Sources of convergence in indigenous languages: Lexical variation in Yucatec Maya.
Linguistic variation in space reflects patterns of social interaction. Gravity models have been successfully used to capture the role of urban centers in the dissemination of innovations in the speech community along with the diffusion of variants in space. Crucially, the effects of the factors of a...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268448 |
| _version_ | 1827949639200931840 |
|---|---|
| author | Barbara Blaha Pfeiler Stavros Skopeteas |
| author_facet | Barbara Blaha Pfeiler Stavros Skopeteas |
| author_sort | Barbara Blaha Pfeiler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Linguistic variation in space reflects patterns of social interaction. Gravity models have been successfully used to capture the role of urban centers in the dissemination of innovations in the speech community along with the diffusion of variants in space. Crucially, the effects of the factors of a gravity model (distance and population size) depend on language situation and may result from different sources, in particular processes of vertical and horizontal convergence. In the present study, we investigate lexical variation in contemporary Yucatec Maya, an indigenous language of Mexico, spoken in a situation of generalized bilingualism. This language situation lacks some crucial ingredients of vertical convergence: no variety of Yucatec Maya has the status of a standard variety: the language of administration and education is Spanish (diglossia-with-bilingualism). The present study finds evidence of convergence processes that can be exclusively attributed to horizontal convergence. The lexical distance between speakers decreases in and between urban centers, variants with a large distribution are more likely in areas with a maximum of interactions with other areas. Even Spanish variants are distributed in the sample with a pattern that reveals processes of horizontal convergence: their distribution is accounted for through an areal bias (widespread in areas with a stronger exposition to Spanish) rather by influences from the urban centers (as centers of administration/education) to the rural areas in their surroundings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:13:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-20c269aaed3f4208987af732a4859902 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:13:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-20c269aaed3f4208987af732a48599022023-05-12T05:31:07ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01175e026844810.1371/journal.pone.0268448Sources of convergence in indigenous languages: Lexical variation in Yucatec Maya.Barbara Blaha PfeilerStavros SkopeteasLinguistic variation in space reflects patterns of social interaction. Gravity models have been successfully used to capture the role of urban centers in the dissemination of innovations in the speech community along with the diffusion of variants in space. Crucially, the effects of the factors of a gravity model (distance and population size) depend on language situation and may result from different sources, in particular processes of vertical and horizontal convergence. In the present study, we investigate lexical variation in contemporary Yucatec Maya, an indigenous language of Mexico, spoken in a situation of generalized bilingualism. This language situation lacks some crucial ingredients of vertical convergence: no variety of Yucatec Maya has the status of a standard variety: the language of administration and education is Spanish (diglossia-with-bilingualism). The present study finds evidence of convergence processes that can be exclusively attributed to horizontal convergence. The lexical distance between speakers decreases in and between urban centers, variants with a large distribution are more likely in areas with a maximum of interactions with other areas. Even Spanish variants are distributed in the sample with a pattern that reveals processes of horizontal convergence: their distribution is accounted for through an areal bias (widespread in areas with a stronger exposition to Spanish) rather by influences from the urban centers (as centers of administration/education) to the rural areas in their surroundings.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268448 |
| spellingShingle | Barbara Blaha Pfeiler Stavros Skopeteas Sources of convergence in indigenous languages: Lexical variation in Yucatec Maya. PLoS ONE |
| title | Sources of convergence in indigenous languages: Lexical variation in Yucatec Maya. |
| title_full | Sources of convergence in indigenous languages: Lexical variation in Yucatec Maya. |
| title_fullStr | Sources of convergence in indigenous languages: Lexical variation in Yucatec Maya. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sources of convergence in indigenous languages: Lexical variation in Yucatec Maya. |
| title_short | Sources of convergence in indigenous languages: Lexical variation in Yucatec Maya. |
| title_sort | sources of convergence in indigenous languages lexical variation in yucatec maya |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268448 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT barbarablahapfeiler sourcesofconvergenceinindigenouslanguageslexicalvariationinyucatecmaya AT stavrosskopeteas sourcesofconvergenceinindigenouslanguageslexicalvariationinyucatecmaya |