Dialect change in a Salvadoran family in the Twin Cities: cross-generational changes in /s/ weakening
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Variation and change
Location
MBSC Omaha Room 304
Start Date
17-10-2024 1:00 PM
End Date
17-10-2024 1:30 PM
Abstract
Negative language attitudes toward Salvadoran speech (Hart-Gonzalez, 1985) have led to changes in the Spanish of many Salvadorans who immigrate to the United States resulting in lower levels of /s/ weakening (Hernandez, 2020). Even within El Salvador, /s/ weakening, which occurs most frequently in the eastern region in both onset and coda positions, is oftentimes associated with low social prestige and limited education (Rivera Orellana, 2014; Iraheta, 2021, Brogan and Yi, 2022; & Brogan et. al, 2023) When Salvadorans in the U.S. are in close contact with speakers of central and northern Mexican dialects, lenition rates typically decrease among first-generation immigrants, and by the second generation /s/ lenition no longer occurs (Aaron & Hernandez, 2007; Hernandez & Maldonado, 2012; Parodi, 2004; Raymond, 2012; Villareal, 2014). Nonetheless, Tseng (2019) notes that some Salvadorans in the U.S. resist dialect change and express covert pride in their way of speaking. To further explore the issue of dialect change in Salvadoran immigrants to the U.S., this study focuses on 7 members of a Salvadoran family from the eastern region of the country who now reside in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Using PRAAT, occurrences of /s/ were segmented and classified into four allophones: [s], [ɵ], [h], and [Ø]. A total of 1400 tokens of /s/ were analyzed, and a logistic regression of both linguistic and social variables will be carried out. Initial findings show the continued presence of high weakening rates in the first generation, diverging from some previous research findings that have shown a shift to the sibilant. In addition, second generation speakers alternate between the sibilant and weakened allophones. The role of social networks, together with language attitudes, will be explored as important factors in understanding dialect maintenance and shift across generations.
Dialect change in a Salvadoran family in the Twin Cities: cross-generational changes in /s/ weakening
MBSC Omaha Room 304
Negative language attitudes toward Salvadoran speech (Hart-Gonzalez, 1985) have led to changes in the Spanish of many Salvadorans who immigrate to the United States resulting in lower levels of /s/ weakening (Hernandez, 2020). Even within El Salvador, /s/ weakening, which occurs most frequently in the eastern region in both onset and coda positions, is oftentimes associated with low social prestige and limited education (Rivera Orellana, 2014; Iraheta, 2021, Brogan and Yi, 2022; & Brogan et. al, 2023) When Salvadorans in the U.S. are in close contact with speakers of central and northern Mexican dialects, lenition rates typically decrease among first-generation immigrants, and by the second generation /s/ lenition no longer occurs (Aaron & Hernandez, 2007; Hernandez & Maldonado, 2012; Parodi, 2004; Raymond, 2012; Villareal, 2014). Nonetheless, Tseng (2019) notes that some Salvadorans in the U.S. resist dialect change and express covert pride in their way of speaking. To further explore the issue of dialect change in Salvadoran immigrants to the U.S., this study focuses on 7 members of a Salvadoran family from the eastern region of the country who now reside in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Using PRAAT, occurrences of /s/ were segmented and classified into four allophones: [s], [ɵ], [h], and [Ø]. A total of 1400 tokens of /s/ were analyzed, and a logistic regression of both linguistic and social variables will be carried out. Initial findings show the continued presence of high weakening rates in the first generation, diverging from some previous research findings that have shown a shift to the sibilant. In addition, second generation speakers alternate between the sibilant and weakened allophones. The role of social networks, together with language attitudes, will be explored as important factors in understanding dialect maintenance and shift across generations.