Linguistics ETDs

Publication Date

12-2021

Abstract

The extent to which /s/ reduces in both onset and coda positions varies greatly across Spanish varieties, with Traditional New Mexican Spanish showing significant reduction rates in past research. However, to-date there has been no in-depth linguistic study of Spanish in Cíbola County. The current work presents an analysis of variable /s/ reduction in Cíbola Spanish, using data from the New Mexico-Colorado Spanish Survey. The results demonstrate that reduction in this dialect is conditioned primarily by linguistic rather than extralinguistic factors, which vary based on syllable position. The manuscript also briefly introduces the history of Cíbola, Hispanic identity & language attitudes, and proposes the beneficial application of a joint usage-based and translanguaging theory to the study of bilingual speech data. This thesis sets the stage for a more comprehensive sociolinguistic and ethnographic analysis of Cíbola, laying the groundwork for the creation of a sociolinguistic corpus of the languages spoken there.

Language

English

Keywords

Traditional New Mexican Spanish, sociolinguistic variation, sociophonetics, usage-based, Hispanic identity

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Linguistics

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Department of Linguistics

First Committee Member (Chair)

Damian Wilson

Second Committee Member

Christian Koops

Third Committee Member

Naomi Shin

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