Phonology of the Spanish of Tampa, Florida
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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.