Spanglish Code-Switching in Latin Pop Music: Functions of English and Audience Reception
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Spanglish code-switching in Latin pop music: functions of English and audience reception A corpus and questionnaire study Magdalena Jade Monteagudo Master’s thesis in English Language - ENG4191 Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Spring 2020 II Spanglish code-switching in Latin pop music: functions of English and audience reception A corpus and questionnaire study Magdalena Jade Monteagudo Master’s thesis in English Language - ENG4191 Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Spring 2020 © Magdalena Jade Monteagudo 2020 Spanglish code-switching in Latin pop music: functions of English and audience reception Magdalena Jade Monteagudo http://www.duo.uio.no/ Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo IV Abstract The concept of code-switching (the use of two languages in the same unit of discourse) has been studied in the context of music for a variety of language pairings. The majority of these studies have focused on the interaction between a local language and a non-local language. In this project, I propose an analysis of the mixture of two world languages (Spanish and English), which can be categorised as both local and non-local. I do this through the analysis of the enormously successful reggaeton genre, which is characterised by its use of Spanglish. I used two data types to inform my research: a corpus of code-switching instances in top 20 reggaeton songs, and a questionnaire on attitudes towards Spanglish in general and in music. I collected 200 answers to the questionnaire – half from American English-speakers, and the other half from Spanish-speaking Hispanics of various nationalities. This dual approach allowed me to learn about the functions of the English language in songs by Spanish-speaking artists, as well as the attitudes of Spanish- and English-speaking audiences towards such uses of English. I found that English served symbolic and discursive functions rather than purely semantic functions in the lyrics of reggaeton songs, as opposed to Spanish. I also isolated several themes which were specific to English: bragging, artist/song introduction and filler/excitement building. I argue that these themes serve the purpose of identifying a song as belonging to certain genres – for instance, hip hop or pop. The use of English has such an effect because of the strong indexicalities it carries; certain words or phrases are stereotypical of the pop or rap context. Similarly, I also argue that the use of Spanglish is indexical of reggaeton music. In terms of the questionnaire results, I found that the American participants were overall very positive towards Spanglish as a variety and the use of CS in music. The Hispanic participants, on the other hand, were much more negative towards the phenomenon. I posit that this difference in linguistic attitudes is due to the identity link between each group of speakers and their language. Spanish-speakers feel proud of their language, which they believe should be protected from the hegemony of English, whereas English-speakers find the use of another language exotic and exciting. I believe that these different perspectives are due to the position of complete power which the English language possesses: as the lingua franca of our globalised world, it has become the default language in every context, including that of music. A full transcript of my corpus and questionnaire data is available in the Appendices. VI Acknowledgements When I decided to write this thesis from the UK – and thus to leave the university and all the local support it would offer behind – I knew that I was signing up for a mostly solitary experience. That is not to say, however, that I did not receive help along the way. The first person I would like to thank is my supervisor, Jacob Thaisen. Despite the distance (we still have not met in person!), you were only ever one email away to answer any queries I might have. You struck the perfect balance between letting me work independently (something I value greatly) and still guiding me through the process – for instance by checking up on me when I had not updated you for slightly too long. You were of tremendous help with the statistics and offered tons of pertinent advice on how to better my text. I am extremely grateful for all your help. Thank you also to all my teachers at University of Oslo, for helping me refine my understanding of linguistics and teaching me how to conduct a research project – I was rather clueless when I arrived. While writing my thesis, I was lucky to have the support of my classmate Vilde Haug Almestrand, who, through her kind words, belief in me, and practical help (sending me helpful references, for instance, and proofreading my text), made the process of writing this thesis much more enjoyable. You were always there to discuss anything that was on my mind (both thesis-related and not), and your almost-daily messages of support meant so much. You are the loveliest, most supportive friend I could have asked for! Thank you also to my flatmate and friend Joe Day for taking long walks with me when I was reaching the end of the project and needed to relieve stress from the pandemic. For your help proofreading my text, as well as all the other help you have given me through the years (emotional, financial and practical), thank you to my father, Antonio Monteagudo. Thank you also to my mother, Sophie Loiseau, for all her support and invaluable advice when I was unsure or anxious about something. Both of you have shaped my interest in languages and have always encouraged me to keep learning and seeking knowledge. I would not be submitting a Master’s thesis in Linguistics if it weren’t for you. Finally, thank you to my boyfriend Johann Meux, for his endless support and for always believing in me. Making you proud has been a great motivator for me during this process, and I value your support more than you could ever know. Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................................. V Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... VII Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... VIII 1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1 2 Theoretical background .............................................................................................................3 2.1 Definition of a key concept: code-switching .........................................................................3 2.1.1 Code-switching: A hazy term ........................................................................................3 2.1.2 The genesis ..................................................................................................................3 2.1.3 The 1970s ....................................................................................................................5 2.1.4 The 1990s ....................................................................................................................7 2.1.5 The 2000s ....................................................................................................................8 2.1.6 Code-switching today................................................................................................. 10 2.1.7 In summary: what is code-switching? ......................................................................... 11 2.2 Main theoretical models of CS ........................................................................................... 13 2.2.1 Blom and Gumperz’s (1972) situational and metaphorical switching .......................... 14 2.2.2 Gumperz’s (1976) we-code/they-code model ............................................................ 15 2.2.3 Myers-Scotton’s markedness model (1983,1993, 1998) and Matrix Language Frame model (1993) ............................................................................................................................ 16 2.2.4 Muysken’s (1997, 2000) typology of code-switching processes .................................. 20 2.2.5 Chosen theoretical framework ................................................................................... 21 2.2.6 Definition of code-switching ...................................................................................... 22 2.2.7 Theoretical frame ...................................................................................................... 22 3 Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 24 3.1 Spanglish code-switching ................................................................................................... 24 3.1.1 What is Spanglish? ..................................................................................................... 24 3.1.2 Spanglish code-switching: Constraints ........................................................................ 27 3.2 Language and Identity ....................................................................................................... 30 3.2.1 Language as central to identity .................................................................................. 30 3.2.2 Spanglish