Andalusia Andalusia Andalusia ' onMouseout='HidePop("99625")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Ceuta">Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, on the Mediterranean, which separates it from the Spanish mainland. The area of Ceuta is approximately ....
,
MelillaMelilla is an autonomous Spanish city located on the Mediterranean, on the north coast of North Africa. It was regarded as a part of Málaga province prior to 14 March 1995, when the city's Statute of Autonomy was passed.Melilla was a free port before Spain joined the European Union. As of 2008 it...
, and parts of southern
ExtremaduraExtremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz...
. It is perhaps the most distinct of the southern dialects of peninsular Spanish, differing in many respects from northern dialects as well as from
Standard SpanishStandard Spanish or Neutral Spanish is a linguistic variety or lect that is considered a correct educated standard for the Spanish language. Standard Spanish is not merely Spanish adjusted to fit in prescriptive molds dictated by a linguistic overseeing authority, but also a form of language that...
. Due to the large population of Andalusia, the Andalusian dialect is the second most spoken dialect in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, after the
transitional variantsA dialect continuum is a range of dialects spoken across a large geographical area, differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close, and gradually decreasing in mutual intelligibility as the distances become greater. Dialects separated by great geographical distances may not be...
between
CastilianCastilian Spanish is a term related to the Spanish language, but whose exact meaning can vary even in that language. In English Castilian Spanish usually refers to the variety of Spanish spoken in north and central Spain or as the language standard for radio and TV speakers...
and Andalusian (for example the one from Madrid). Due to massive emigration from Andalusia to the Spanish colonies in the
AmericasThe Americas, or America, are lands in the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America...
and elsewhere, many
American SpanishAmerican Spanish refers to the Spanish spoken in the Americas as opposed to European Spanish and African Spanish .-North America:*Mexican Spanish...
dialects share some fundamental characteristics with Andalusian Spanish, such as the use of
ustedes instead of
vosotros for the second person plural, and the widespread use of
seseo.
Canarian SpanishCanarian Spanish is a variant of standard Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands by the Canarian people, and in the southeastern section of Louisiana in Isleño communities that emigrated to the Americas as early as the 18th century...
,
Caribbean SpanishCaribbean Spanish is the general name of the Spanish dialects spoken in the Caribbean region. It closely resembles the Spanish spoken in Andalusia and the Canary Islands....
,
Chilean SpanishChilean Spanish is the variety of Spanish spoken in most of Chile. Though still entirely mutually intelligible with standard Spanish, Chilean Spanish has distinctive pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and slang usage. Spanish speakers often say that Chileans speak very quickly...
and
Rioplatense SpanishRioplatense Spanish is a dialectal variant , of the Spanish language which is mainly spoken in the areas in and around the Río de la Plata basin , between Argentina and Uruguay...
are based on Andalusian.
Classification
For historical and political reasons, many people{{Who|date=March 2009}} over the years have tried to argue that Andalusian is not a dialect of Spanish, but a
languageA language is a system for encoding and decoding information. In its most common use, the term refers to so-called "natural languages" — the forms of communication considered peculiar to humankind. In linguistics the term is extended to refer to the human cognitive facility of creating and using...
in its own right, to the extent that the Ministry of Education & Science of Andalusia's regional government refers to Andalusian as "
modalidad lingüística andaluza" or "Andalusian language variety" instead of calling it a dialect.
Features
Andalusian has a number of distinguishing phonological,
morphologicalMorphology is the identification, analysis and description of the structure of words . While words are generally accepted as being the smallest units of syntax, it is clear that in most languages, words can be related to other words by rules...
, syntactic and
lexicalLexical semantics is a subfield of linguistic semantics. It is the study of how and what the words of a language denote . Words may either be taken to denote things in the world, or concepts, depending on the particular approach to lexical semantics.The units of meaning in lexical semantics are...
features. However, not all of these are unique to Andalusian, nor are all of these features found in all areas where Andalusian is spoken, but in any one area, most of these features will be present.
Phonological features
- Most Spanish dialects in Spain differentiate between the sound of "z" and "c" (before e and i), pronounced {{IPA|/θ/}} and that of "s", pronounced {{IPA|/s/}}. However, in many Andalusian-speaking areas, the sounds of all three letters are pronounced as an "s" ({{IPA|/s/}}), which is known as Seseo. In other areas, all three letters are pronounced {{IPA|/θ/}}, which is known as Ceceo
In Spanish dialectology, the terms ceceo, seseo and distinción are used to describe the opposition between dialects that distinguish the phonemes and , and those that have merged the two sounds into either or...
. In still other areas, the distinction is retained (Distinción). Ceceo predominates in more southerly parts of Andalusia, including CádizCádiz is a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe....
, southern HuelvaHuelva is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Huelva....
, most of MálagaThe Province of Málaga is located on the southern coast of Spain, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the South, and by the provinces of Cádiz, Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada....
and SevilleSeville is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Málaga, Cádiz, Huelva, Bajadoz, and Córdoba.Its area is 14,042 km²...
(except the northern parts of both provinces and the city of SevilleSeville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos or...
) and south-western GranadaGranada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital city is also called Granada....
. A common stereotype about Ceceo is that it is mostly found in backward rural areas, but the predominance of Ceceo in major cities such as MálagaMálaga is a city in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. It is the second most populous city of Andalusia, the sixth largest in Spain and 43rd-most populous municipality in the European Union, with a population of 566,447 in 2008...
, HuelvaHuelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 145,150 inhabitants. The town...
and GranadaGranada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.- Overview :The city of Granada is placed at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, Beiro, Darro and Genil, at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
(where, on the other hand one can also find distinction, depending on the neighbourhood) are enough proof to refute this. Seseo predominates in Córdoba, northern Seville and Malaga and western Huelva. Interestingly, the cities of Seville and CádizCádiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Cádiz Province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
are seseante, but which are entirely surrounded by Ceceo using areas; Cádiz city is very unusual in that it is the only area in the entire province of Cadiz that is not ceceante. Distinción is mostly found in AlmeríaAlmería is a province of southern Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Granada, Murcia, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Almería.Its area is 8,769 km². Its population is 546,499 with a density of 62.32/km²...
, eastern Granada, JaénJaén is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Ciudad Real, Albacete, Granada and Córdoba. Its capital is Jaén city....
, and the northern parts of Cordoba and Huelva. See map above for a detailed description of these zones. Outside Andalusia, Seseo has also existed in parts of ExtremaduraExtremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz...
and MurciaMurcia is a city in south-eastern Spain, capital of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, located along the river Segura. Its current population is 433,850 , ranking seventh in Spain, and the population of the metropolitan area is 743,326, ranking ninth out of the largest metropolitan...
up to at least 1940.
- Intervocalic {{IPA|/d/}} is elided
Elision is the omission of one or more sounds in a word or phrase, producing a result that is easier for the speaker to pronounce. Sometimes, sounds may be elided for euphonic effect....
in many words, for example pesao for pesado ('heavy'), a menúo for a menudo ('often'). This is especially common in the past participle, e.g. he acabado becomes he acabao ('I have finished'). For the -ado suffix, this feature is common to all peninsular variants of Spanish, while in other positions it is widespread throughout most of the southern half of Spain.
This is the continuation of the tendency of
lenitionLenition is a kind of consonant mutation that appears in many languages. Along with assimilation, it is one of the primary sources of historical change of languages....
in Vulgar Latin which developed into the Romance languages. Compare Italian
vita, (Brazilian) Portuguese
vida with a "hard"
D, Castilian
vida with a "soft"
D (like English
th in th
is), and French vie, where the -d- is elided as in Andalusian.
- Similarly, intervocalic {{IPA|/ɾ/}} is often elided also, although this tends to occur only in certain words and phrases. For example, parece becomes paece ('it appears'), quieres becomes quie'es ('you want') and padre and madre may sometimes pa'e and ma'e ('father' and 'mother', respectively). This feature can be heard in many parts of Spain, too.{{citation needed|date=March 2009}}
- Final {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/x/}} are usually aspirated (pronounced {{IPA|[h]}}) or just omitted. This makes the previous vowel lowered. In all southern Spanish varieties, one distinguishes la casa {{IPA|[la ˈkasa]}}, ('the house') and las casas {{IPA|[læ̞h ˈkæ̞sæ̞h]}}, ('the houses') by a final {{IPA|[h]}} and open vowels, where northern Spanish would have {{IPA|[s]}} and closed vowels. Eastern varieties of Andalusian (along with Murcian Spanish
Murciano, more popularly known as panocho, is a variant of the Spanish language spoken mainly in the Spanish autonomous region of Murcia and adjacent parts of both the Alicante province.-See also:* Iberian languages* Iberian Romance languages...
) thus have 5 tense vowels (roughly the same as in northern Spanish); {{IPA|[a]}}, {{IPA|[e̞]}}, {{IPA|[i]}}, {{IPA|[o̞]}}, {{IPA|[u]}}. And 5 open vowels; {{IPA|[æ̞]}}, {{IPA|[ɛ]}}, {{IPA|[i̞]}}, {{IPA|[ɔ]}}, {{IPA|[u̞]}}. In addition to this, a process of vowel harmonyVowel harmony is a type of long-distance assimilatory phonological process involving vowels that occurs in some languages. In languages with vowel harmony, there are constraints on what vowels may be found near each other....
takes place where tense vowels that precede a lax vowel may become lax themselves. For example: el niño ('the boy'), {{IPA|[e̞l ˈniɲo̞]}}; los niños ('the boys') in spoken Andalusian is {{IPA|[lɔ ˈni̞ɲɔ]}}, with lax/open vowels instead of plural with "s". S-aspiration is general in all of the southern half of Spain, and now becoming common in the northern half too.
- In many words final consonants are dropped. This does not really cause the previous vowel to open; e.g., {{lang|es|comer}} {{IPA|[ko̞ˈme̞]}}, ('to eat'); {{lang|es|comercial}} {{IPA|[ko̞me̞ɾˈsja]}}, ('commercial'); {{lang|es|mujer}} {{IPA|[muˈhe̞]}}, ('woman'); pared {{IPA|[paˈɾe̞]}}, ('wall'). This often gives rise to a situation where two different words sound exactly the same, as with the infinitive
In grammar, infinitive is the name for certain verb forms that exist in many languages. In the usual description of English, the infinitive of a verb is its basic form with or without the particle to: therefore, do and to do, be and to be, and so on are infinitives...
cortar ('to cut'), the imperativeThe imperative mood is a grammatical mood that expresses direct commands or requests. It is also used to signal a prohibition, permission or any other kind of exhortation.- Morphology :...
¡cortad! ('cut [it]!') and the feminine past participle cortada, ('[a] cut thing'); which are all pronounced {{IPA|[ko̞ɾˈta]}}. The geographical extent of this consonant drops is variable, and in some cases, like final "d", common to most of Spain.
is deaffricated to {{IPA|[ʃ]}} including large cities like
SevilleSeville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos or...
. I.e. escucha
, ('(s)he listens') is pronounced {{IPA|[ɛˈkuʃa]}}.
may be pronounced as {{IPARhotacism may refer to several phenomena related to the usage of the consonant r .*the excessive or idiosyncratic use of the r;...
before a consonant, as in {{IPA|[ˈarma]}} instead of {{IPA|[ˈalma]}} for alma
('soul'). The opposite may also happen, i.e. {{IPA|/r/}} becomes {{IPA|/l/}}.
- Before {{IPA|/n/}} and {{IPA|/l/}}, {{IPA|/r/}} may be either elided or aspirated. Thus,
perla
('pearl') becomes either {{IPA|[ˈpe̞la]}} or {{IPA|[ˈpe̞hla]}}, carne ('meat') becomes {{IPA|[ˈkane̞]}} or {{IPA|[ˈkahne̞]}}, etc.
is usually pronounced {{IPA|[h]}} except in some north-eastern areas (
JaénJaén is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Ciudad Real, Albacete, Granada and Córdoba. Its capital is Jaén city....
province), where the dorsal {{IPA|[x]}} is retained. This also happens in most of
ExtremaduraExtremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz...
and parts of
CantabriaCantabria is a Spanish province and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria belongs to...
.
- Before a {{IPA|[h]}}, {{IPA|/r/}} can be pronounced in two ways: it may be elided, thus leaving only the {{IPA|[h]}} or it may be retained, intensifying the aspirated sound of the {{IPA|[h]}}. Thus virgen ('virgin') becomes either {{IPA|[ˈbihẽ̞]}} or {{IPA|[ˈbirhẽ̞]}}.
- Words of Latin origin starting with "h" in writing (that is, that have kept the etymological 'H' in writing) are sometimes pronounced with an initial {{IPA|[h]}}) sound. This also occurs in the speech of Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz...
. However, this characteristic is limited to rural areas and the flamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
culture.
Morphology and syntax
- Many Andalusian speakers (especially in western parts) replace the informal second person plural vosotros with the (in other parts of Spain) more formal ustedes, often mixing the pronoun ustedes with the vosotros form of the verb. For example, the standard second person plural verb forms for ir ("to go") are vosotros vais (informal) and ustedes van (formal), but in Andalusian one often hears ustedes vais for the informal version.
- The standard form of imperative, second person plural with a reflexive pronoun (vosotros) is -aos, or -aros in informal speech, whereas in Andalusian, and other dialects, too, -se is used instead, so ¡callaos ya! / ¡callaros ya! ("shut up!") becomes ¡callarse ya! and ¡sentaos! / ¡sentaros! ("sit down!") becomes ¡sentarse!.
- The gender
In linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called noun classes, are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words; every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be very few which belong to several classes at once....
of some words may be changed, e.g. la calor for el calor ("the heat"), el chinche for la chinche ("the bedbug").
Lexicon
Many words of Mozarabic,
RomaniCaló or Spanish Romani is a dialect spoken by the Spanish Romanies, Gitanos or Zincarli originating from Spain: Caló blends native Romani vocabulary with Spanish grammar, as Spanish Romanies lost the full use of their ancestral language.Gitanos used Caló to communicate discreetly in their...
and Old Castilian origin occur in Andalusian which are not found in other dialects in Spain (but many of these may occur in South American dialects due to the greater influence of Andalusian there). For example: chispenear
instead of standard lloviznar
or chispear
("to drizzle"), babucha
instead of zapatilla
("slipper"), chavea
or antié
for anteayer
("the day before yesterday").
Many words of Andalusi ArabicAndalusian Arabic was a variety of the Arabic language spoken in Al-Andalus, the regions of the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule. It became an extinct language in Iberia after the expulsion of the Moriscos following the Reconquista by Christian Spain...
origin that have become archaisms or unknown in general Spanish can be found, together with multitude of sayings: eg. haciendo morisquetas
(from the word moriscoA morisco or mourisco , meaning "Moor-like", was a nominally Catholic inhabitant of Spain and Portugal of Muslim heritage. Over time the term was used in a pejorative sense applied to those nominal Catholics who were suspected of secretly practicing Islam...
, meaning pulling faces and gesticulating, historically associated with Muslim prayers). There are some doublets of Arabic-Latinate synonyms with the Arabic form being more common in Andalusian like Andalusian alcoba
for Standard habitación
or dormitorio ("bedroom").
Social status
Andalusian is the language of
FlamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
music. While its use is generalized across the classes of the Andalusian society, in the rest of Spain it lacks the prestige of the Castilian variant. This prejudice was particularly reinforced during the mass migrations which occurred in the fifties and sixties from rural areas of Andalusia and Extremadura to wealthier areas, particularly Madrid and Barcelona. An Andalusian accent is often the mark of
comic charactersComic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
. Often, Andalusians who want to succeed in the Spanish media learn to speak in the Castilian variant. A counter-example is
MalaganianMálaga is a city in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. It is the second most populous city of Andalusia, the sixth largest in Spain and 43rd-most populous municipality in the European Union, with a population of 566,447 in 2008...
actor
Antonio BanderasJosé Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor and singer. He began his acting career at age 19 with a series of films by director Pedro Almodóvar and then appeared in high-profile Hollywood films including Assassins, Evita, Interview with the Vampire,...
, who keeps his accent in interviews and everyday life but switches to Castilian (considered the unmarked pronunciation) when playing roles not specifically Andalusian or when
dubbingDubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting schedule. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who...
his Hollywood performances.
Influence
Some words pronounced in the Andalusian way have entered general Spanish with a specific meaning.
Examples are juerga
("debauchery", or "partying") that is the Andalusian pronunciation of huelga
(originally "period without work", now "work strikeStrike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to perform work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became important in factories and mines...
").
The FlamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
lexicon incorporates many Andalusisms: cantaor
, tocaor
, bailaor
which is another example of the dropped "d", example "cantador" becomes "cantaor" (where the same non-Flamenco-specific terms are cantante
, músico
, bailarín).
LlanitoLlanito or Yanito is an Andalusian Spanish based vernacular spoken in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It consists of an eclectic mix of Andalusian Spanish and British English, marked by a great deal of code switching and loanwords from many other Mediterranean languages.Gibraltarians...
, the
vernacularVernacular is the native language of a country or a locality. In general linguistics, it is used to describe local languages as opposed to lingua francas, official standards or global languages. It is sometimes applied to nonstandard dialects of a global language...
of the British overseas territory of
GibraltarGibraltar is a self-governing British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe at the entrance of the Mediterranean overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory covers and shares a land border with Spain to the north...
, mainly originates from
British EnglishBritish English, or UK English or English English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
and Andalusian among others.
See also
- Norma Ortográfica Andaluza (Andalusian spelling norm)
- Standard Spanish
Standard Spanish or Neutral Spanish is a linguistic variety or lect that is considered a correct educated standard for the Spanish language. Standard Spanish is not merely Spanish adjusted to fit in prescriptive molds dictated by a linguistic overseeing authority, but also a form of language that...
- Spanish dialects and varieties
Spanish dialects and varieties are the regional variants of the Spanish language, some of which are quite divergent from each other, especially in pronunciation and vocabulary, less so in grammar. While all Spanish dialects use the same written standard, all spoken varieties differ from the written...
- Castúo
Castúo is the generic name for the dialects of Spanish spoken in the autonomus community of Extremadura, in Spain.-Phonological characteristics:...
External links
Further reading
- Ropero Núñez, Miguel (1992): "Un aspecto de lexicología histórica marginado: los préstamos del caló" (en Cervantes Virtual)
- Alvar, Manuel: A vueltas con el seseo y el ceceo (Alicante)
- Guitarte, Guillermo L. (1992): "Cecear y palabras afines" (en Cervantes Virtual)
{{Spanish variants by continent}}