Spanish Dialects: A Comprehensive Linguistic Analysis
Spanish Dialects: A Linguistic Analysis
Like all languages, Spanish is not uniform, and dialects are defined by a series of features. The lines that determine these traits are called isoglosses but are often not clearly defined. However, these differences do not impede communication between speakers because the language has cultivated norms. Thus, we can differentiate between the Castilian of the Peninsula and America, although they share many traits.
On the peninsula, we can distinguish two zones:
- The northern area with a more conservative and stable pronunciation (Hispanicized earlier).
- The more advanced southern pronunciation (later extended).
1. Northern Spanish
Several areas can be distinguished:
The central area corresponds to what was Castilla la Vieja (Madrid and Castilla la Mancha). Spanish policy has certain uses that cannot be considered slang or dialect features. Some of these features are:
- Use of leísmo.
- Adding the ‘s’ in the second person singular simple past tense (cantaste > cantastes).
- Use of the infinitive with imperative value.
The eastern or Aragonese dialect is characterized by rising intonation and lengthening of the final vowel. The diminutive -ico is used.
In the west, we can see the influence of Leonese, and their features are:
- Closing of final vowels.
- Proclitic use of unstressed pronouns.
- Diminutives -ino, -ina.
2. Southern Dialects
The southern varieties are southern Andalusian, Canarian, and the transitional varieties of Murcia and Extremadura. Some common features are:
- Yeísmo.
- Aspiration of implosive /s/.
The Andalusian Dialect
A result of the Reconquista, it was occupied by León and Castile, while the West was occupied by Murcia and Aragon, so it can be divided into two:
- Western: to aspirate the ‘s’, making singular and plural sound the same.
- Eastern: opens the front vowel, aspirating the ‘s’ and emphasizing it.
Its characteristic features include:
- Aspiration of the Castilian ‘x’.
- Seseo.
- Loss of ‘l’, ‘n’, and ‘r’ at the end of words.
The Extremaduran and Murcian Dialects
Because of historical circumstances and different recruitment sources, they made the transition in speech.
In Extremadura, you can highlight features such as:
- Aspiration of the final ‘f’.
- Diminutives terminated in -ino/-ina.
- Aspiration of the ‘s’.
In Murcia, you can see:
- Aspiration of the ‘s’.
- Seseo in some areas.
- Diminutives ending in -ico.
The Canarian Dialect
Castilian reached the islands in the fifteenth century and led to an abandonment of their native language. Populated by Andalusians and serving as a bridge to America, its main features are:
- Aspiration of the initial ‘f’ at the end in some areas.
- Yeísmo.
- Seseo.
3. Spanish in the World
Spanish is one of the most widely used and spoken languages in the world. In America, it is the official language in Argentina, Chile, Peru, etc. It is co-official with English in Puerto Rico, or in the Antilles and the United States, which is due to:
- Some areas were colonized by the Spanish.
- Emigration.
In Africa, people speak Spanish in northern Morocco. It is also spoken in the Philippines after having belonged to Spain.
The Sephardic Jews, expelled from Spain in the fifteenth century, kept the Castilian language in those places where they were exiled.
Latin American Spanish
Being spoken over a vast area, it has many varieties. However, there is a greater difference between American Spanish and Peninsular Spanish due to:
- Different origins and cultural level of the conquered population.
- Influence of indigenous languages.
- The African influence over the slaves.
The main features of Spanish in America are:
- Phonetic: seseo, yeísmo, aspiration, assimilation, or loss of final s.
- Morphosyntactic: voseo (use of vos instead of tú), adverbial nicknames, or pronominal reflexive use of verbs not used in Spain.
- Lexicon: archaisms, African words, Andalusian words, Leonese words.