Deconstructing the Origins of Latin American Spanish: The Case of Ecuador

Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Swarthmore College. Dept. of Linguistics
Type
Thesis (B.A.)
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
en_US
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
Terms of Use
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
The Spanish spoken today in the Latin American is diverse in many components of grammar. Between every country there exist drastic contrast in the lexicon, syntax, and phonology. These dissimilarities are so vast that even within each country one can find handfuls of regionals dialects that further greaten the linguistic multiplicity of Latin American Spanish. One unique aspect of Latin American Spanish is the linguistic differences between the lowland/coastal and highland/inland varieties that exist throughout several countries. Although scholars agree on the current diverse state of Latin American Spanish they dispute over the origins of these two varieties (lowland vs. highland), and what other factors beside origin might be responsible for the linguistic diversity. In this thesis I focus on the history of Latin American Spanish with an emphasis on Ecuadorian Spanish. I deconstruct the theories that describe Latin American Spanish and the history of Latin American Spanish. I examine the indigenous, pro-andalucismo, and anti-andalucismo theories in relation to Iberian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, and Ecuadorian Spanish. Through examining the various arguments of different linguists I conclude that the aforementioned theories are not sufficient to stand on their own and fully account for Latin America's linguistic diversity. I propose that instead these theories be combined together and that rather than imposing a blanket theory over all of Latin American Spanish that each countries history and linguistic situation be taken into account.
Description
Subjects
Citation
Collections