Voiceless stop aspiration in Yucatan Spanish

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that in Yucatan Spanish, /ptk/ are aspirated at greater levels than in other varieties, a feature attributed to contact with Yucatec Maya, a language that has both aspirated and ejective voiceless stops. The current study presents the first quantitative, acoustic, variationist investigation of the linguistic and social factors that constrain aspiration (as measured by VOT) in Yucatan Spanish. Analyses, conducted using mixed-effects statistical models, indicate that VOT values are longer in stressed syllables and phrase initially, and also before non-low vowels. Regarding social factors, men consistently favor longer VOT, along with older speakers. While no significant result was obtained based on language background (Maya-Spanish bilinguals vs. Spanish monolinguals), there is evidence of the influence of language and dialect contact on the observed patterns. Further results and conclusions are discussed.

On glottal stops in Yucatan Spanish

“…In the present data, most speakers show cases of glottal insertion, but some -specifically older speakers and Maya speakers -show much higher rates. Recall also that García Fajardo (1984) did not observe important differences across age groups, further suggesting that standardization of this feature is a recent process in YS, as also found by studies of other traditional variables in YS (Michnowicz, 2011(Michnowicz, , 2012Michnowicz & Carpenter, 2013).…”

“…In sum, this study has shown that glottal insertion in YS is governed by both linguistic and extra-linguistic factors, is almost certainly a contact-feature in this dialect, and is quickly disappearing from the speech of younger speakers of both Spanish and Maya backgrounds. Increased access to formal education was identified as one of the primary factors driving this move to a more 'standard' variety of Spanish, as has also been documented for other features of YS (Michnowicz, 2011;Michnowicz & Carpenter, 2013). Future study should examine this feature in the speech of children and adolescents in order to shed further light on the role of education and dialect contact in the overall standardization of Yucatan Spanish.…”

“…A comparison of glottal insertion with other phonetic variables observed in the literature on YS is found in Figure 4. It is evident that glottal insertion follows the same pattern as aspirated /ptk/ (data adapted from Michnowicz & Carpenter, 2013) and occlusive /bdg/ (data adapted from Michnowicz, 2011). Younger speakers use all of these 'traditional' regional forms less than older speakers.…”

“…As younger speakers become more educated, the rate of traditional dialect forms decreases. The importance of education in change away from non-standard forms (whether contact induced or not) has been frequently noted (Klee, 2009;Díaz-Campos, Fafulas & Gradoville, 2011), and has previously been cited as an important factor in standardization in YS (Michnowicz, 2011(Michnowicz, , 2012Michnowicz & Carpenter, 2013).…”

Lack of Syllable Duration as a Post-Lexical Acoustic Cue in Spanish in Contact with Maya

“…"The cat with red boots ate a mouse, not the one with blue boots." (Zubizarreta 1999, p. 4230) of voiceless plosives (Lope Blanch 1987;Mediz Bolio 1951;Michnowicz and Carpenter 2013;Suárez Molina 1996), or glottalization (Lope Blanch 1987;Michnowicz and Kagan 2016;Suárez Molina 1996), and it is especially true for the peculiar intonation of the variety (see, e.g., Barrera Vásquez 1977;Mediz Bolio 1951;Michnowicz and Barnes 2013;Suárez Molina 1996):…”