Phonology of the Spanish of Tampa, Florida
THE PHONOLOGY OF THE SPANISH OF
TAMPA , FLORIDA
by
Antonia Hulme
A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the
College of Humanities in Partial Fulfi llment of the Requirements for the Degree
of Master of Arts
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton , Florida
December , 1973 © 1974
ANTONIA LALA HULME
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ii THE PHONOLOGY OF THE SPANISH OF
TAMPA , FLORIDA
by
Antonia Hulme
This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate ' s thesis advisor , Dr . Melvyn C. Resnick , Department of Languages
and Linguistics . It was submitted to the faculty of the College of Humanities and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Arts .
SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE :
De~ , Date J .')
iii ABSTRACT
Author: Antonia Hulme
Title : The Phonology of the Spanish of Tampa , Florida
Institution : Florida Atlantic University
Degree : Master of Arts
Year: 1973
Thi s study consists of a descriptive phonological analysis of the Spanish of Tampa , Florida. Selected segmental f eatures are then compared with those of the Castilian of Asturias and Galicia , as well as with present- day Cuban Spanish. The pre- domi nant influence in the phonology of Tampa Spanish is determined to be Cuban , rather than the Castilian of Asturias or Galicia spoken by many of the early settlers of Tampa .
Several highly distinctive traits of Tampa Spanish are pointed out which would facilitate dialect identification .
iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract . . . iv
Chapter One : Introduction , History of Tampa l
Chapter Two : Methodology . 8
Chapter Three : Analysis . . 12
Chapter Four : Comparisons . 22
Chapter Five: Conclusions . 24
Appendix .. .26
Bibliography . 28
v . CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem.
The purposes of this study are to offer a descriptive phonological analysis of the Spanish spoken in Tampa , Florida and to trace the principal historical influences in the development of Tampa Spanish.
Historical sources confirm that the main groups of
Spanish speakers to influence the development of Tampa Spanish were from Cuba and Spain. 1 Among the settlers from Spain , many were from the regions of Asturias and Galicia. Naturally , each group brought its own variety of Castilian Spanish to Tampa with certain notable phonetic and phonemic features , resulting , at least in part , from the influences of Bable and Gallego , the indigenous
Romance languages of Asturias and Galicia , respectively . These features are treated in a later section of this study .
A search of the relevant literature reveals that there has been little consideration given to the phonology of Tampa
Spanish other than in an early short article by D. Lincoln Canfield. 2
To date, there have been no published studies on the phonology of
1E. g .: Karl H. Grismer , Tampa (St . Petersburg: The St . Petersburg Printing Company , Inc ., 1950) , p . 83 . 2 D. Lincoln Canfield , "Tampa Spanish : Three Characters in Search of a Pronunciation," Modern Language Journal , XXXV , (January , 1951) , pp . 43 - 45 . - 2-
this Spanish American dialect , although some publications have dealt with the effects of Anglicisms on the lexical inventory of Tampa Spanish .
In his article, Canfield investigated "a principle of the evolution of group pronunciation" (p . 43) . He determined three patterns of pronunciation among speakers of Spanish in
Tampa: northern provincial Spanish , transitional speech with aspects of both northern provincial Spanish and Latin American
Spanish , and Cuban Spanish.
Canfield maintained "that in matters of pronunciation there is no such thing as a melting pot" (p . 44) , indicating that these three phonological systems would not meld as would chemicals to form a chemical compound or new entity. Canfield predicted , instead , that the pronunciation of Cuban Spanish would subseQuently predominate simply because of the plurality of Cubans in Tampa , even in 1951 . - 3-
Brief Hi stor y of Tampa .
Historians surmise that Spanish expeditions entered
Tampa Bay as ear ly as 1513 . The first documented evidence re- ferring to this body of water , however , credits Alvar Nuflez
Cabeza de Vaca with its discovery in 1528 . 3 During the next two centuries , however , Spanish interest in Florida ebbed .
Later , during the British occupation of Florida in
1765, British engineers surveyed the land around Tampa Bay , but no permanent settlement was established at that time . 4
In 1824 , Colonel George Mercer Brook , an American , was sent to establish " Fort Brook" on the site which is now Tampa.
When he sailed into Tampa Bay , he encountered Spanish and Cuban fishermen and straw- hat makers , some of whom were allegedly descendents of Spanish explorers . 5
Aside from these few Spanish speakers who had been there for many years , Tampa became , in the first half of the nineteenth century , a small village populated mostly by English- speaking Americans . Then , in 1884 , Gavino Gutierrez , a Spaniard , came to investigate the possibility of cultivating guavas and
3 Anthony P . Pizzo , Tamp a Town (Miami : Hurricane House Publi sher s , Inc ., 1968) , p . x . 4 Grismer , p . 44. 5 Pizzo , p . xi. -4-
building a fruit- preserving plant in the area. The supplies of
guava , however , were not sufficient for such an industry , and
he subsequently abandoned the idea . 6
About this time , however , Gutierrez visited some
friends , Vicente Martf nez de Ybor and Ignacio Haya , and dis-
covered that they were plagued with labor troubles in their
cigar factories in Key West and New York . On Gutierrez ' s
recommendation , Ybor and Haya investigated the feasibility of
relocating their cigar factories in Tampa . The two Spaniards
were favorably impressed with Tampa , its nearness to Cuban
tobacco , and its harbor. They purchased many acres of wilderness
east of Tampa on which to build factories and houses for workers .
Other industrialists subsequently moved their cigar factories
to the area. This was the beginning of Ybor City , which was
incorporated into the City of Tampa in 1887 . This little village
of Ybor City , situated two miles east of Tampa , was , then , a
Spanish- speaking community , connected to Tampa proper by a narrow
gauge railway . 7
In 1886 , Tampa proper was populated by only 1 , 5 ~ 0
inhabitants . 8 It was at this time that many Cuban and Spanish
6 Jesse L. Keene, "Gavino Gutierrez and His Contributions to Tampa", Florida Historical Quarterly , XXXVI, ( 1957) , p . 37 . 7 Durward Long , "The Historical Beginnings of Ybor City and Modern Tampa ," Florida Historical Quarterly , XLV (1966) , P · 41. 8 Jose Rivero Mun{z , "Tampa at the Close of the 19th Century ," Florida Historical Quarterly , XL , trans . by Charles J . Kolinski (1963) , p . 335. - 5- cigar makers emigrated to Tampa , West Tampa , and Ybor City , seeking employment in the cigar factories . With this sudden population growth , the Tampa area became the largest community of Spanish speakers in the southeastern part of the United States . 9 These immigrants brought their own languages , dialects , customs , and traditions to
Tampa , but in the cigar factories , "la lengua castellana" pre- dominated. 1 0
Because of strong patriotic and regionalistic feelings , these immigrants establ ished clubs as the centers of their social lives . There was a Cuban Club , a Spanish Club , and an Asturian
Club . Membership entitled one to take part in the medical services provided , burial services , dances , game rooms , and other entertain- ment facilities . Only men had official membership in the clubs , and every evening many congregated to play dominoes and cards and to discuss timely topics . 11
The years immediately preceding the United States ' entrance into the Spanish- American War found Spaniards and Cubans in Tampa completely polarized , so much so , that the two groups caused strife in the factories and refused to work together . 12
9carme1ita Louise Ortiz , English Influence on the Spanish of Tampa (Gainesville : University of Florida , M. A. Thesis , 1947) , p . iii . 10Emilio del Rfo, Yo fui uno de los fundadores de Ybor City (Tampa : Chamber of Comme r ce , 1952) , p . 16 llor t.lZ , p . lV. . 12J . C. Oppel , "The Unionization of Florida Cigar Makers and the Coming of the War with Spain ," Hispanic American Historical Quarterly (1956) , p . 43 . - 6-
Finally , we note that during the depression years of the early 1930 ' s , Tampa ' s cigar industry began to decline and many Spanish- speaking workers moved North with the relocated factories .
In the ensuing generations , time has overcome most of the old prejudi ces to the point that Tampans have generally lost old- countr y ties and outlooks . Many present generation
Tampans of Hispanic ancestry do not even speak Spanish , although
Hispanic culture and language still remain very evident in the city.
According to the 1970 Census , there are 30 , 803 "Spanish language persons" in Tampa . Among those , 5 , 227 are of direct
Spanish ancestry , and 11 , 829 are of Cuban ancestry . 13 Because of the overwhelming number of Cubans , "Spanish" restaurants serve
Cuban food , orchestras and bands play Cuban music , and as shown in a later section of this paper , the sound of Cuban Spanish permeates the air . The Cuban culture has predominated, but it , too , is becoming obscured -- by Americanization !
Since 1960, many Cuban refugees have come to the
United States to escape the Castro regime and have subsequently settl ed in Tampa . This influx has given impetus to the declining
13u.s., Department of Interior , 1970 Census of Population Detailed Characteristics -- Florida , Tables 141 and 142. - 7-
Spanish language of the city , and perhaps , will provide it with
another generation or two of life .
Tampa can no longer boast of having the largest community of Spanish speakers in the southeastern section of the Un i ted States .
Since 1960 and the influx of Cuban refugees , the Spanish- speaking colony of Mi ami approximates 300 ,000 . - 8-
CHAPTER II
METHODOLOGY
Selection of Informants .
Informants for this study include Spanish speakers in
Tampa who are considered to be representative of the Spanish spoken in that area. Foreign- born Spanish speakers were inter- viewed to form a basis of later dialectal comparisons . Eighteen second- generation Americans , all of whom are Tampa- born and are entirely or partially of Asturian , Cuban , Galician and Italian extraction , were interviewed . Foreign- born informants include two Asturians , one Galician , and two Cubans , all of whom speak no
English . There are twenty- three informants ; the youngest is seventeen years old , and the oldest is eighty.
The second- generation American informants are those whose parents were also born in Tampa , but whose grandparents were from
Asturias , Galicia or Cuba , with the exception of the two Italians .
The Italians were interviewed and included in this study because they learned Spanish in Tampa . Because of years of intermarriage , there are few Hispanic Tampans whose regional or ethnic backgrounds may be said to be completely homogenous .
Most third- generation Tampans of Spanish origin simply do not speak Spanish , and they understand very little . Hence , - 9- this study does not examine the speech of Hispanic Tampans beyond the second- generation classification.
The Tampa- born informants were chosen from varying socioeconomic and educational backgrounds to obtain a cross- section of speakers . Informants were obtained from the main areas where
Spanish is spoken , Ybor City and West Tampa .
Interview Procedure .
Each interview was conducted by using the questionnaire from Resnick ' s Phonological Variants , 14 excerpts from Sapon ' s PLIM , 15 and free conversation . Tape recordings were made of each session , and these recordings form the basis for the phonological analysis in Chapter III .
14Melvyn C. Resnick , Phonological Variants and Dialect Identifi cation in Latin American Spanish (The Hague : Mouton , in press . ) ISstanley Sapon , Pictorial Linguistic Interview Manual (Columbus : Ohio State University, 1957) . - 10-
List of Informants .
Second- generation American , Cuban origin .
1 . Tanya A. 5. Judy A. Age 37 Age 30 High school education High school education Housewife Housewife
2 . Ross C. 6 . Roland C. Age 57 Age 36 High school education High school education Salesman Laborer
3. Ralph G. 7 · Sylvia G. Age 35 Age 36 University education Post high school education Dentist X- Ray Technician
4. Dora P . 8. Gloria T. Age 40 Age 32 High school education High school education Housewife Office clerk
Second- generation American , Asturian origin .
9. Norma F . ll. Rene G. Age 20 Age 36 High school education Master of Arts Degree Office clerk School Teacher
10 . America v. Age 58 High school education Housewife
Second- generation American, Galician origin .
12. Jose s . Age 24 High school education College student - 11-
Second- generation American, Asturian- Cuban origin .
13. Mirta A. 15 . Sonia C. Age 35 Age 31 High school education High school education Housewife Housewife
14. Aline M. Age 38 Two years college Housewife
Second- generation American , Galician- Italian origin .
16 . Cindy S . Age 17 High school student
Second- generation American ~ Italian origin .
17 . John A. 18. Giusto G. Age 35 Age 52 Two years college Basic education Insurance salesman Truck driver
Native Cubans (came to United States between 1925 and 1927) l. Mercedes P . 2 . Marina G. Age 73 Age 63
Native Asturians (came to United States between 1913 and 1923)
3. Marfa G. 4. Amada G. Age 80 Age 74
Native Galician (came to United States in 1934)
5. Marfa L. Age 66 - 12-
CHAPTER III
ANALYSIS OF THE PHONOLOGICAL FEATURES OF TAMPA SPANISH
CONSONANTS
Tampa Spanish may be analyzed as containing the
following consonant phonemes : /b/ , /d/ , /g/ , /p/ , /t/ , /k/ ,
/f/ , /s/ , /h/ , /r/ , /r/ , /1/ , /c/, /m/ , /n/ , /n/ , /y/ , and /w/ .
/b , d ,g/ ar e voiced stop- fricatives . These phonemes
normally appear in the following environments :
1 . word- initial position ;
2 . medially in syllable- initial position , after the
consonants /l , r , s/ , the semivowels /y,w/ , and after nasal con sonants with the same points of articulation ;
3 . in environment V- C and V- V;
4. /d/ may also appear in word- final position .
/b/ has the principal allophones voiced bilabial occlusive
[bJ , voiced bilabial fricative [ e J , and voiced labiodental fricative
[vJ . Except i n word- initial position and after nasals where /b/~CbJ , all three allophones are in free variation .
Exampl es : baile CbayleJ , j abon Chab6n~ hae 6n~hav6nJ , calvo Ckalbo~k ale o~kalvoJ , curvas Ckurbas ~ kure as ~ kurvasJ , asbesto
Casbesto~as ee sto~asvestoJ , muy bajo Cmuybato ~muyeaho ~muyvahoJ , hembra
Cembra] , abrir Cabr f ~ae r f ~avr f rJ . - 13-
/d/ has the principal allophones voiced apicoalveolar or apicodental occlusive [dJ , voiced interdental fricative [aJ , voiced alveolar flap vibrant [rJ , and [~J (zero) . In phrase initial position and after a nasal and /1/ , /d/7[dJ always . After
/y ,w/ , /d/7[aJ . After /r , s/ , /d/7[a~ dJ . In word- final position ,
/d/7[d , r , ~J . In all other positions , /d/7[a~ ~J .
Examples : de j ar CdeharJ , ~edo [deao ~ de~oJ , caldo
CkaldoJ , s ordo Cs6r do ~s6r aoJ , desde [desde ~ desaeJ , cu!date
CkuyaateJ , ciudad [siwaa d~ siwaa~siwaa~J , grande CgrandeJ , padre
Cpadre~ paareJ .
/g/ has the principal allophones voiced back velar occlusive [gJ and fricative [gJ . Except in phrase- initial position and after a nasal , where /g/7[gJ , the two allophones are in free variation in all environments .
Examples : gallinas [gayfnasJ , amigas [amfgas ~ amfgasJ , salga [salga~ s alg aJ , largo Clargo ~ largoJ , rasgo Crasgo ~ rasgoJ, enganar CenganarJ , vinagre [vinagre ~ vinagreJ .
/p ,t,k/ are voiceless stops which occur in the same environments and with the same allophones as in standard Spanish .
These three phonemes normally appear in the following environments :
1 . word- initial position;
2 . medially, in intervocalic position , after /l , r , s , y/ , and after nasals with the same points of articulation; -14-
3 . initially and medially with a following /1/ or /r/ , except /tl/ which does not occur initially and is very rare medially .
/p/ has as its principal allophone the voiceless unaspirated bilabial stop [pJ .
Examples : polvo [polboJ , tapa [tapaJ, alpaca [alpakaJ, arpa [arpaJ , despues [despwesJ, muy preciosa [muypresiosaJ , empanada [empanaaaJ , planta [plantaJ, principia [prinsfpyoJ, aptitud CaptituaJ .
/t/ has as its principal allophone the voiceless un aspirated apicoalveodental or apicodental stop [tJ.
Examples : tapa CtapaJ , futuro [futuro] , alto CaltoJ , carta [kartaJ , esta [estaJ , muy tfmido [muytfmiaoJ , antes [antesJ ,
Atlantica [atlantikoJ , treinta CtreyntaJ .
/k/ has as its principal allophone the voiceless un aspirated back velar stop [kJ .
Examples : coraz6n [koras6nJ , hamaca [amakaJ , alcoba
[alkoe aJ , arco [arkoJ , vasco [baskoJ , muy corto [muyk6rtoJ , un kilo [unkf loJ "a penny" , claro [klaroJ , craka [krakaJ " a person not of Latin origin", actividad [aktiviaaaJ. -15-
/f/ occurs in word and syllable- initial positions , before or after any vowel , after the consonants /s ,l ,y/ , and
after nasals having the same point of articulation . It has
as its principal allophone the voiceless labiodental fricative
[f] .
Examples : futuro [futuro] , cafe CkafeJ , satisfecho
CsatisfecoJ , alfabeto CalfabetoJ , muy fuerte CmuyfwerteJ , fresco CfreskoJ , flor CflorJ .
/s/ occurs in word and syllable- initial and final positions . It has the principal allophones grooved sibilant [sJ , the pharyngeal fricative [hJ , C0J , the voiced sibilant [zJ , the voiceless bilabial nasal [~J , and the voiceless alveolar nasal CgJ .
These allophones appear in the following environments :
1 . [sJ appears exclusively in word and syllable- initial positions;
2 . [s ,h ,0J appear in free variation in word and syllable- final positions;
3 . [s ,h ,0 , zJ alternate in free variation before voiced consonants;
4. [s , h ,0 , z ,m, nJ alternate in free variation before 0 d nasals . -16-
Examples : cinco Cs f nkoJ , escuela [eskwela~ ehkwela~
/h/ occurs in word and syllable- initial positions only.
It has as its principal allophone the voiceless pharyngeal fricative
[h] .
Examples : jaula [hawlaJ , mujer [muherJ , angel [anhelJ.
/r/ occurs in syllable- initial position , after the consonants /b , d , g ,p ,t ,k , f/ , and in word- final pos ition , but does not occur in word- initial position. It has as its principal allophones [r ,0 , d , tJ which occur in the f ollowing environments :
1 . the voiced alveolar flap vibrant [rJ occurs wherever this phoneme is found;
2 . C0J sometimes alternates with [rJ in word- final positionj
3 . the apicoalveolar or apicodental stop [dJ occasionally alternates with [rJ in word- final position;
4. the voiced alveolar coarticulated flap vibrant- lateral
[ r J sometimes occurs before the consonant /s/ . -17-
Examples: cara CkaraJ , hembra Cembra], padre
CpaareJ , grande CgrandeJ , prueba CprweeaJ , treinta CtreyntaJ , craka CkrakaJ " a person not of Latin origin", fruta [frutaJ, azucar [asUkar-asUka~J , mujer [muhervmuhedJ, catorce [kat6rse ~ kat6rseJ .
Iii occurs in word and syllable- initial positions .
In syllable- initial position within a word , lrl occurs after vowels and after the consonants ln , s , ll . It has as its principal allophones the voiced multiple alveolar trill [rJ which occurs always in word- initial position, and its voiceless counterpart CfJ which alternates with [rJ in word- medial position .
Examples : rayo CrayoJ, perro Cpero~ pe:t;oJ , enrollar
Cenroyar~enfoyarJ , alrededor Calreaea6r~ alteaea6rJ.
1~1 occurs in word and syllable- initial positions .
In syllable- initial position, l ...cl occurs intervocalically and after the consonants ll ,n , rl . It has as its principal allophone. the voiceless alveopalatal affricate [~J .
The voiceless alveopalatal fricative [sJ for 1~1 pre- dominates in the Spanish of Cuba and Miami , but is very rare in
Tampa , except among recent Cuban immigrants .
Examples : chimenea [~imeneaJ, mucho [mu~oJ ,
"" ... molche Cmol~eJ " mulch", ancho Can~oJ , march a [marcaJ . /1/ occurs in word and syllable- initial and final positions . Medially , /1/ occurs after all vowels, and the consonants /b , g ,p , k , f , s , r , n/ . It has as its principal allophones
[1 , r , r, ~J which occur in the following environments :
1 . the voiced alveolar lateral [lJ occurs wherever the phoneme /1/ is found .
2 . the voiced alveolar flap vibrant [rJ and the voiced alveolar flap vibrant- lateral CtJ alternate with [lJ sometimes before the consonant /t/ .
3 . [~J occurs before the consonant /b/ sometimes .
Examples : leche [le~vc eJ , paloma CpalomaJ , sol
CsolJ , salvaj e [salbahe ~ sa~baheJ, blanco CblankoJ , ingles
CinglesJ , planta CplantaJ , claro CklaroJ , flor CflorJ ,
Islee CisleJ (girl ' s name) , burla CburlaJ , enlazar CenlasarJ, soltero Csoltero ~ sortero ~ sorteroJ , Silvio Cs f lbyo~ s{~byoJ
(man 1 s name) .
/m/ occurs in word and syllable- initial positions .
Within a word , /m/ occurs after the consonants /d , l , s , r/ and after any vowel . It also occurs before /f/ and /b/ . It has as its principal allophone the voiced bilabial nasal [mJ .
Examples : mucho [mucoJ , admirar CadmirarJ , alma
[alma] , desmoralizar [desmoralisarJ , marmol [marmolJ , chimenea
CcimeneaJ , enfermo CemfermoJ , hembra Cembra] . -19-
/n/ occurs in word and syllable- initial and final positions . It has as its principal allophones [n , m, nJ , which occur in the f ollowing environments :
1 . the alveodental or dental nasal [nJ occurs wherever the phoneme /n/ is found except before the consonants /f , k , h/.
2 . the labiodental nasal [mJ occurs before the consonant
/f/.
3. the velar nasal [nJ occurs before the velar consonants
/g ,k/ , before the pharyngeal consonant /h/ and C n ~ nJ in word- final position , with CnJ predominant . CnJ does not occur word- medially before a following non- velar or non- pharyngeal consonant as it does in Miami- Cuban Spanish.
Exampl es : nido [nfdoJ , nena [nenaJ , ignorante
[ignoranteJ , etnica [etnikaJ , desnudo [dehnuaoJ , cocina
Ckosf naJ , enfermo [emfermoJ, cinco [sfnkoJ , ingles CinglesJ , antes [antes] .
/n/ occurs usually in intervocalic position within a word. Its occurrence in word- initial position is extremely limited. It has as its principal allophone the voiced palatal nasal [nJ .
Examples : manana [manana] , nino [nfnoJ , name cnameJ .
/y/ occurs in word and syllable- initial and final positions , always in contact with a preceding or - 20-
following vowel . It has as its one principal allophone [yJ ,
a voiced palatal glide . /y/ is never the fricative or affricated
[~J or CyJ , etc ., found in other regions in any position in
Tampa Spanish .
Examples : yema [ yemaJ , ::ea;zaso CpayasoJ, hoy c6yJ,
Silvio Cs 'l \llbyoJ , adios Caay6sJ, ::eiano CpyanoJ , sitio [sftyoJ,
sucio Cs usyoJ, Amalia [ amalya"'ama\llyaJ (girl ' s name).
/w/ occurs in word and syllable-initial and final
positions, always in contact with a preceding or following
/a , e,i,o/ . It has as its principal allophones the voiced co-
articulated bilabial- velar sound [~J in word and syllable initial
positions , and the glide [wJ in word and syllable- final positions.
In addition, the /we/ group orthographically represented by hue ,
~ ' gile , gil~ and bue is phonetically both [gwJ and sometimes 9 [~J and c wJ .
Examples : huevo [~e e oJ , hueso giliro
agua Ca~aJ , aguantar Ca~antarJ , abuelo Ca~eloJ (all [~J
alternate with [ewJ) , jaula ChawlaJ, deuda CdewaaJ , ciudad
Csiwaaa J , fuerte CfwerteJ , suerte CswerteJ, rueda CrweaaJ . - 21-
VOWELS
The vowel system of Tampa Spanish contains the
standard Spanish vowels /a ,e , i , o ,u/ .
In Tampa , the articulation of these vowels ranges
generally from open to mid , in sharp distinction to the vowels
of (Havana) Cuban Spanish whic~ according to Bertot and others,
range from mid to closed. l6
16Lillian Bertot , A Descriptive Phonological Study of the Spanish Spoken in the Province of Havana , Cuba . M. A. Thesis, Florida Atlantic University , 1969 . - 22-
CHAPTER IV
COMPARISON OF SELECTED PHONOLOGICAL FEATURES OF TAMPA SPANISH WITH CORRESPONDING FEATURES IN ASTURIAN , GALICIAN , AND CUBAN SPANISH
The comparison of selected phonological featur es among Tampa , (Havana) Cuban , Asturian and Galician Spanish are shown in chart form on the following page . 17 This chart shows the relative f r equency of occurrence of selected phonemes as well as the outstanding allophones . Descriptions of these allophones are included in Chapter III .
17Data f or Asturian and Galician Spanish are taken from Vicente Garcf a de Diego , Manual de dialectologf a espanola , Segunda edici6n (Madrid : Cultur a Hispanica , 1959) , pp . 20 - 37 , 34 - 40 . Data for (Havana) Cuban Spanish are largely from Bertot , and are confirmed by personal observation. - 23-
COMPARISONS OF SELECTED PHONOLOGICAL FEATURES
PHONE!1ES TAMPA ICUBA !ASTUR IAS GALICIA i /b/ Cb,e,vJ cb ,eJ l[b ,sJ Cb ,e J I [v] o:::caion- no [ \'] no [vJ a.ll:L______1 .
/s/ Cs ,h ,Ql,z [s ,h , I/J , z , [ s, zJ never [s , zJ never m, nJ m,nJ aspi r ated; aspirated; heavily heavily grooved grooved
/8/- /s/ no phone!i!ic no phonemic phonemic ally phonemic ally distinction; di stinction; distinct distinct levell ed to levell ed to /s/ / s /
/h/ pharyngeal pharyngeal velar [xJ velar [ x J [h] [h] phonemic /r/-+Cr , rf; , d, /r/ & /1/ phonemic dis- phonemic dis- treatment l,i:J levelled even tinction always tinction alway s of / 1 / & /1/-+Cl , ~,r , more frequent maintained mai:1tained / r / r ,.i:J ly than in allophones Tampa shared; con- trast lost
1})-/y/ no phonemic no phonemic generally dis- always dis- di stinction ; distinction tinguished ; tinguished always [yJ sporadically level led 1-h/-+ C ~) /y /-+[ y ]
; -c ; ccJ pr edomin- ccJ and csJ ccJ general ccJ predo~- ates; both frequent inates ; [ s J csJ spor adic ~s] pr edom- occasionally inates
/ n/ in word [ n't.nJ ; CnJ always [nJ always [r,J pr edom- final posi.- CnJ pre- inates ; [ 1) ] t i on dominat es occasi onally
/n/ in word- [nJ always Cn J always t:nJ [ n't.n J medial posi- Cant esJ Ci:ntes J CantesJ Cant es·-v t icn , f ol- antes ] lowed by a cons onant other t han vel ar or phar yngeal e . g . ant es
Vowel quW.ity open to mi d mi d to mid mi d closed -24 -
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS
Comparisons of the phonological data gathered on
Tampa Spanish with published data regarding selected segmental features in Cuban , Asturian , and Galician Spanish substantiate
Canfield' s 1951 prediction that Tampa Spanish would be dominated by Cuban phonology .
There are many similarities between Tampa Spanish and general Caribbean and American Coastal Spanish. All of these are areas of yef smo , that is , areas in which the phonemes
/1/ and /y/ are not distinguished. The phoneme /h/ occurs as the pharyngeal allophone [hJ in these areas as well .
Tampa Spanish has these features in common with Cuban
Spanish rather than Asturian or Galician Spanish. Additionally , the phonemes /s , r ,l/ have allophones which occur in similar environments in both dialects , though not in Asturian or Galician .
However , four main traits stand out in Tampa Spanish as being unlike (Havana) Cuban Spanish :
1 . The frequent and spontaneous occurrence of the allophone [vJ for /b/ . This pronunciation is considered affected in other Latin American areas . - 25 -
2 . The occurrence of standard [nJ for /n/ in syllable
final posi tion when followed by a consonant other than velar or
pharyngeal (antes) . This is in sharp contrast to the consistent
"non- standard" (Havana) Cuban and Miami pronunciation of CnJ in
this environment .
3 . The preponderance of open vowel articulation as
opposed to the relatively closed vowels of (Havana) Cuban and
Miami Cuban .
4. The pronunciation of muy as [mwfJ more frequently than CmuyJ .
It is clear from the comparison of segmental features in Chapter IV that the dominant influence in Tampa Spanish is
Cuban but Cuban influence from what era?
There is a curious twist to Canfield ' s prediction.
There are obvious differences between the Cuban Spanish of Tampa and the Cuban Spanish of Miami . Furthermore , these differences cannot be explained in terms of Cuban dialect geography . Tampa Spanish has its origins in the Spanish of its late 19th century -- early twentieth century Cuban settlers , while the Spanish of Miami re presents the speech of Cuban refugees who arrived some sixty years later .
This observation leads us to speculate that the phonology of Tampa Spanish may yet undergo another noticeable change , one caused by the influence of the speech brought to Miami and Tampa by Cuban refugees since 1960 . - 26-
APPENDIX
This chart is a classified account of the analysis of
Tampa Spanish according to Melvyn C. Resnick ' s Phonological
Variants . The index numbers correspond to his phonological classifications for Latin American dialect identification.
COUNTRY INDEX NO . USAGE SPEAKERS
United States A2 occasionally All classes Florida: Tampa AlO predominant All classes
B39 occasionally All classes
B47 predominant All classes
Cl some speakers All classes
C2 some speakers Except cult a
C3 some speakers All classes
c4 predominant All classes
c6 predominant All classes
D2 some speakers All classes
D3 some speakers All classes
D4 some speakers All classes
D5 occasionally All classes
D6 some speakers All classes
D7 sporadic All classes
DB sporadic All classes
D9 sporadic All classes
DlO sporadic All classes - 27-
COUNTRY INDEX NO . USAGE SPEAKERS
United States Dll sporadic All classes Florida: Tampa El always All classes
Fl always All classes
G2 always All classes
G9 always All classes
Hl sporadic All classes
H2 predominant All classes
Il predominant All classes
I2 occasionally All classes
13 always All classes
I5 some speakers All classes
I6 some speakers All classes
I7 occasionally All classes
I8 some speakers All classes
I9 sporadic All classes
IlO occasionally Except culta
Il6 predominant All classes
Il7 sporadic All classes
Jl general All classes
Kl general All classes
K3 rare All classes
Ll always All classes
Ml occasionally All classes (rapid speech)
N2 always All classes - 28-
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