Phonological Adaptation of Spanish Loanwords in Zaniza Zapotec

Abstract

In his work on the acculturation of the Nahuas to Spanish presence, Lockhart identified three clearly defined chronological stages, hypothesizing that these stages may “represent a universal aspect of the contact of cultures, at least on the indigenous side of large-scale conquests or intrusions” (1997:35). Lockhart’s research provides a useful framework for conceptualizing indigenous-Spanish language contact in Mesoamerica, and the purpose of this paper is to look for evidence for Lockhart’s three stages of linguistic acculturation in Zaniza Zapotec, a largely undocumented and endangered Mesoamerican language. Unlike Nahuatl, which has a rich history of colonial-era writing, Zaniza Zapotec is an unwritten language, and the evidence for the periodization of Spanish influence is obtained from oral data, with the focus on the evolving patterns of phonological adaptation of Spanish loanwords in four areas: Spanish stress, voicing contrast, stressed /o/, and pretonic vowels.