Sociolinguistic Approaches to Sibilant Variation in Spanish

<p>Social processes and the nature of language variation have driven sibilant variation across the Spanish-speaking world. This book explores the current state of Spanish sibilants and their dialectal variations. </p><p>Focusing on different processes undergone by sibilants in Spanish (e.g. voicing devoicing weakening aspiration elision) in various geographical areas and language contact situations each chapter offers an analysis on a unique sociolinguistic case from different formal experimental and data-based approaches. The opening chapter orients the reader with an overview of sibilant system’s evolution which serves as an anchor to the other chapters and facilitates understanding for readers new to the topic. The volume is organized around three thematic sections: part one Spain; part two United States; and part three Central and South America. The collection includes research on dialects in both Peninsular and Trans-Atlantic Spanish such as <i>Jerezano</i> Caribbean Spanish in Boston and New York City Cuban Spanish in Miami Colombia-Barranquilla Spanish northern Buenos Aires Argentine Spanish and USA heritage Spanish among other case studies. </p><p>This volume offers an original and concise approach to one of the most studied variables in Spanish phonetics taking into account geographically-based phonetic variation sociolinguistic factors and various Spanish language contact situations. Written in English this detailed synthesis of the wide-ranging geolinguistic features of Spanish sibilants provides a valuable resource for scholars in Hispanic studies linguistics Spanish dialectology and sociolinguistics.</p>