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Abstract:
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Studies on dialect accommodation, which have focused on the acquisition of new features in dialects in contact, have found age of arrival to be a significant factor in acquisition patterns (e.g. Chambers 1992). In a quantitative analysis of /s/ reduction among Salvadorans living in Houston, it is found that accommodation may also involve the redistribution of features already present in the home variety. Through data garnered from sociolinguistic interviews, it is shown that the contact situation between Mexican and Salvadoran Spanish in Houston has led to social and linguistic pressures that have caused many Salvadorans to attempt to accommodate their speech to Mexican patterns. These attempts may be most evident in features that are socially salient for speakers, such as /s/ reduction, which is stereotypically identified with Salvadoran Spanish. Using multivariate statistical analysis, various linguistic and social factors are tested for statistical significance in /s/ reduction patterns. Age of arrival is found to be the most statistically significant factor, followed by the linguistic factors of following phonological segment and preceding phonological segment. Not statistically significant were morphemic status, word stress and word class. It is also shown that intensity of contact is not a determining factor in /s/ reduction rates, pointing to accommodation as a general social—rather than simply individual—phenomenon.
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