Linguistics Commons^™

The Catalan-Speaking Linguistic Landscape Of Spain: A Comparative Analysis Of Commercial Signage In Barcelona, Valencia, And Palma De Mallorca, Kyle Reasons

Honors Theses

The present study is a linguistic landscape of the Catalan-speaking region of Spain. Linguistic landscaping is a relatively new survey technique in the world of linguistics first developed in a study by Landry & Bourhis (1997) and has a focus on addressing the languages present on various forms of signage within a given area. Catalan is a Romance language with approximately 9 million speakers where it is recognized as a co-official language in 3 communities included in this study (the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and the Valencian Community). This study looks at 3 cities in Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, and Palma de …

The Integration Of Spanglish Throughout Texas, Alexa Garcia, Renata Taboada, Dariela Galindo, Julianne Pena

Posters - 2026

Code switching is the combination of two or more languages spoken due to the proximity of communities (Zentella, 1997). Code switching is very common in areas with a majority Hispanic community (Devan et al., 2024). Although Spanglish is highly controversial, it is widely used through multiple parts of Texas (Stavans, 2008) Spanish in San Antonio is very different than Mexico Spanish according to Mexican-Americans (Gillespie-Duelos, 1975)

Contacto, Identidad Y Convergencia: El Español Dominicano En Puerto Rico, Ricardo Estremera-Marcial

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

El presente estudio analiza el contacto dialectal entre el español dominicano y el puertorriqueño en Puerto Rico. Se trata de explicar el encuentro de dos variedades cercanas del español dentro de un mismo espacio monolingüe, pero con valoraciones sociales distintas. En particular, se examina el grado de convergencia que resulta de ese contacto en el caso de la articulación de la /s/ en posición final de sílaba, junto con la convergencia léxica y el papel de las actitudes lingüísticas en la construcción de la identidad.

Para llevar a cabo esta investigación se combinaron métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos. Se trabajó con …

Span 338/704 Syllabus - Oer, Mark Hoff

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Production Of Labiodental Fricative /V/ In Heritage Speakers Of Spanish, Andrea Michelle Nunez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

AbstractThe present study investigates the factors that influence Heritage Spanish speakersâ?? production of the allophone [v]â??namely its corresponding orthography ( vs. ), the phonological context in which it is produced (VCV vs. NCV, where V = vowel, C = consonant, N = /n/), and participantsâ?? language dominance (Spanish vs. English). More specifically, this study seeks to determine whether, for these Spanish speakers, [v] contrasts with /b/ (hence, /v/) or is an allophone of /b/. Standard Spanish does not have /v/, but it has â??an orthographic form of /b/, which in turn has (at least) two allophonic realizations: [b] after nasals …

Reduction Of The Vocalic Sequence /Ea/ In Tapatío Spanish, Karol Ibarra Zetter

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

Reduction of the Vocalic Sequence /ea/ in Tapatío Spanish

This study investigates reduction in the vocalic sequence /ea/ in spontaneous conversational Tapatío Spanish from CCT: El Corpus Conversacional Tapatío (Martínez Gómez & Ibarra Zetter, 2017). An example of this phenomenon is the vocalic sequence /ea/ in the word in teatro ‘theater,’ which is often produced as [ˈtja.tɾo]. However, the word azotea ‘rooftop’ is usually pronounced [a.so.ˈte.a] by CCT speakers. The lexical frequency of these words is one factor that influences the degree of /ea/ reduction. Typically, there is a correlation between the frequency of lexical items and their phonetic reduction …

A Feedback Loop Of Exclusion: The Treatment Of Bilingualism In The Courtroom, Simone Stover

Northwestern University Law Review

In the 1991 case Hernandez v. New York, the United States Supreme Court characterized bilingualism as a race-neutral trait that can be used to exclude individuals from jury service. This Note proceeds by demonstrating how the current state of the law undermines the interests of bilingual individuals and then proposes a solution. Focusing specifically on Hispanic bilingual Spanish speakers, this Note first employs Professor Jennifer Lackey’s multi-directional credibility model to show that bilingual Spanish speakers suffer injustice in the courtroom due to both credibility deficits and excesses. Following this analysis, it proposes a possible solution to this issue: an …

¿Qué Lengua Hablas?: The Interaction Of Languages, Education And Identity In A Majority/Minority Sociolinguistic Setting, Luisa F. Hurtado Iglesias

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

This thesis presents a comparative analysis of language dynamics in two distinct contexts: the Tres Fronteras region, where Spanish and Portuguese intersect, and Cauca, Colombia, where Namtrik and Spanish coexist. Through qualitative research methods including interviews and ethnographic observations, the study examines the roles of these languages in shaping social interactions, cultural identities, and community dynamics.

By exploring language use patterns, attitudes, and policies in these regions, the thesis seeks to uncover similarities and differences in the ways Spanish, Portuguese, and Namtrik influence individuals' sense of belonging and cultural expression. Furthermore, the study examines the impact of historical, social, and …

Antes Muerta Que Sencilla: Language And The Construction Of Feminine Beauty In The Spanish-Speaking World, Eva Michelle Wheeler

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

Much has been written on the topic of feminine beauty, and existing studies suggest that ideas about beauty are a powerful cultural mirror that reveal what we value as a society and how we are valued by society (e.g., Etcoff 1999; Rhodes 2006; Whitefield-Madrano 2016; Wolf 2002). Despite critical advances made in beauty research, few existing studies in this area explicitly examine the lexicon of beauty as a critical site of analysis (e.g., Démuth et al. 2022; Gladkova 2021; Gladkova & Romero-Trillo 2021; Miller & Stevens 2021; Tayebi 2021; Wong & Or 2021). In the context of Spanish, no existing …

El Español De Utah: Crecimiento, Motivaciones Y Actitudes Sociolinguisticas, Devin L. Jenkins, Raquel Lindheimer Decker

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

The rapid growth of Hispanic communities in the western United States has prompted multiple recent studies on states whose Hispanic history is relatively recent when compared with the states that border Mexico. One state that has received relatively little attention in this area is Utah, whose Hispanic population has more than quintupled in the past three decades. One in seven Utahns identified as Hispanic or Latino in the 2020 Census, as compared to fewer than one in 20 in 1990. This growth is consistent with that of the Hispanic population in other non-border states in the West. Utah differs from …

Spanish On Bulletin Boards In Baltimore Public Libraries, Francisco Martínez Ibarra

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

Public libraries provide not only a safe space to access information but to interact with other members of the local community as well. The purpose of my paper is to study communication practices derived from posting messages on analog bulletin boards in Baltimore, Maryland. A few of the questions that guide my exploration are: who uses the bulletin board and how is it structured linguistically? Are Spanish and English used any differently regarding the author and the topic of the message? Does language use align with the demographics of the community?

I collected 488 texts from a total of 36 …

The Perceptual Origin Of Added Glottals In Spanish Loans In Modern Nahuan, Hugo Salgado, Justin Pinta

CAS Publications

Spanish vowel-final loans are consistently adopted in modern Nahuan languages with an added glottal phoneme: Spanish mesa > Nahuan mesah ‘table’. This adaptation is puzzling because there is no obvious aspect of the phonological or morphological grammar of Nahuan that motivates it. We present evidence that, due to the weakened voicing of Spanish utterance-final vowels, Nahuan speakers perceive Spanish vowel-final words in utterance-final position as ending in the Nahuan glottal phoneme and adopt the word with it. Our proposal bears on the growing body of literature showing that first- and second-language learners are more sensitive to the phonetic characteristics of sounds …

Yiddish Intelligibility Retention Across The Jewish Diaspora: A Comparison Between Argentina And The U.S., Shannon R. Friel , '24

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

U.S. Ashkenazi Jews may call their grandma “bubbe” ([bʊbi]) in Yiddish, but in Argentina they usually call her “bobe” ([βoβe]). Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants brought Yiddish to the U.S. and Argentina, where the language was exposed to English and Spanish and Yiddish speakers lost touch with each other as they assimilated to different cultures far away from one another. This study attempts to answer whether English-Yiddish speakers can understand Yiddish words as produced by a Spanish-Yiddish speaker. U.S. participants completed a perception test, listening to a list of 20 words gathered from two Argentinian consultants and answering a series of questions …

How Phonological And Syntactic Overlap Impact Cognate Processing Speeds In Bilinguals, Ella Marie Peterson

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper investigates individuals who are proficient in two languages (bilinguals) and the speeds at which bilinguals process cognates (words with comparable form and meaning across languages). This paper cites two ongoing experiments: The Language Identification (LID) task and the Self-Paced Listening (SPL) task. Findings from the LID suggest that phonological overlap in cognates facilitates bilingual language processing speeds, when cognates are presented in isolation. Findings from the SPL suggest that syntactic overlap in cognates also facilitates bilingual language processing speeds, when cognates are presented in sentences. These findings are significant in that the tasks present cognates to participants in …

When Would You Feel Like A Writer? Exploring Writing With Newcomer Students, Sinélia Peixoto, Thea Williamson

English Faculty Publications

The authors share a story of a middle school writer's experience navigating across languages in an English for Speakers of Other Languages support classroom.

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes: Children And The Formation Of The Rio De La Plata Spanish Address System, Israel Sanz-Sánchez, María Irene Moyna

Languages & Cultures Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the effects of child language acquisition as a critical factor in a morphological change, namely, the replacement of the etymologically singular second person paradigm (tuteo) by its plural counterpart (voseo) in 19th century Rio de la Plata Spanish. The account applies a sociohistorical model which proposes that young children can function as language change agents in environments characterized by unpredictable input variation, lack of normative mechanisms, and the emergence of peer networks among young learners. The model is then applied to explain the rapid generalization of voseo in the late 1800s, a well-documented but poorly understood process. …

Representaciones Ideológicas Del Lenguaje Entre La Población Mexicana En Nueva York, Maria Del Rocio Carranza Brito

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the linguistic ideologies that Mexican migrants bring when migrating and reproduce in their daily interactions with other Spanish and English speakers, as well as the representations of the language presented in their linguistic behaviors. This work presents an intersectional analysis where the factors of gender, migratory status, education, and work are determining factors in the adoption, maintenance, and reproduction of language ideologies, which affect the linguistic decisions of the speakers in their use of Spanish, learning of English and the support of bilingualism. Based on the stereotypical idea of Spanish as the …

Multilingual Schoolscapes Of Elementary Schools In East Tennessee, Olivia Campbell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates how three elementary schools in East Tennessee align their schoolscapes with their multilingual populations. The study involved taking pictures of signage in these elementary schools and analyzing them for multilingualism. The findings indicate that there is limited presence of multilingual signage in the schools despite the presence of diverse students. While the schools are making efforts to be inclusive with their signage, there is clearly more room for improvement.

¿Cómo Se Dice...? The Spanish Use Of Hispanic College Students, Christopher Castaneda

Honors Theses

The Spanish language is very prominent in the United States. Millions of Spanishspeakers live there, and the use of the language in their day to day lives has augmented the presence of it in an otherwise Anglophone country. However, there are certain factors that may influence how often Spanish speakers actually use their language in this country. This study sought to analyze two: the existing anti-Hispanic attitudes in the United States and the parental/caretaker level of education of Spanish-speaking people. This study aimed to conduct an analysis of college-aged Hispanic students in order to conclude the extent to which those …

Cognitive Effects Of Grammatical Gender In L2 Spanish Acquisition: A Study Among Latter-Day Saint Returned Missionaries, Hannah Cagle

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The current study aims to explore the cognitive effects of L2 Spanish acquisition and the role that spending time in the target language country has on L2 learners’ categorization of inanimate objects. Three groups of participants were analyzed: monolingual English speakers, L2 Spanish speakers that learned their Spanish while serving missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) abroad, and L2 Spanish speakers that learned their Spanish while serving LDS missions in the United States. Using a Qualtrics survey, participants were tasked with pairing a list of adjectives stereotypically associated with males or females (Williams & Bennett, …

“Investment In Inertia”: Language Ideologies Of Instructors And Students Of Spanish As A Heritage Language, Michael E. Rolland

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

When the Spanish-language skills of heritage Spanish learners are disparaged in an academic environment, these learners are at high risk of abandoning further study of Spanish and shifting entirely to English. This dissertation uses mixed qualitative and quantitative research methods, including thematic and discourse analysis, to investigate the language ideologies of instructors and students of Spanish as a heritage language (SHL) and the effects of those ideologies on students’ experiences in SHL college courses. It builds on earlier research on language ideologies in the post-secondary heritage language context (e.g., Carreira, 2011; Loza, 2017; Valdés et al., 2003). I find that …

¿El Papel Lo Aguanta Todo? Linguistic Nationalism In Hispanic Constitutions, Mihir Kale

Gaines Fellow Senior Theses

Linguistic nationalism is among the most well-documented sections of nationalist study, as it is one of the predominant mechanisms in which nationalist sentiments are codified or enforced within a state. Cultural or ethnic nationalist preferences are typically expressed through the imposition and preference of a certain nation’s language to demonstrate power, and examples of linguistic nationalism have been recorded across all continents and societies throughout history.

A Survey To Highlight Areas Of Focus For Patient Care In Settings Utilizing Medical Interpretation, Azayzel Deregis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis recounts my personal experience working as a volunteer medical interpreter for the Language and Culture Resource Center at East Tennessee State University. The result of my time spent volunteering as a medical interpreter, shadowing professional medical interpreters, and witnessing patient-provider interactions during interpreted sessions was an inspiration to study medical interpretation further and delve into the challenges faced by patients who require medical interpreters. During my time researching this topic, I found that the United States is severely lacking in Spanish medical interpreters—with some healthcare facilities employing no medical interpreters—even though the size of the Hispanic population is …

El Uso Del Espanglish En Escuelas Como Una Expresión De La Identidad De La Tercera Cultura, Isabella N. Yeager

Global Tides

Este artículo analiza la conexión entre el fenómeno lingüístico del “espanglish” y el concepto sociológico de la identidad de la tercera cultura en el contexto del uso del cambio de código y el translenguaje por parte de los estudiantes de primaria. Busca demostrar que el espanglish es una expresión única de una identidad cultural híbrida, así como un léxico híbrido. Aunque la pedagogía convencional a veces puede buscar compartimentar cada idioma, la investigación que presenta este estudio demuestra que el contacto lingüístico entre el inglés y el español en el aula y más allá a menudo sirve no como una …

Non-Argumental Clitics In Spanish And Galician: A Case Study Of The Distribution Of Solidarity And Ethical Clitics, Susana Huidobro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the properties of what traditional grammars call “superfluous elements” or non-arguments, so-called Ethical Dative Clitics (Bello 1954, Seco 1962 among others) and Solidarity Clitics (Álvarez, Rosario, X.L. Regueira & H. Monteaguedo 1986) in Spanish and Galician. This research fills an important gap in the existing formal literature on these forms, providing the first thorough syntactic and typological investigation of the latter phenomenon.

The study of non-argumental datives encounters difficulties at different levels: at a descriptive/empirical as well as at a theoretical level. From a descriptive point of view, there are no, so far in the literature, clear …

Un Estudio Sociolingüistíco Del Español De Hombres Con Descendencia Mexicana Que Se Identifican Como Homosexuales, Víctor Bulfrano Estanislao

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Ciertos rasgos lingüísticos específicos se asocian con hablantes de diferentes grupos. Los investigadores sociolingüísticos han identificado una serie de características lingüísticas como marcadores del habla homosexual en inglés y español; el presente estudio examina si estas características están presentes en el español producido por hombres homosexuales bilingües. Los hablantes examinados son hombres mexicanos de entre 18 y 30 años que viven en Chicago o los suburbios circundantes, son bilingües y se identifican como homosexuales. Los participantes completaron una serie de tareas: un cuestionario del contexto lingüístico, una narración oral y una entrevista sociolingüística grabada con el investigador. Se examinaron los …

Temporal Fluency And Floor/Ceiling Scoring Of Intermediate And Advanced Speech On The Actfl Spanish Oral Proficiency Interview–Computer, Troy L. Cox, Alan V. Brown, Gregory L. Thompson

Faculty Publications

The rating of proficiency tests that use the Inter-agency Roundtable (ILR) and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) guidelines claims that each major level is based on hierarchal linguistic functions that require mastery of multidimensional traits in such a way that each level subsumes the levels beneath it. These characteristics are part of what is commonly referred to as floor and ceiling scoring. In this binary approach to scoring that differentiates between sustained performance and linguistic breakdown, raters evaluate many features including vocabulary use, grammatical accuracy, pronunciation, and pragmatics, yet there has been very little empirical validation …

Clitic Doubling: The Case Of Nariño Andean Spanish, Jessica Paola Jurado Eraso

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis examines the behavior of clitic doubling in Nariñense, a little-studied Andean Spanish variety spoken in the southwest of Colombia, and compares it to well-studied varieties such as standard Peninsular, Rioplatense, and other Andean Spanish varieties. Its aim is to present novel data about clitic doubling in order to shed more light into the extensive literature about this phenomenon in Spanish. Through spontaneous speech recordings obtained from thirty native speakers of Nariñense, 133 sentences involving clitic doubling were analyzed. Features such as agreement matching between the clitic and the doubled NP, use of the preposition a to introduce the …

Spanish-Origin Verbal And Grammatical Borrowing In Paraguayan Guaraní, Josefina Bittar Prieto

Linguistics ETDs

Previous work on language change in contact situations has treated lexical borrowing and grammatical borrowing as discrete phenomena (Appel and Muysken 1987, Thomason 2001, Campbell 2013). Claims that lexical borrowing needs to occur before grammatical borrowing (e.g. Thomason and Kaufmann 1988) or that grammar can be borrowed without any lexicon (e.g. Aikhenvald 2002) are often mentioned in the literature. This dissertation explores the interplay between grammatical constructions (in the sense of Goldberg 2006) and lexical elements in intense contact situations. More specifically, it addresses the following research question: Are grammatical constructions borrowed independently from the elements contained in said constructions? …

A Comparison Of Approval Ratings Of Gender Inclusive Spanish Suffixes Between Learners And Speakers Of Spanish., Chandler Nichols

Honors Theses

The following study aimed to investigate the correlation between varying levels of Spanish learners who had taken different levels of Spanish courses, and fluent speakers and their approval ratings of gender inclusive suffixes in Spanish. The study used a survey in order to gather information and approval ratings. The results indicated that higher level Spanish learners on average had lower approval ratings of the three gender inclusive suffixes included in the survey.