Abstract:

This paper explores the sociophonetic variation of the consonants of Chilean Spanish. It analyzes the socially-indexed allophones of /t̠͡ʃ/, /t̪͡ɾ/, /r/, /ɾ/, /ʝ/, /s/, /d̪/, /ʎ/, /f/, /l/ and /b/, and concludes that in the young generation, speakers of all social classes are adopting prestige allophones of /t̠͡ʃ/ on a massive scale; that a process of sociolect leveling is affecting /t̪͡ɾ/, /r/, /ɾ/ and /ʝ/, possibly under the influence of an exonorm in the case of /t̪͡ɾ/ and /r/; that /s/ has developed new stigmatized allophones due to the operation of covert prestige; and that certain allophones of /s/ and /d̪/ which were socially unmarked in the past are becoming stigmatized, likely as a result of hypercorrective use. It further concludes that /ʎ/ is for all intents and purposes extinct, and that the stigmatized allophones of /f/ and /l/, as well as a non-stigmatized allophone of /b/, have been largely abandoned.

Author: Scott Sadowsky