Birkbeck, University of London BISAL

Abstract

Based on the analysis of authentic service encounter interactions and a perception questionnaire, this paper examines the accommodation patterns shown by Argentinean immigrants living in Valencia, Spain. The main focus is on the informal second person singular form vos used in Argentina as opposed to the form tú used in Spain in similar contexts. Given the marked differences in the pronominal address systems available in Argentinean and Peninsular Spanish, this study is aimed at finding out if speakers of Argentinean Spanish interacting with Spaniards in Spain accommodate to the Peninsular system or maintain their own. An analysis is also offered on lexical and phonetic accommodation. The study sets out to determine if the participants‟ gender, activity (i.e., service user or service provider) and the years of residence in Spain have any effect on their accommodation behaviour towards Peninsular forms. Results show that men accommodate slightly more than women, that service providers display higher accommodation rates than service users and that the years of residence in Spain do not play a role in accommodation patterns. With respect to the results from the questionnaire, the study also found a significant discrepancy between actual and reported linguistic behaviour. 

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Printed from: http://www.bisal.bbk.ac.uk/publications/volume3/papers/article2
Date printed: 19/04/2024