Reviewed by Carolin Patzelt, University of Bochum
This book investigates phonological variation among Salvadorian youths living in Toronto, Canada, focusing on three variables that have been extensively researched in Caribbean varieties but not Salvadorian Spanish: syllable- and word-final (s), syllable-initial (s), and word-final (n). The choice of these three variables is natural, as they are the best-known sociolinguistic variables in Spanish linguistics.
Ch. 1 starts off with a general overview of Latin American Spanish. The distinctive phonological features of different varieties of Latin American Spanish (e.g. Caribbean, Mexican, South and Central American) are presented, as well as an overview of Spanish speakers in Canada. Ch. 2 presents the methodology, data collection, and speakers. The author chose the Salvadorian variety of Spanish because differences within Salvadorian Spanish are not as significant as in other parts of Latin America. Moreover, the Salvadorian community of Toronto is relatively new: the thirty speakers interviewed are all aged fifteen through twenty-five and were born in El Salvador.
Variation in their speech is shown to be governed by both linguistic and social constraints. Ch. 3 investigates the realization of (s). After overview of previous studies on /s/ retention, aspiration, and deletion, it is shown that retention of /s/ is favored by both articulatory and social constraints. Speakers who arrived in Canada at an early age are more likely to retain /s/, and so are women in general and speakers whose parents had a secondary education or higher.
Ch. 4 investigates the realization of final (n) and its linguistic and social constraints. Again, it is women and speakers with high socioeconomic status who prefer the otherwise stigmatized variant of velar [ŋ] over the overtly prestigious [n].
Ch. 5 compares the distribution and conditioning of the variables (s) and (n). Although social stratification for word-final /n/ is weaker than for word-final /s/, speakers from the highest socioeconomic background favor the velar variant. The latter is even identified as an emerging Hispanic identity marker in Toronto. In addition, the author shows several striking differences in the sociolectal uses of (s) and (n). In particular, the reduction of /s/ seems to be due to its association with rural and uneducated speakers, which raises the question of speakers’ identity and its manifestation through language. Ch. 6 elaborates on this issue, summarizes the author’s conclusions, and outlines directions for future research.
This is a well-structured, valuable study. Since the youth interviewed in this study are all first-generation Canadians, the Spanish of later generations calls for future research.