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© 2017 Jeriel Melgares Sabillón © 2017 Jeriel Melgares Sabillón EXPLORING THE CONFLUENCE OF CONFIANZA AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN HONDURAN VOSEO: A SOCIOPRAGMATIC ANALYSIS BY JERIEL MELGARES SABILLÓN DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2017 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Anna María Escobar, Co-Chair Professor Marina Terkourafi, Leiden University, Co-Director Professor Rakesh M. Bhatt Professor Eyamba Bokamba ii ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the dynamics of language variation and the process of language change from a Speaker-based approach (cp. Weinreich, Labov, & Herzog, 1968) through the analysis of a linguistic feature that has received much scholarly attention, namely, Spanish pronominal forms of address (see PRESEEA project), in an understudied variety: Honduran Spanish. Previous studies, as sparse as they are, have proposed that the system of singular forms in this variety comprises a set of three forms for familiar/informal address—vos, tú, and usted—and a sole polite/formal form, usted (Castro, 2000; Hernández Torres, 2013; Melgares, 2014). In order to empirically explore this system and detect any changes in progress within it, a model typical of address research in Spanish was adopted by examining pronoun use between interlocutors in specific types of relationships (e.g. parent- child or between friends). This investigation, however, takes this model further by also analyzing the attitudes Honduran speakers exhibit toward the forms in connection to their Honduran identity, while adopting Billig’s (1995) theory of ‘banal nationalism’—the (re)production of national identity through daily social practices—, and as a corollary, their spontaneous pronoun production, following Terkourafi’s (2001; 2004) frame-based approach. Thereupon, this dissertation goes beyond the typical model of describing the innovative form as more frequent in specific types of interactions (once dominated by another form) by delving into how language variation leads to change as it is taking place in the everyday interactions of speakers, guided by pressures of discourse, societal structure, and identity reproduction, thus, providing a richer picture of the language change process. iii With the main goal of explaining the prevalence of vos in Honduran Spanish— provided that the general tendency in the language is the expansion of tú (e.g. Fox, 1969; Lastra de Suárez, 1972; Millán, 2011; Penny, 1991) and that tú is prescriptively promulgated as the ‘proper/correct’ form and not vos by the Honduran education system and religion—, this investigation was carefully designed by integrating a methodology typical of address research (cp. PRESEEA) with both quantitative and qualitative techniques informed by various subfields of linguistics, including variationist sociolinguistics, politeness research, and sociocultural linguistics. Accordingly, data were gathered through two main research tasks, a written sociolinguistic questionnaire and group semi-directed interviews, from a sample of native speakers of the urban variety of Honduran Spanish. Collected data from the sociolinguistic questionnaire were analyzed inferentially through a combination of Chi- squared and Fisher’s exact tests, and a logistic regression in R. Attitudinal and naturalistic data were analyzed qualitatively by organizing them into themes (i.e. Thematic Analysis: King & Horrocks, 2010) and by examining spontaneous pronoun use in relation to the extralinguistic features of the interactions (Terkourafi, 2001; 2004). Results from the qualitative analysis of the interview data revealed that vos is widely accepted as the norm and that no social stigma is associated with it, as it is used in everyday interactions under the level of conscious awareness, that is, banally reproducing Honduran national identity. What is unacceptable is the use of tú, which is ascribed to a foreign identity; thus, any use of tú by Honduran speakers is perceived as either spurious or performance of foreignness. Usted is as acceptable as vos is, mainly utilized to express distance, deference, or respect. Furthermore, it was shown that vos can be actively manipulated in interaction to portray non-conservative identity, and likewise, usted can be manipulated to portray iv conservative identity. These findings were supported by the results of the quantitative analysis, which provide conclusive evidence that certain extralinguistic factors mediate pronoun selection, including, gender match between speaker and addressee (although no independent gender of speaker or of addressee effects were detected), age of speaker and of addressee, and degree of confianza between interlocutors, in addition to other features particular to the interactional context, such as the presence of third parties and the setting. Consequently, the statistically significant preference of vos by younger generations in conjunction with its acceptance as the norm and with its function as a marker of national identity evidence the socially unobstructed change in the pronominal system of Honduran Spanish as vos becomes even more greatly rooted in the Honduran way of life. This change appears to have originated in the family context, specifically in parent-child relationships, where a high degree of confianza (i.e. profound confianza) is shared, but also seems to affect relationships inside and outside of the family domain in which moderate confianza (i.e. superficial confianza) is shared—where it is expressed through reciprocal vos among younger interlocutors but through reciprocal usted among older interlocutors. In sum, these findings demonstrate that vos has prevailed in Honduran Spanish since its first attestations in the region during Colonial times as it has developed into a banal symbol of Honduran national identity. v Soli Deo Gloria vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Gratitude is commonly associated with the oftentimes trite expression of thanks in response to ordinary acts out of requisite courtesy. Earnest gratitude, however, the virtue of gratitude is intimately bound to the human experience as we accept what others, including the divine, graciously, or otherwise, do in our favor by reciprocating such acts not because it is incumbent upon us, but because we have opened our hearts to them. Thusly, I write the following words in sincere gratitude to all of whom have been instrumental in the completion of this life-changing enterprise. I must begin by extending my deepest thanks to my dissertation committee without whom my endeavors as a graduate student would have been utterly unsuccessful. Gracias Dra. Anna María Escobar por su constante aliento a lo largo de mis estudios en UIUC. Desde que llegué a la universidad usted siempre ha estado pronta a ayudarme a navegar esta última etapa en mi carrera estudiantil y confío que seguiré disfrutando de su apoyo, guía y de ser llamado su hijo académico en mi futura carrera como catedrático e investigador. Ευχαριστώ Dr. Marina Terkourafi for sharing with me so generously your expertise in a field that was completely new to me, inevitably, taking this dissertation to a superlative level and, in turn, opening a world of research that I am excited to continue to explore. Melesi Dr. Eyamba Bokamba for your constant encouragement since I first shared with you my research interests; your faith in me as a researcher, writer, and sociolinguist has been inestimable. शु#कया Dr. Rakesh Bhatt for pushing me to think outside the confinements of my previous training and to approach address variation from an alternative perspective, only to deepen my own understanding of my own research. In addition to my dissertation committee, Dr. Cynthia Ducar, my advisor vii during my MA program, is responsible for instilling in me a passion for sociolinguistics and for encouraging me to pursue a doctoral program, and for that, I thank you. También debo agradecerles a todos aquellos que fueron partícipes en mi investigación. Como me es imposible, por razones de anonimidad, mencionar cada uno de sus nombres, me abstengo, pero sepan que no ignoro el valor de la participación que cada uno de ustedes tan amablemente me compartió, la cual reconozco y agradezco sin titubear ya que sin ella mi proyecto hubiera sido irrealizable. Y aprovecho esta coyuntura para presentarle esta tesis al pueblo catracho como prueba infalible de la riqueza lingüística que hay en nuestras tierras, la cual debe ser motivo perenne de orgullo. ¡Viva Honduras! My years as a graduate student at UIUC have not only been rewarding, but also smooth and easy in no small part to many others whom I must thank specifically. Dr. Melissa Bowles and Dr. Javier Irigoyen, I thank you both for being superb Directors of Graduate Studies. Your dedication to us, graduate students, serves me as a source of inspiration in my future career in academia to be as loving and committed to my students as you are, and it goes without saying that your zealous aid made my life much easier. Dr. Jonathan MacDonald thank you so, so much for successfully teaching me syntax (what a feat!), a field of study I feared at the time when I was fully unaware of the scholastic pleasure it would bring in my life. Itxaso Rodríguez and Justin Davidson, my older academic siblings, I thank you for your guidance and advice as I tried to understand how life as a graduate student worked and for so kindly sharing with me your experiences and your knowledge that only allowed me to see that we were in this together. I also thank Kathy Schilson and Robb Larson for helping me to avoid being in constant disarray trying to keep track of all the deadlines and requirements that I needed to meet. viii Undoubtedly, my life in Chambana would have been bleak without measure if it were not for the love and support from all my dear friends. Krista Evensen and Ji Young Kim, you are my chosen sisters with whom I have shared many ups and downs in my graduate and personal life. Thank you for staying by my side—long live the mini UN! Cristina Mostacero, mi hermana académica menor, te agradezco por sobrellevar conmigo las vicisitudes estudiantiles y personales que vivimos en Chambana.
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