Ambiguous agreement, functional compensation, and nonspecifictúin the Spanish of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Madrid, Spain

Richard Cameron

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Spanish Linguistics and Language Studies Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation Linguistic Variation and Morphology

Abstract

ABSTRACT Richness of subject-verb agreement is implicit in the functional compensation interpretation of variable second person /-s/ in Puerto Rican Spanish (PRS). Because /-s/ is not variable in Madrid Spanish (MS), richer agreement is assumed, and a lower rate of pronominal expression is expected. Central to this interpretation are effects associated with ambiguous marking of person on finite singular verbs. Although an increase of pronominal expression correlates to ambiguous marking for PRS speakers, a similar result has not been reported for MS speakers. Nonetheless, avarbrulanalysis yields similar weights for this constraint in both dialects. Moreover, ambiguity effects are best understood as constraints on null subject variation that interact with switch reference. Identity ofvarbrulweights for constraints on pronominal and null subject variation in PRS and MS also supports the Constant Rate Hypothesis. However, the two dialects do show a diametrically opposed effect associated with nonspecifictú.

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