On Language Contact: Another Look at Spanish-speaking (Central) America

Abstract

This paper attempts an alternative analysis of the much-debated issue of contact between Spanish and the Amerindian languages, especially as it pertains to Central America. An interpretive model is proposed, which explains most of the contact-induced phenomena; this model is based on the parameters of intensity and power relations, which allow us to infer (and predict) the degree of influence of the Amerindian languages on Spanish. Next, an inventory of the most remarkable typological features of the Central American languages is provided in order to show the absence of transfer of such features onto the varieties of Spanish from that region. The analysis leads to the conclusion that Amerindian influence on the typology (both morphological and syntactic) of Central American Spanish is practically nil, thereby confirming the appropriateness of the model proposed. A key element in this paper is the distinction between interference and influence, which helps us to arrive at the conclusion just mentioned.

This paper attempts an alternative analysis of the much-debated issue of contact between Spanish and the Amerindian languages, especially as it pertains to Central America. An interpretive model is proposed, which explains most of the contact-induced phenomena; this model is based on the parameters of intensity and power relations, which allow us to infer (and predict) the degree of influence of the Amerindian languages on Spanish. Next, an inventory of the most remarkable typological features of the Central American languages is provided in order to show the absence of transfer of such features onto the varieties of Spanish from that region. The analysis leads to the conclusion that Amerindian influence on the typology (both morphological and syntactic) of Central American Spanish is practically nil, thereby confirming the appropriateness of the model proposed. A key element in this paper is the distinction between interference and influence, which helps us to arrive at the conclusion just mentioned.

En este trabajo se ensaya una alternativa para tratar el tema del contacto entre el español y las lenguas indígenas americanas, en especial en Centroamérica. Se presenta un modelo interpretativo de los fenómenos de contacto lingüistico basado en los parámetros de intensidad y relaciones de poder, el cual permite deducir el grado de influencia de las lenguas amerindias en el español. Seguidamente se hace un recuento de los rasgos tipológicos más relevantes de las lenguas indígenas centroamericanas y la ausencia de transferencia en las variedades del español de esa región. Se concluye que la influencia amerindia en la tipología (morfología y sintaxis) del español centroamericano es casi nula, dando validez al modelo interpretativo presentado. Parte vital del trabajo es la diferenciación entre interferencia e influencia, con base en la cual se llega a la conclusión antes mencionada.