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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. 289–304

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Making the case for increased prestige of the vernacular

Medellín’s voseo

 | College of Charleston
Published online: 25 August 2016
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.10.14wey
Voseo is common in conversations in Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, but it is not commonly prescribed for written venues. Currently, voseo appears to have a burgeoning presence, which appears to mark a shift from previous trends. This study focuses on the use of the vernacular voseo and prescriptive tuteo and ustedeo in the linguistic landscape of Colombia’s second largest city. An examination of over 300 samples shows that written voseo has an increasing presence in city government communiqués and a limited presence in other domains. Given Medellín’s recent transformation, this study makes the case that increased prestige in paisa (from Antioquia) culture appears to result in increased prestige for that city’s voseo.
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