Descripción: |
The aim of this paper is to propose a multinomial probabilistic model able to
account for the variation of /θs/ in Southern Spanish varieties. The current
analyses carried up till now are based on frequency counts of mergers between
/s/ and /θ/, which are labeled 'ceceo' and 'seseo', as two social and regional
norms of pronunciation. Standard Spanish distinction between /s/ and /θ/ is
therefore to be deduced from the total body of cases, counting every [s]
corresponding to an etymological or canonical s as an occurrence of /s/, including
the tokens of those individuals whose pronunciation pattern of /θs/ is overtly
'seseo' (exactly the same for the contrary case of 'ceceo').
Since both types (s > θ and θ > s) currently coexist in Southern speech
communities as in Málaga city, it is not obvious to decide about the high
proportion of cases where /s/ and /θ/ are pronounced in a canonical way.
Therefore we need a procedure to decide the rate of cases of canonical
pronunciation due to chance.
Two related multinomial models have been developed, implemented and
tested on a sociological body of data from a social network of 31 individuals
from Málaga city, extracted from a sociolinguistic investigation of vernacular
varieties in Málaga (M.U.V.-Project). The first model calculates the single
probability of seseo (s > s and θ > s), ceceo (θ > θ and s > θ) and distinction (s >
s and θ > θ) for every individual studied. The second model calculates the single
probability of distinction (s > s and θ > θ) vs. the single probability of reduction
or 'confusión' (s > θ and θ > s).
To measure the degree of fit of both models, a maximum likelihood estimator
has been developed with consistent and hopeful results. Comparison between relative frequency and probabilistic results demonstrates, finally, the more
realistic approach lo this problem on the basis presented here. Este trabajo se ha realizado en el marco del Proyecto de Investigación del Sistema de
Variedades Vernáculas Malagueñas (Proyecto V.U.M.), financiado por la DGICYT PB91-0417. |