Language Change Across Real and Apparent-Time: Case Studies From Yucatan Spanish

Abstract

Variationist sociolinguistics possesses two powerful techniques for examining language change across time: real-time analyses, where the relative distribution of variants is compared for two or more different points in time, and apparent-time analysis, where different age groups in the same study are taken to represent different stages of change. While real and apparent-time are often thought of as conflicting methodologies, in reality they work best in tandem, and have been used together since the earliest sociolinguistic studies. The present study examines three case studies based on Yucatan Spanish, a regional variety of Mexican Spanish in contact with Yucatec Maya, that differs in important ways from surrounding dialects. Due to its unique sociolinguistic context, Yucatan Spanish presents an ideal location to study language change in progress, and the case studies detailed will demonstrate how real and apparent-time methods complement each other to provide a more complete picture of language change as it happens.