Monica Millan | Eastern Michigan University (original) (raw)

Papers by Monica Millan

The paradigm of forms of address in Modern Spanish is subject to dialectal variation. Many Latin ... more The paradigm of forms of address in Modern Spanish is subject to dialectal variation. Many Latin American varieties of Spanish, i.e. Costa Rican, Argentinean, Chilean, among others, display a tripartite system of second person pronouns comprised of tú, usted and vos. The case of Colombian Spanish is particularly interesting because there is greater variation in the patterns of use of pronominal address. The use of more than one pronoun to address the same interlocutor in the same discourse is what I will call mixed-use. The purpose of this study is to examine the sociolinguistic variables that determine the use of vos, tú, usted, and the mixed-use in two varieties of Colombian Spanish (Medellin and Cali). Data for the analysis were collected by means of three instruments consisting of a sociodemographic and a written questionnaires and oral interviews. Participants in the study were 293 college students from private and state universities, who were born or lived most of their lives in Medellin or Cali and surrounding areas. Results indicate that although the main extralinguistic factors conditioning pronoun choice are the same in both varieties, the outcome presents some differences. Furthermore, there are some indications of a possible linguistic change in progress in the pronominal address system of these varieties of Colombian Spanish as indicated by the variability in the use of the pronouns and the higher use of tú by women, younger individuals, and lower classes. iii To Gabriel Jacobo, whose arrival changed my world iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Professor Anna Maria Escobar, for her support and help through the various stages that led to the completion of this dissertation, and to my doctoral committee members: Professors José Ignacio Hualde, Andrea Golato, and Zsuzsanna Fagyal, for their guidance and support.

The paradigm of forms of address in Modern Spanish is subject to dialectal variation. Many Latin ... more The paradigm of forms of address in Modern Spanish is subject to dialectal variation. Many Latin American varieties of Spanish, i.e. Costa Rican, Argentinean, Chilean, among others, display a tripartite system of second person pronouns comprised of tú, usted and vos. The case of Colombian Spanish is particularly interesting because there is greater variation in the patterns of use of pronominal address. The use of more than one pronoun to address the same interlocutor in the same discourse is what I will call mixed-use. The purpose of this study is to examine the sociolinguistic variables that determine the use of vos, tú, usted, and the mixed-use in two varieties of Colombian Spanish (Medellin and Cali). Data for the analysis were collected by means of three instruments consisting of a sociodemographic and a written questionnaires and oral interviews. Participants in the study were 293 college students from private and state universities, who were born or lived most of their lives ...

This article presents the results of an analysis of reported interlocutors in Spanish in a group ... more This article presents the results of an analysis of reported interlocutors in Spanish in a group of heritage speakers (HS), in three communities of the US Midwest. Participants were college-aged bilinguals developing their own personal and professional networks outside the direct influence of their
parents. Responses are compared with those from two control groups: college-aged native speakers (NS) and college-aged second-language learners (L2). Seventy-seven per cent of HS reported speaking primarily in Spanish with 4–5 interlocutors on the week of the study. HS and NS reported more interactions in Spanish with older relatives, and more interactions with peers outside their family. Little to no interactions in Spanish were reported by either group with speakers younger than themselves. L2 participants reported more interactions with younger individuals. Sixty-nine per cent of all interlocutors reported by HS were their relatives. The mother was the most common relative with whom participants reported speaking in Spanish. This suggests that the previously documented importance of the mother for intergenerational transmission of a minority language extends into young adulthood by providing opportunities for use and motivation for maintenance.

The paradigm of forms of address in Modern Spanish is subject to dialectal variation. Many Latin ... more The paradigm of forms of address in Modern Spanish is subject to dialectal variation. Many Latin American varieties of Spanish, i.e. Costa Rican, Argentinean, Chilean, among others, display a tripartite system of second person pronouns comprised of tú, usted and vos. The case of Colombian Spanish is particularly interesting because there is greater variation in the patterns of use of pronominal address. The use of more than one pronoun to address the same interlocutor in the same discourse is what I will call mixed-use. The purpose of this study is to examine the sociolinguistic variables that determine the use of vos, tú, usted, and the mixed-use in two varieties of Colombian Spanish (Medellin and Cali). Data for the analysis were collected by means of three instruments consisting of a sociodemographic and a written questionnaires and oral interviews. Participants in the study were 293 college students from private and state universities, who were born or lived most of their lives in Medellin or Cali and surrounding areas. Results indicate that although the main extralinguistic factors conditioning pronoun choice are the same in both varieties, the outcome presents some differences. Furthermore, there are some indications of a possible linguistic change in progress in the pronominal address system of these varieties of Colombian Spanish as indicated by the variability in the use of the pronouns and the higher use of tú by women, younger individuals, and lower classes. iii To Gabriel Jacobo, whose arrival changed my world iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Professor Anna Maria Escobar, for her support and help through the various stages that led to the completion of this dissertation, and to my doctoral committee members: Professors José Ignacio Hualde, Andrea Golato, and Zsuzsanna Fagyal, for their guidance and support.

The paradigm of forms of address in Modern Spanish is subject to dialectal variation. Many Latin ... more The paradigm of forms of address in Modern Spanish is subject to dialectal variation. Many Latin American varieties of Spanish, i.e. Costa Rican, Argentinean, Chilean, among others, display a tripartite system of second person pronouns comprised of tú, usted and vos. The case of Colombian Spanish is particularly interesting because there is greater variation in the patterns of use of pronominal address. The use of more than one pronoun to address the same interlocutor in the same discourse is what I will call mixed-use. The purpose of this study is to examine the sociolinguistic variables that determine the use of vos, tú, usted, and the mixed-use in two varieties of Colombian Spanish (Medellin and Cali). Data for the analysis were collected by means of three instruments consisting of a sociodemographic and a written questionnaires and oral interviews. Participants in the study were 293 college students from private and state universities, who were born or lived most of their lives ...

This article presents the results of an analysis of reported interlocutors in Spanish in a group ... more This article presents the results of an analysis of reported interlocutors in Spanish in a group of heritage speakers (HS), in three communities of the US Midwest. Participants were college-aged bilinguals developing their own personal and professional networks outside the direct influence of their
parents. Responses are compared with those from two control groups: college-aged native speakers (NS) and college-aged second-language learners (L2). Seventy-seven per cent of HS reported speaking primarily in Spanish with 4–5 interlocutors on the week of the study. HS and NS reported more interactions in Spanish with older relatives, and more interactions with peers outside their family. Little to no interactions in Spanish were reported by either group with speakers younger than themselves. L2 participants reported more interactions with younger individuals. Sixty-nine per cent of all interlocutors reported by HS were their relatives. The mother was the most common relative with whom participants reported speaking in Spanish. This suggests that the previously documented importance of the mother for intergenerational transmission of a minority language extends into young adulthood by providing opportunities for use and motivation for maintenance.