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In:Forms of Address in the Spanish of the Americas
Edited by María Irene Moyna and Susana Rivera-Mills
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 10] 2016
► pp. 197–232

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Use and perception of the pronominal trio vos, tú, usted in a Nicaraguan community in Miami, Florida*

 | The Ohio State University
Published online: 25 August 2016
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.10.10lop
This study investigates how, in a context of dialect contact and possible shift, members of the Nicaraguan community in Miami use and talk about the 2sg pronominal trio vos, tú, usted. Through observations, a questionnaire, and audio recordings of interactions and interviews, this paper explores the patterns of personal pronoun choice, their frequency, their contexts, interlocutors’ awareness of the switch between vos and tú, and generational differences. I present evidence of participants indexing a politeness distinction that includes, at times, not two pronouns but all three. Ultimately, what is observed is a dialect leveling that may be rooted, at least partially, in one-on-one accommodation by Nicaraguans to the more unmarked Miami pronominal system of Cuban-Americans.
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