In:Spanish Sociolinguistics in the 21st Century: Current trends and methodologies
Edited by Cecilia Montes-Alcalá and Miguel García
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 42] 2025
► pp. 150–165
Chapter 7Subject pronoun expression in Colombian Spanish in
Philadelphia
An interdisciplinary analysis of SPE variation and cognitive adaptation
Published online: 15 May 2025
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.42.07fra
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.42.07fra
Abstract
Spanish in the United States is a testament to
language change from different dialects and cultures. Subject
pronoun expression (SPE) remains a showcase variable in Spanish, and
we still find nuances about SPE and its distribution across
different communities. Here, I describe the results of a
mixed-method approach to SPE in Colombian Spanish in Philadelphia.
Colombian Spanish has a differential distribution of SPE, with
higher overt usage in Coastal Spanish versus lower Andean Spanish
rates. There is much to see and understand about the
intergenerational transitioning on SPE and the bilingual cognitive
adaptation that the diaspora entails for some speakers. The
interaction among cognitive, social, and linguistic variables frames
bilingualism in the United States as a multifaceted language
experience.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Subject pronoun expression (SPE) and unified syntax
- 2.1Subject pronoun expression in Colombian Spanish
- 2.2Unified syntax and bilingual cognition
- 3.Methodology
- 3.1Data collection
- 3.2Reading recall test
- 4.Results
- 4.1Linguistic predictors of SPE
- 4.2Sociolinguistic predictors of SPE
- 4.3Cognitive predictors of SPE
- 5.Discussion
- 6.Conclusions
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