Mexican American English: Substrate Influence and the Birth of an Ethnolect [Minkštas viršelis]

An intensive overview of Mexican American English, linking it to the speech of other immigrant groups worldwide. This study is of particular interest to students and researchers in linguistics, as it provides insight into language contact, immigrant groups' response to majority cultures, and an analysis of language-transfer effects.

Responding to the need for a comprehensive treatment of Mexican American English and its varied influences across multiple generations, this volume provides true insight into how language contact triggers language change, and illustrates previously under-recognised links to ethnolects of other migrant groups in different parts of the world. It demonstrates how the variety begins with Spanish interference features but evolves into a stable variety over time by filtering out some of the interference features and responding to forces such as exploitation of its speakers, education, and the need to develop solidarity. A large number of linguistic variables from multiple realms of language are analysed that provide a truly balanced picture of the divisions within the community across a range of linguistic levels such as syntax, phonology, prosody, accent, dialect, and sociolinguistics.