Phonological variation in a synchronic/diachronic sociolinguistic context: the case of Costa Rican Spanish Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Berk-Seligson, Susan Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 08/10/2021 07:46:40 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/565419 PHONOLOGICAL VARIATION IN A SYNCHRONIC/DIACHRONIC SOCIOLINGHISTIC CONTEXTS THE CASE OF COSTA RICAN SPANISH by Susan Berk-iSeligson A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the COMMITTEE ON LINGUISTICS (GRADUATE) In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 7 8 Copyright 1978 Susan Berk-Seligson @ 1978 SUSAN BERK-SELIGSON ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Susan Berk-Seligson________________________ entitled PHONOLOGICAL VARIATION IN A SYNCHRONIC/DIACHRONIC______ SOCIOLINGUISTIC CONTEXT: THE CASE OF COSTA RICAN SPANISH___________________________________________________ be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the degree of ____________ Doctor of Philosophy_______________________ k // / ’7.i' Dissertation Director Date As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read this dissertation and agree that it may be presented for final defense. >- 5Z./7, /< f Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent on the candidate's adequate performance and defense thereof at the final oral examination. STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to bor­ rowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: ^ To my parents, Joseph and Marta Berk, whose variety of languages made me aware of language variation ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For the wide variety of assistance given to me by a great num­ ber of persons, both in Costa Rica and in the United States, many of whose names unfortunately will go unmentioned because of my oversight, I owe a debt of gratitude. What follows is an inadequate attempt on my part to thank all those whose help has made this work come to fruition. First and foremost, I wish to thank all the Costa Ricans who in so many ways were of help to me. And principally among them are Francisco Mejia Mejia and Blanca Rosa de Mejia, who from the time of our initial establishment of friendship, in that period of participant observation (1968-1970) during which my husband, Mitchell Seligson, and I served as Peace Corps volunteers in Agua Buena de Goto Brus, have never ceased to be a mainstay of support and encouragement. Their aid in the pretesting phases of the several studies conducted has been in­ valuable . Particular thanks go to Francisco for his editing of the Spanish texts that I created for the large-scale subjective reaction test-(see Appendix A), and the reading portions of the contemporary phonological variation studies (Appendix F)0 And warm thanks go to Blanca, if not for whose care of Ambi, in 1976, I would not have been able to make my daily trek to either the University of Costa Rica library, to gather my historical social and linguistic data, or to the streets of Sabanilla de Montes de Oca, to conduct the women’s inter­ views = Thanks go also to Gabriel Castillo and Jovita Cordero de Castillo, who led me to many of my original linguistic insights in Agua Buena* Jovi deserves special thanks for hen recent extensive help in clarifying for me some of my questions regarding the peasant wedding reception (see Chapter 4)* Also to be thanked for assistance on the design of the linguistic questionnaire is Leon Ldpes Corella, whose careful reading of the eliciting questions led to many useful correc­ tions of them* In addition, I am particularly grateful to Zahyra Aguero de Fallas, who went to great lengths to satisfy my queries re­ garding the peasant wedding reception, and who, over the years, has been a source of support in countless ways* I wish to thank Luz Alba Chacon de UtnaSta, head of the Seccion Histories of the Archives Nacipnales and professor of paleography at the University of Costa Rica, for her invaluable guidance in regard to the collection of the historical linguistic data* And to the late philologist Victor Manuel Arroyo, and to Trinidad Rodriguez, both affiliated at the time (1973) with the University of Costa Rica, I would like to express gratitude for their linguistic insights* And to the following Costa Ricans who will have to be left un­ named, I give thanks, for their cooperation in my research: the admin­ istrators of the Escuela Jose^Figueres, Colegio Anastasio Alfaro, Liceo de Costa Rica, Colegio Calasanz; the 440 youngsters and adults who participated in the subjective reaction test (1973)» the 48 men of Sabanilla de Montes de Oca who were willing to be interviewed (1973) vi for a study of phonological variation in their speech; the 40 women of Sabanilla who participated (1976) in the replication of that study0 Turning now to the United States, I wish to thank all those professors who have provided me with invaluable constructive criticism; to the members of my dissertation committee, Adrienne Lehrer (chairman), Susan Uo Philips, and Patricia Van Metre, who entrusted me with the freedom to proceed with my research in accordance with my own vision, but who took the time to read the completed drafts carefully, offering many useful suggestions as to revision; to other faculty members at The University of Arizona who made helpful comments on various sections of the dissertation; Keith Basso, Richard Demers, Ao Richard Diebold, John Martin, and Paul Turner0 And, to one professor not from The University of Arizona, special thanks to Gillian Sankoff^ for taking the trouble to make extensive comments on Chapter 5° I would like also to thank Hazel Gillie, for doing such a careful job on the typing of this dissertation0 Not to be overlooked, but most difficult to thank adequately, is Mitchell Seligson; least of all for his countless invaluable sug­ gestions and comments on many of the chapters of this dissertation, especially Chapter 59 but most of all for his encouragement of my aspirations, and his willingness to accept a second academic ego in the familyo Not to be pooh-poohed is his loving acceptance of many uninspiring household chores, but more greatly appreciated is his readiness to listen to and comment on ray more academic concernsc Last of all, I want to thank Amber Lara Seligson, who was born at the beginning of my graduate program at this university, and who has had to share her mother with a host of books and journal articles* That her indomitable sense of humor has not flagged over the course of these, her first four years, testifies to her eternally happy Weltanschauung* May her joking never cease* TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES o o o o o o o o o o o o p o e o o o o o o o x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ................ o . xii ABSTRACT ooooooooooottooeooooooeooo XXXI l o INTRODUCTION eeeoeeo -oo oooooeo» o oooco 1 2= COSTA RICAN LISTENER RESPONSE TO PHONOLOGICAL VARIATION: A SUBJECTIVE REACTION TEST -e ............ .-.o »■ 19 The "Matched Guise TechniqueH and a Variant of It «, » 22 The Test @ * eooeoopoooooeoo 000,00 0 2^& The Sample 0000000000000000000000 27 Fxndxngs 00 o o @ o o 0 00 -00 000 0 000 0 00 0 29 Hypothesxs looooooooooooooooooo 29 Hypothesxs 2 o © o © © © © © © o ©■ © © © o © © o © 33 Hypothesxs 3®®^°°°®°°°°°°°°'°°°° 37 Hypothesxs 4ooooo©ooo©ooooooooo 39 Hypothesxs 5°®®®°°°®°°°°°°°°°°° Conclusions and Implications ©o©©©©©©©©©©® 44 3© A DIACHRONIC. SOCIAL AND LINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE ON VARIATION o ® o © o © ©00 0 0 o 0 -00 00© o 0 0 o © 49 Geographical-social Origins of Costa Rica's Colonists 30 The Evolution of Costa Rican Social Structure © » © © 76 The Early Colonial Period through the l8th Century 76 The 19th through 20th Centuries .©.©o©©©© 86 A Historical View of Phonological Variation © © © © © 89 The Linguistic Data o©©©.©©©©©©©©©© 95 Fxndxngs o©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©© 97 Conclusxons ©e©©*©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©© 110 4© THE COSTA RICAN PEASANT WEDDING RECEPTION: AN ETHNO- LINGUISTIC ACCOUNT © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 112 Theoretical Framework .©©©©©©©©©©©©©©© 114 The Text ©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©o©©©©© 132 The Peasant Man and Woman in Marriage © © © © © © 135 The Sources of Humor ©©©©©©©©©©©©©©© 139 viii ix TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued . Page Conclusion ©o o o e o ooooo ooooooooo l^f*6 5o CONTEMPORARY PHONOLOGICAL VARIATION © © * * © * * © © © * 149 Procedures ©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©o 150 SoEoS© Variables ©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©o 15^ Linguistic Variables ©©©©©©©©©o©©©©© L53 Formality Levels ©©©©©©©©o©©©©©©©© 153 Interviewer © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 15^ Field Instruments © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 159 The Data © © © .© © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © l6l Findings ©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©oo©©©©©©