Chapter 8
‘En esta petsa, este anio’
The Spanish sound system in contact with Miskitu
The historical evolution of the Caribbean Coast of
Nicaragua has given rise to a multilingual and multicultural region
that has been, until relatively recently, sheltered from the Spanish
language spoken in Western Nicaragua. As contact has increased
between the country’s East and West, Miskitu residents are
increasingly learning Spanish, but for many it serves as a second or
third language, resulting in a unique sound system. This chapter
explores the phonetic features found in the speech of Miskitu-
dominant Spanish speakers in Bilwi, including the transfer of
Miskitu phones into Spanish and the transformation of variable rules
under transfer. I argue that each individual feature can be found in
other parts of the Spanish-speaking world, but this specific
combination of phonetic features reflects the unique culture and
history of the Miskitu people, highlighting the linguistic outcomes
of social and linguistic isolation and contact along the Caribbean
Coast.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.A brief history of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua
- 3.The languages in contact: Spanish and Miskitu
- 3.1Previous phonological/phonetic work on Western Nicaraguan
Spanish
- 3.2The Miskitu language and its sound system
- 4.Features of Spanish in contact with Miskitu
- 4.1Consonantal variation
- 4.1.1Sound substitutions
- 4.1.2Rhotics
- 4.1.3/s/ reduction
- 4.1.4/b, d, g/
- 4.1.5Weakening and elision
- 4.2Vowel system
- 5.Concluding thoughts
-
Notes
-
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