Multilingual Miami: Current Trends in Sociolinguistic Research

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss current trends in sociolinguistic work focusing on language in metropolitan Miami, an area we contend is underrepresented in the sociolinguistics literature given the unique contact situation that has arisen there during the past half century. We focus our attention on four main areas of theoretical and empirical concern: (1) Spanish-English bilingualism, (2) issues related to the varieties of Spanish spoken in Miami, (3) issues related to the varieties of English spoken in Miami, and (4) an overview of languages other than English and Spanish spoken in the region, with particular attention to Haitian Creole. We conclude with suggestions for future sociolinguistic work in all of these areas.

The influence of language background and exposure on phonetic accommodation

“…Additionally, we know that language contact can encourage the formation of new language varieties. For example, both monolingual English speakers and Spanish-English bilinguals in Miami, which has a majority Hispanic population, speak a variety of English with Spanishinfluenced properties, such rhythm and pitch (Enzinna 2015(Enzinna , 2016Carter & Lynch 2015).…”

Special issue: Monolith or mosaic? Miami’s twenty-first-century Latin@ dynamics

“…In terms of language, Miami is also unique, even if it is not as Spanish-dominant as is commonly believed. Census data on language use at home show that Spanish is indeed widespread across Miami-Dade County, practiced almost as much in upperclass neighborhoods as in working-class ones (Carter and Lynch 2015). Heard more than English in the majority of Miami-Dade neighborhoods, Spanish is also rising in use in nearby counties.…”

“…The findings in this body of research indicate some antipathy, discrimination, and social distancing between US-born Latin@s and their foreign-born co-ethnics, as well as between the undocumented and those enjoying legal status (García Bedolla 2005; Córdova and Cervantes 2010). Furthermore, linguistic research documents how speaking Spanish-a characteristic of cultural unity-actually differentiates Latin@s through their accents and degrees of fluency (e.g., Carter and Lynch 2015;Márquez Reiter and Rojo 2015;Negrón 2014;Potowski 2015;Zentella 1990).…”

Vowel reduction patterns of early Spanish- English bilinguals receiving continuous L1 and L2 input

“…Our primary research question adds to the contemporary body of phonetic studies that are cataloguing the features of Miami English by exploring whether monolingual English speakers who have lived many years in a multilingual environment can maintain categorical distinctions between schwa in the plural and possessive morphemes as well as word-finally (Flemming and Johnson, 2007). If Miami English monolinguals exhibit signs of blurring these phonetically discrete categories (Byers, 2012;Flemming, 2009;Flemming and Johnson, 2007), this feature suggests that one feature of "Miami English" is targetlessness with regard to vowel reduction 1 (Carter and Lynch, 2015;Enzinna, 2015). While other dialects of English may maintain or blur schwa values due to other factors (including speaking rate, nasalization etc.…”