Variable subject pronoun expression in Andean Spanish: a drift from the acrolect

Abstract

This study is one of the first variationist accounts of subject pronoun expression (SPE) in Andean Spanish, in particular, in the variety spoken in Huancayo, Peru. The data analyzed consist of sociolinguistic interviews of sixteen participants, equally divided by sex. The results show that the overt subject personal pronoun (SPP) rate in Huancayo Spanish is the lowest one attested: 16.2%, even lower than that of Lima, the capital (16.8%), which situates Andean Spanish among conservative varieties regarding SPE. In order to determine if Huancaínos are following Limeños as a model in their SPE use and therefore sharing the same constraints, I conducted two separate regression analyses: one for Huancayo and one for the Limeño acrolect using Goldvarb X. The results show that Lima’s dialect is sensitive to two factor groups that are neutralized in Huancayo, which suggests that Huancaínos do not take Limeños as a role model for their overt SPP production.