LINGUIST List 9.636

Fri May 1 1998

Sum: Spanish [v]

Editor for this issue: Martin Jacobsen <martylinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. jstevens, Summary of Responses to Spanish [v]

Thanks to all who responded to my inquiry concerning the labiodental
variant [v] in Spanish. The surprising number of responses received
is an indication of the level of interest many people have in this
often controversial aspect of Spanish phonology.

Many of the responses I received asserted that [v] does not exist
"naturally" in Spanish, but may occur in cases of hypercorrect,
pedantic, or affected speech; for example among teachers, actors, and
comedians.

Others indicate that the labiodental has existed in Spanish from "the
earliest times", and can still be heard in the Peninsula in peripheral
enclaves in eastern Andalucia (Granada), and among speakers of
Castilian in the Community of Valencia near the border with Aragon.
The labiodental, of course, occurs in some dialects of Catalan and
Valenciano, but it may be pronounced by monolingual speakers of
Spanish in Alicante, specifically around the village of Villajoyosa
(Benidorm). There are other reports that [v] may be found within the
Sevilla-Malaga-Cordoba triangle, and in some areas near Caceres.

Once again, thank you all for responding!

John Stevens
USC