relevant vowels and then examine the influence of social networks on this phenomenon. This study represents the first systematic description of vowel raising in the region. Additionally, I use social factors, such as time spent in and out of the community, to create social networks that capture subtle social differences. The results show more /e/ than /o/ raising and less raising overall for participants who have more interactions outside of Michoacán.
Abstract
I present an acoustic analysis of variable vowel raising in rural Mexican Spanish. This process involves the mid vowels, /e/ and /o/, in unstressed post-tonic positions and their variable realizations as [e, i] or [o, u], respectively. I perform a sociophonetic analysis using the formant values of the relevant vowels and then examine the influence of social networks on this phenomenon. This study represents the first systematic description of vowel raising in the region. Additionally, I use social factors, such as time spent in and out of the community, to create social networks that capture subtle social differences. The results show more /e/ than /o/ raising and less raising overall for participants who have more interactions outside of Michoacán.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Introduction xi
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Part I. Cutting-edge Methodologies in Sociolinguistics
- Quantitative analysis in language variation and change 3
- Combining population genetics (DNA) with historical linguistics 33
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Part II. Bilingualism
- Los Angeles Vernacular Spanish 91
- On the tenacity of Andean Spanish 109
- Spanish and Valencian in contact 135
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Part III. Language Acquisition
- Children’s Spanish subject pronoun expression 157
- The role of social networks in the acquisition of a dialectal features during study abroad 177
- Lexical frequency and subject expression in native and non-native Spanish 197
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Part IV. Phonological Variation
- On glottal stops in Yucatan Spanish 219
- Vowel raising and social networks in Michoacán 241
- Bilingualism and aspiration 261
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Part V. Morpho-Syntactic Variation
- Spanish and Portuguese parallels 285
- The tuteo of Rocha, Uruguay 305
- A corpus-based sociolinguistic study of contact-induced changes in subject placement in the Spanish of New York City bilinguals 323
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Part VI. Lexical Variation
- Social factors in semantic change 345
- Attitudes towards lexical Arabisms in sixteenth-century Spanish texts 363
- “Trabajar es en español, en ladino es lavorar” 381
- Index 401
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Introduction xi
-
Part I. Cutting-edge Methodologies in Sociolinguistics
- Quantitative analysis in language variation and change 3
- Combining population genetics (DNA) with historical linguistics 33
-
Part II. Bilingualism
- Los Angeles Vernacular Spanish 91
- On the tenacity of Andean Spanish 109
- Spanish and Valencian in contact 135
-
Part III. Language Acquisition
- Children’s Spanish subject pronoun expression 157
- The role of social networks in the acquisition of a dialectal features during study abroad 177
- Lexical frequency and subject expression in native and non-native Spanish 197
-
Part IV. Phonological Variation
- On glottal stops in Yucatan Spanish 219
- Vowel raising and social networks in Michoacán 241
- Bilingualism and aspiration 261
-
Part V. Morpho-Syntactic Variation
- Spanish and Portuguese parallels 285
- The tuteo of Rocha, Uruguay 305
- A corpus-based sociolinguistic study of contact-induced changes in subject placement in the Spanish of New York City bilinguals 323
-
Part VI. Lexical Variation
- Social factors in semantic change 345
- Attitudes towards lexical Arabisms in sixteenth-century Spanish texts 363
- “Trabajar es en español, en ladino es lavorar” 381
- Index 401
