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Part of
Recent Developments in Hispanic Linguistics: Studies in structure, variation, and bilingualism
Edited by Michael Gradoville and Sean McKinnon
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 41] 2024
► pp. 172–196

Chapter 7
Ven, Vení, Venga

Forms of address among Argentines and Central Americans in North Carolina

| North Carolina State University
| North Carolina State University
| North Carolina State University
The present investigation contributes to our understanding of the evolving linguistic communities in the Southeastern U.S. by examining the factors that drive speakers’ choice of second person singular pronouns (e.g., tú, vos, usted). Results indicate that context and origin are the most influential factors: Argentines maintain their use of vos in familiar contexts, while Central Americans increase their use of tú and usted over time. However, although Argentines maintain a higher use of vos than Central Americans overall, they show evidence of accommodation to both tú and usted in contexts where they interact with speakers of other Spanish varieties. Qualitative analyses revealed an avoidance of voseo despite its strong ties to identity, indicating a complex interplay between pronoun choice.
Keywords: pronouns of address, voseo, accommodation, Southeastern U.S., identity
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Pronominal system and variation in Argentina
    • 2.2Pronominal system and variation in Central America
    • 2.3Spanish in the Southeast
    • 2.4Research questions
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Procedure and materials
    • 3.3Variables and coding
    • 3.4Statistical analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Pronoun choice (tú, vos, usted)
      • 4.1.1Usted vs. tú
      • 4.1.2Vos vs. tú
      • 4.1.3Vos vs. usted
      • 4.1.4Context and origin
      • 4.1.5The intersection of variables
    • 4.2Variation in pronoun+verb constructions
    • 4.3Participant attitudes
    • 4.4Accommodation
  • 5.Discussion and conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 4 October 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.41.07vau
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