UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Dialect Contact Among
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Dialect Contact among Spanish-Speaking Children in Los Angeles A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Languages and Literatures by Belén MacGregor Villarreal 2014 © Copyright by Belén MacGregor Villarreal 2014 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Dialect Contact among Spanish-Speaking Children in Los Angeles by Belén MacGregor Villarreal Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Languages and Literatures University of California, Los Angeles, 2014 Professor Claudia Parodi-Lewin, Chair As an immigration hub for a diverse group of Spanish speakers, Los Angeles lends itself to research on dialect contact and leveling. Studies regarding the Spanish spoken by natives of Los Angeles reveal considerable homogeneity with respect to pronunciation, vocabulary and terms of address. This uniformity is notable because two different dialect classes are represented in the ii Spanish-speaking population of Los Angeles: the so-called tierras altas dialects, which include Mexican varieties, and the tierras bajas dialects, such as those of Central America. This dissertation is motivated by the desire to provide quantitative and qualitative data regarding the principal phonetic, lexical and attitudinal characteristics of Spanish-speaking children in Los Angeles and the effects that their home dialect classification and school neighborhood might have on these. As the offspring of foreign-born parents, these children are in a position to illuminate the processes by which native youth adapt to a linguistic norm that differs from that to which they are exposed in the home. 160 Mexican and Central American Spanish-speaking fourth and fifth graders (ages 9-11) attending public elementary schools in several regions of Los Angeles County completed three sets of linguistic tasks while speaking with an interlocutor whose dialect was unknown to them. In such a situation, it was surmised that subjects would accommodate to what they identify as the prototypical linguistic behavior of their community with respect to three dimensions of their dialect use: vocabulary, pronunciation and attitudes. The results of the production tasks demonstrate that all of the subjects employ a majority of features of tierras altas Mexican Spanish, regardless of their national origin. The findings from the attitude tasks indicate that, children of both Mexican and Central American origin are able to articulate a conscious preference for Mexican Spanish over Salvadoran Spanish. Neither home dialect classification nor school neighborhood was found to have a significant effect on subjects' dialect use. The data obtained in this dissertation suggest that the speech of young Angelenos undergoes a leveling process that favors features of tierras altas Mexican Spanish, a variety that these children likely identify as the linguistic norm of the community. iii The dissertation of Belén MacGregor Villarreal is approved. A. Carlos Quícoli Verónica Cortínez David López Claudia Parodi-Lewin, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2014 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii I. Los Angeles Vernacular Spanish 1 1.1. Definitions 4 1.2. Literature Review 7 1.2.1 Southwest Spanish Features 8 1.3. Spanish in Los Angeles 23 1.3.1. Origins of Spanish in Los Angeles 23 1.3.2. The Los Angeles Setting 24 1.3.3. Profile of LAVS Speakers 27 1.3.4. Ethnic Language Status of LAVS 29 1.3.5. Dialect Classification: Tierras altas and bajas 32 1.3.6. Dialects and Prestige 33 1.4. Los Angeles Vernacular Spanish 36 1.4.1. Dialectal Features of LAVS 36 1.4.2. Contact Phenomena 42 Phonetic Features 44 Syntactic Features 45 Morphosyntactic Features 47 Lexical Features 48 1.4.3. The Koineization Perspective 50 v 1.5. Summary 55 II. Theoretical Framework 57 2.1. Dialect Contact 57 2.1.1. Dialect Contact and Accommodation Theory 59 2.1.2. Linguistic Phenomena Related to Koineization 62 2.2. Dialect Contact among Children 66 2.3. Spanish Dialect Contact in the United States 72 2.4. Dialect Contact in Los Angeles 77 2.4.1. Linguistic Accommodation in Los Angeles 77 2.4.2. Motivation for Dissertation 81 2.5. Design for Research on Dialect Contact in Los Angeles 83 2.5.1. Possible Settings for Contact 83 2.5.2. Research Questions 85 2.5.3. Hypotheses 87 2.5.4. Criteria for Selecting LAVS Features 88 2.5.5. Defining the Sample: Theoretical Considerations and Assumptions 90 2.6. Summary 92 III. Methodology 94 3.1. The Sample 95 3.1.1. Representativeness of Sample 97 3.1.2. Sample Size 99 3.1.3. Subject Recruitment 101 vi 3.2. Methodology 104 3.2.1. Choice of Methodology and Selection of Task Types 104 3.2.2. Selection of Task Types 105 3.2.3. Materials 107 3.2.4. Linguistic Questionnaires 116 3.2.5. Equipment 117 3.2.6. Setting 117 3.2.7. Procedures 118 3.2.8. Compensation 123 3.3. Analysis 123 3.3.1. Transcription 123 3.4. Summary 127 IV. Results 128 4.1. Study Modifications 128 4.1.1. Sample Criteria 128 4.1.2. Study Procedures 132 4.2. Results 133 4.2.1. Overview of Production Tasks 134 Task 1: Picture Description 134 Task 2: Story Narration 135 Task 3: Lexical Identification 135 4.2.2. Factors Affecting Realization of Implosive /s/ 136 Dialect Classification 136 vii Linguistic Factors 137 Social Factors 138 4.2.3. Regression Models 139 4.2.4. Implosive /s/ 144 Phonological Environment 151 4.2.5. Velarized /n/ 153 4.3. Lexical Analysis 161 4.3.1. Multinomial Regression 169 4.4. Language Attitude Tasks 170 4.4.1. Statistical Analysis of Language Attitude Tasks 171 4.5. Summary 182 V. Conclusion 184 5.1. Research Questions Revisited 186 5.2. Linguistic Production 190 5.2.1. Production of Phonetic Features 190 5.2.2. Production of Lexical Items 192 5.3. Linguistic Evaluation 195 5.4. Variables in Dialect Contact 198 5.5. Discussion of Quantitative Methodology 203 5.6. Dialect Contact 210 5.7. On Distinguishing between Central American Dialects of Different Countries 213 5.8. Justification for Studies of Dialect Contact among US Spanish Speakers 215 5.9. Practical Applications for Dialect Contact Research in Los Angeles 217 viii 5.10. Implications 219 APPENDICES 222 REFERENCES 229 ix List of Tables TABLE 1. Generational Groups 25 TABLE 2. Major Phonetic Features of Tierras Altas vs. Tierras Bajas Dialects 33 TABLE 3. Major Features of LAVS vs. Salvadoran Spanish 34 TABLE 4. Main Features of Los Angeles Vernacular Spanish (LAVS) 36 TABLE 5. Rural Morphosyntactic Features of LAVS 37 Table 6. Rural Phonetic Features of LAVS 38 Table 7. LAVS Contact Phenomena 42 Table 8. Number of Subjects per School 100 Table 9. Distribution of Subjects by Nationality 100 Table 10. Lexical Items Depicted on Flashcards 109 Table 11. Description of Language Attitude Task Components 122 Table 12. Description and Examples of Phonetic Contexts Included in Analysis of /s/ 126 Table 13. Independent Variables 141 Table 14. Descriptive Statistics for Variable Representing Percentage of Implosive /s/ Maintenance 144 Table 15. Results of t-Test Comparing Mean Percentages by Home Dialect (Tierras Altas vs. Tierras Bajas) 148 Table 16. Co-Occurrence of /s/ Aspiration, /n/ Velarization and Regional Lexical Items 159 Table 17. Rubric for Scoring Children’s Responses on Lexical Identification Task 162 Table 18. List of Lexical Items 163 Table 19. Detailed Distribution of Subjects’ Lexical Convergence Scores 165 Table 20. Regression Results for Production of Pacha 170 Table 21. Rubric Used to Assign Numerical Scores to Ratings 172 Table 22. Ratings Assigned to Mexican-Speaking “Martians” 173 Table 23. Ratings Assigned to Salvadoran-Speaking “Martians” 174 x Table 24. Mean Ratings Assigned to Teacher “Martians” 175 Table 25. Subjects’ Comments on WHY Questions That Specifically Referenced Dialect 178 Table 26. Additional Comments Noted during Course of Study 180 Table 27. Phonetic Production of Subjects with High Use of Central American Lexicon 211 xi List of Figures Figure 1. Histogram of Percentage of Maintenance of Coronal [s] 145 Figure 2. Number of Tokens of Velarized /n/ Produced per Subject and Phonological Context 155 Figure 3. Comparison of Percentages of Total Velarized /n/ Produced per Subject 155 Figure 4. Subjects’ Lexical Convergence Scores 164 Figure 5. Central American Lexical items Most Commonly Produced by Students of Central American Origin 166 Figure 6. Comparison of Children’s Use of Central American vs. Mexican-Origin Lexical Items 166 Figure 7. Quantity of Central American Words Produced by Any Subject and Number of Subjects Who Generated Each Quantity 169 Figure 8. Dialect Preference for Peer “Martians” 176 Figure 9. Dialect Preference for Adult “Martians” 177 xii Acknowledgements This list of the people who I wish to thank for their help throughout my experience as a PhD student begins with my professor and dissertation advisor, Claudia Parodi, who has provided me with unconditional support and encouragement and helped me recognize the value of my work. Following close behind is A. Carlos Quícoli, who was not only a member of my dissertation committee but also a professor who guided me with wisdom and great care throughout my years at UCLA. I also extend my thanks to my remaining committee members, David López and Verónica Cortínez, for their patience, knowledge, and great support. Other individuals at UCLA to whom I am greatly indebted include Megha Sundara, who posed insightful questions and suggestions regarding my research design, and all of the consultants working at the IDRE Walk-in consulting services, who assisted me on statistics-related issues with untiring patience and expert skill. This study could not have been carried out without the help of many individuals at the LAUSD and the after school programs located at the schools where I did my research.