LINGUIST List 13.1881

Tue Jul 9 2002

Books: Sociolinguistics: Nydia Flores-Ferran

Editor for this issue: Dina Kapetangianni <dinalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. LINCOM EUROPA, Sociolinguistics:Subject personal pronouns in Spanish Narratives of Puerto Ricans in New York City

Subject personal pronouns in Spanish Narratives of Puerto Ricans in New
York City: A Sociolinguistic Perspective 

Nydia Flores-Ferr�n 
City University of New York 

The variable use subject personal pronouns (SPPs) in Spanish has been
studied in Peninsular dialects, U.S. Spanish, Latin America and Puerto
Rico. This study investigates the phenomenon in a new speech
community: Puerto Rican residents of New York City (NYC). The main
linguistic factors that were found to affect the use of SPPs are: The
form used in a previous mention of the verb's subject, the distance to
last mention of the verb's subject, and switch reference. Other
factors discussed: the verb's TMA, person and number, and phrases of
habitual collocation.

A new sociolinguistic finding is discussed. A cluster effect was
found in the use of overt and null forms, a pragmatic device used to
maintain protagonists in the narratives in the open and on the table.

The external factors investigated are narrative style, age, gender,
and exposure to NYC, indirectly related to contact with English.

A new finding with regard to conflict narrative suggests that conflict
conditions the use of SPP, and that singular pronouns are favored in
this environment.

This study sheds new light regarding the effects of English
contact. The NYC native-born Puerto Rican had a stronger tendency to
use more overt SPPs than other NYC residents. However, while exposure
to NYC may be indirectly associated to English contact, several
contradictions argue against an English contact hypothesis.

ISBN 3 89586 302 5. 
LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 02. 
150 pp. USD 44 / EUR 44 / � 28. 

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A Students' and course discount of 40% is offered to the above
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