Spanish Varieties Research Articles

Comparative Studies on Microbiological and Nutri-tional Qualities of Juice Produced From Pineapple

Analyses of juices (freshly prepared and packaged) produced from Cayenne and Red Spanish varieties of pineapple to determine their microbiological and nutritional qualities were carried out. Bacteria isolated were species of Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas and Micrococcus while fungi isolates were species of Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor, Rhizopus and Penicillium. The juice from the mixture of both varieties of pineapple had the highest total viable counts (TVC) of 4.6 x 102cfu/ml. The red Spanish variety had 3.8 x 102 while juice from cayenne had 3.1 x 102. The highest coliform count of 5.0 x 101 was obtained from cayenne variety. However, no coliform was found in both red Spanish and the mixed pineapple juices. The mould and yeast counts in the samples were low (1.0-4.0 x 102). Analysis of nutritional qualities of the juice revealed that the discoloration in the three juice samples was faint yellow before pasteurization and later turned deeper yellow after pasteurization. It was observed that cayenne juice had higher pH, Total solid, Vitamin C and Brix contents than either red Spanish or the mixture of the juices. Similarly red Spanish juice had higher total titratable acidity and protein than cayenne and mixed fruit juices. However, the mixed fruit juice contained moderate amount of Vitamin C and Brix (sugar). The results obtained suggest that cayenne pineapple juice had poor microbiological quality but rich in nutrients.

Calling for Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Spanglish and Its Linguistic Manifestations

The aim of the present paper is to provide an overview of the so-called Spanglish phenomenon and its linguistic repertoires (code-switching utterances). We propose that it is necessary to link all different forms of analysis in order to verify hypotheses regarding the relationship among social, linguistic, and cognitive processes behind Spanglish. We argue that Spanglish consists of mixed utterances that result from the contact between two languages: Spanish and English. The characteristics of the contact situation separate Spanglish from pidgins and creoles. Zentella (1997) claims that those characteristics do not fit into a second language acquisition setting either, since the code-switching of Spanish-English bilinguals is different from the transfer-laden speech of second-language learners. However, there is debate regarding Spanglish being either a popular/colloquial Spanish variety within the United States (Otheguy 2009) or part of a more anthropological linguistic entity that corresponds to social formation (Zentella 2008). After years of research (Myers-Scotton 2002; Poplack 1980), the questions concerning the identification of gram- matical constraints governing code-switching remain unanswered. Methodologies are changing toward a more comprehensive multilayered approach aimed at a better understanding of how Spanglish functions. Interdisciplinary approaches are highlighted in the paper when identifying future venues of research.

Calling for Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Spanglish and Its Linguistic Manifestations

The aim of the present paper is to provide an overview of the so-called Spanglish phenomenon and its linguistic repertoires (code-switching utterances). We propose that it is necessary to link all different forms of analysis in order to verify hypotheses regarding the relationship among social, linguistic, and cognitive processes behind Spanglish. We argue that Spanglish consists of mixed utterances that result from the contact between two languages: Spanish and English. The characteristics of the contact situation separate Spanglish from pidgins and creoles. Zentella (1997) claims that those characteristics do not fit into a second language acquisition setting either, since the code-switching of Spanish-English bilinguals is different from the transfer-laden speech of second-language learners. However, there is debate regarding Spanglish being either a popular/colloquial Spanish variety within the United States (Otheguy 2009) or part of a more anthropological linguistic entity that corresponds to social formation (Zentella 2008). After years of research (Myers-Scotton 2002; Poplack 1980), the questions concerning the identification of grammatical constraints governing code-switching remain unanswered. Methodologies are changing toward a more comprehensive multilayered approach aimed at a better understanding of how Spanglish functions. Interdisciplinary approaches are highlighted in the paper when identifying future venues of research.

The prosody of focus in the Spanish of Quechua-Spanish bilinguals: A case study on noun phrases

This study examines the prosody of focus in the Spanish of 16 Quechua-Spanish bilinguals near Cusco, Peru. Data come from a dialogue game that involved noun phrases consisting of a noun and an adjective. The questions in the game elicited broad focus, contrastive focus on the noun (non-final position) and contrastive focus on the adjective (final position). The phonetic analysis in Praat included peak alignment, peak height, local range and duration of the stressed syllable and word. The study revealed that Cusco Spanish differs from other Spanish varieties. In other Spanish varieties, contrastive focus is marked by early peak alignment, whereas broad focus involves a late peak on the non-final word. Furthermore, in other Spanish varieties contrastive focus is indicated by a higher F0 maximum, a wider local range, post-focal pitch reduction and a longer duration of the stressed syllable/word. For Cusco Spanish no phonological contrast between early and late peak alignment was found. However, peak alignment on the adjective in contrastive focus was significantly earlier than in the two other contexts. For women, similar results were found for the noun in contrastive focus. An additional prominence-lending feature marking contrastive focus concerned duration of the final word. Furthermore, the results revealed a higher F0 maximum for broad focus than for contrastive focus. The findings suggest a prosodic change, which is possibly due to contact with Quechua. The study contributes to research on information structure, prosody and contact-induced language change.

Genetic Origin of the Grapevine Cultivar Tempranillo

Tempranillo is the most important Spanish grapevine cultivar used for red wine production and it is currently planted in many other wine regions worldwide. Genotyping analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and microsatellite markers in grapevine germplasm collections has identified Albillo Mayor and Benedicto as the parents of Tempranillo. The statistical support for this conclusion is very high, with a LOD value of 138 for the joint estimation. Albillo Mayor is a well-known variety still cultivated in the central Iberian Peninsula. In contrast, Benedicto is rarely cultivated today and lacks historical references in the main Spanish viticulture literature. A search for putative offspring varieties derived from Tempranillo in a database containing most of the Spanish varieties identified only one variety, Coloraíllo, as a putative progeny of Tempranillo and Moravia Dulce (prime name Marufo). Analyses of chloroplast microsatellite markers identified Tempranillo as the male parent. In addition, one putative parent-offspring relationship was detected for each of the Tempranillo parents: Albillo Mayor is related to Castellana Blanca and Benedicto to Benedicto Falso de Aragón.

A Spanish matrix sentence test for assessing speech reception thresholds in noise

Objective: To develop, optimize, and evaluate a new Spanish sentence test in noise. Design: The test comprises a basic matrix of ten names, verbs, numerals, nouns, and adjectives. From this matrix, test lists of ten sentences with an equal syntactical structure can be formed at random, with each list containing the whole speech material. The speech material represents the phoneme distribution of the Spanish language. The test was optimized for measuring speech reception thresholds (SRTs) in noise by adjusting the presentation levels of the individual words. Subsequently, the test was evaluated by independent measurements investigating the training effects, the comparability of test lists, open-set vs. closed-set test format, and performance of listeners of different Spanish varieties. Study sample: In total, 68 normal-hearing native Spanish-speaking listeners. Results: SRTs measured using an adaptive procedure were 6.2 ± 0.8 dB SNR for the open-set and 7.2 ± 0.7 dB SNR for the closed-set test format. The residual training effect was less than 1 dB after using two double-lists before data collection. Conclusions: No significant differences were found for listeners of different Spanish varieties indicating that the test is applicable to Spanish as well as Latin American listeners. Test lists can be used interchangeably.

Investigating the nature of aspirated stops in Western Andalusian Spanish

In Western Andalusian Spanish (WAS), [h + voiceless stop] clusters are realized as long pre- and postaspirated stops. This study investigates if a new class of stops (realized as geminates with variable degrees of pre- and postaspiration) has emerged in this dialect, or if postaspiration in these clusters results from articulatory overlap. An experiment was carried out in which WAS speakers produced [h + voiceless stop] clusters under changes in speech rate and stress location. The duration of postaspiration, measured as voice onset, did not show systematic effects of any of the experimental variables. Moreover, trade-offs were observed between voice onset and preaspiration plus closure durations. These results indicate that postaspiration in WAS [h + voiceless stop] clusters is the consequence of extensive articulatory overlap. It is further hypothesized that the lengthening of closures in WAS stops preceded by [h] results from a different gestural mechanism affecting all [hC] clusters in this dialect. From a broader perspective, since extensive overlap and consonantal lengthening do not occur in the [hC] clusters of other Spanish varieties, these findings lend support to the idea that intergestural coordination patterns can be dialect-specific.

Agronomic effects of a reciprocal translocation in a widely grown Spanish barley variety

AbstractA large spontaneous reciprocal translocation is present in a widely grown Spanish barley cv. ‘Albacete’. It has been hypothesized that high popularity of ‘Albacete’ with farmers, particularly in semi-arid areas where barley is grown under rainfed conditions, may be due to the presence of this translocation. Agronomic effects of this translocation were studied at two locations and two growing seasons in a set of 245 doubled haploid lines derived from the F1s of four crosses involving ‘Albacete’. The results have shown a significant positive main effect of the translocation on the thousand kernel weight and a significant environment by translocation interaction for the thousand kernel weight, lodging and tiller number. However, the results do not support the hypothesis that this chromosomal structural change alone provides an increased adaptation to low-yielding sites.

Polymorphism of microsatellite loci of European chickpea cultivars

Polymorphism of 13 microsatellite loci in 61 chickpea varieties was studied. The 47 alleles were detected. Three loci were monomorphic, the other ones showed polymorphism. Genetic diversity of chickpea varieties in all loci was 0,41 according to Nei polymorphism index (D). It was concluded that chickpea varieties from Europe had insignificant microsatellite loci diversity. The most polymorphic group was chickpea varieties from Russia (D = 0,38), the least polymorphic - Spanish varieties (D = 0,25). Consensus tree representing the most credible divergence of Europe chickpea varieties was constructed. The possible causes of clustering chickpea varieties in a common cluster are discussed.

FLOWERING AND MATURATION DATES OF THE MAIN EARLY-BLOOMING ALMOND SPANISH VARIETIES

The flowering dates and maturation of the 13 main early-blooming Spanish varieties were determined. The blooming times fell into three groups: the earliest included ‘Desmayo largueta’, ‘Abizanda’, and ‘Asperilla’; a second group contained ‘Ramillete’, ‘Garrigues’, and ‘Peraleja’; and the latest-blooming group had ‘Marcona’, ‘Blanquerna’, and ‘Rumbeta.’ The varieties with the earliest maturation were ‘Peraleja' and ‘Ramillete’, while the latest-maturing varieties were ‘Blanquerna’ and ‘Rumbeta’.

ANALISI PROSODICO DELL’ITALIANO PARLATO PER SPAGNOLI: IL CASO DELLE INTERROGATIVE POLARI

In this work we propose to present the prosodic features characteristic of the interrogatives yes/no of the spanish who learned italian as a foreign language. The two varieties considered for evaluation are the Italian variety of Venice, Madrid and the Spanish variety. Both have already been studied in the past, however, as far as I know, this is the first study that systematically puts compared in a comprehensive way. This description of the transfer is strongest fundamental in education for the teachers involved in teaching Italian as a foreign language are aware of the fact that the L1 prosodic features are very strong and difficult subject to conscious control of the speaker. In this sense it will be important to take into account when they start to offer models of orality to spanish speakers.

Evaluación de preferencias hacia las mandarinas en el mercado británico. Aplicación de las subastas Vickrey

The objective of this work is to analyse British consumer preferences towards five varieties of mandarins (two of them from Spain) under three different information conditions: visual inspection, peeling and consumption. Therefore, the paper deals with the purchase process from two perspectives: before and after experiencing the product and considering both search and experience attributes. Besides, it is intended to study the market possibilities of the Spanish varieties in British market. The research employed the second price Vickrey experimental auction method using two treatments applied to different subgroups of the total sample. Half of the groups evaluated the fruit characteristics at each stage of the experimental process before making the auction bids while the other half of the groups offered bids without giving an evaluation of the fruit. Main results are: (1) significant changes in evaluation and willingness to pay for mandarins as consumer move forward the purchase-consumption process, (2) both experimental groups behaved similarly, (3) juiciness, sweetness and acidity are the attributes most closely correlated with the overall evaluation of the different varieties, (4) Spanish varieties are well evaluated, but only after consumption. The main recommendation for Spanish citrus producer is to find a way to communicate Spanish mandarin excellence in some search attributes, which cannot be evaluated by visual inspection, but are significant at post-purchase valuation.

The Phonology-Morphology Interface in Judeo-Spanish Diminutive Formation: A Lexical Ordering and Subcategorization Approach

Abstract In this article we examine diminutive formation in Judeo-Spanish, which has not been treated before in the generative literature. The distribution of diminutive suffixes is shown to be predictable based on an interaction of morphological and phonological properties, which is a recognized hallmark of diminutive formation in Spanish more generally. Judeo-Spanish also presents some interesting twists not commonly found in other varieties of Spanish. A formal analysis is developed in Optimality Theory that builds upon recent work on allomorph selection involving lexical ordering and subcategorization. A comparison with previous analyses of other Spanish varieties shows that our approach can account for the behavior of nominal class markers in diminutivization, as well as the alternation of diminutive allomorphs, while avoiding the proliferation of language- and morpheme-specific constraints. Furthermore, our account sheds new light on the moraic status of glides in rising and falling diphthongs and of the trill in word-medial intervocalic position.

La influencia del sistema meta en traducción: el doblaje de Los Picapiedra al español neutro

During the 40’s, it appeared a Spanish linguistic variety, called neutral Spanish, which was used exclusively in the dubbings of films and television series (most of them American). By using this standard linguistic variety, one dubbed soundtrack will cover all the Spanish-speaking market. The cartoon television series The Flintstones, created by Hanna Barbera Productions in the sixties, was dubbed to neutral Spanish. In this work, our objective is to exa

¿Mejor o peor español? Actitudes lingüísticas de universitarios hispanohablantes en Estados Unidos

Abstract The present study aims to explore the linguistic attitudes towards the different regional varieties of Spanish in a group of college-educated native speakers of Spanish. A survey was conducted among participants from diverse Spanishspeaking countries who lived in the United States. The main goals of the study were, in the first place, to determine whether these individuals were able to spontaneously attribute more (or less) prestige to a specific Spanish variety over others. Second, I attempted to analyze the rationale - whether explicit or implicit - behind their choice of a certain variety as more (or less) prestigious. Finally, I examined the extent to which their linguistic attitudes were motivated (or not) by any sort of ethno-linguistic loyalty towards their own speech communities. The results of the study substantiate previous research carried out in this field, but also reveal unforeseen findings, especially in regards to the less prestigious varieties.

Apuntes para una historia de la producción lexicográfica monolingüe en la Argentina: etapas del proceso de diccionarización y modalidades diccionarísticas entre 1870 y 1910

Since 1870, a prolific production of lexicographic instruments registering lexical singularities began in Argentina. The awareness of this peculiarity led to the elaboration −thus following a Hispanic American tradition− of complementary and contrastive dictionaries of different modalities. On the one hand, descriptive works were published that collected ruralisms, indigenisms, regionalisms (both Americanisms and provincialisms, or localisms), and Argentinianisms. On the other hand, some normative works emerged that collected barbarisms and censored their use, on account of their deviation from the peninsular Spanish variety. This paper studies the relations among the different stages of the dictionarization process and several dictionary-making modalities. To this effect, we analyze those dictionaries that included the Argentinian variety of the Spanish language, published between 1870 and 1910, by taking into account two aspects: a) the different conditions of the dictionarization process; and b) some cuts of segments selected from several domains of the lexicographical discourse (paratext, macrostructure, microstructure). First, this study intends to demonstrate that the monolingual dictionary is a discursive, historical and ideological instrument. Second, the analysis of the lexicographical discourse allows us to observe that these dictionaries operate for the construction of the national imaginary within the process of formation and consolidation of the modern national state.

A heuristic mathematical approach for modeling constraint cumulativity: Contrastive focus in Spanish and Catalan

This work presents a heuristic mathematical approach to modeling and quantifying constraint violations. The empirical phenomenon consists of different word orders with contrastive focus in the Spanish variety of Catalonia and in Catalan. Experimental data has been collected with a gradient acceptability judgment test for auditorily presented focus constructions.

A Minimalist approach to gender agreement in the Afro-Bolivian DP: Variation and the specification of uninterpretable features

This article analyzes gender-agreement variation in the Determiner Phrase (DP) of Afro-Bolivian Spanish (ABS). We claim that this is an instance of crossgenerational change, consisting in the systematic substitution of stigmatized basilectal Afro-Bolivian features with more prestigious Bolivian Spanish ones. In light of recent minimalist models, the variability encountered in the corpus can be accounted for systematically as a by-product of the differential specification of uninterpretable features in a derivation. This study highlights an on-going process of post-bozal Spanish approximation to a more prestigious Spanish variety. Such transition seems to be driven by social factors and is significantly regulated by syntactic constraints.

Preservation and Molecular Characterization of Ancient Varieties in Spanish Grapevine Germplasm Collections

Two hundred accessions from the Movera Grapevine Germplasm Bank in Aragón, Spain, were examined. Molecular profiles at six SSR loci allowed confirmation of the trueness-to-type of 86 accessions, correct names were assigned to 33 misnamed accessions, and 43 “unknown” accessions were identified. Thirty-eight accessions, which gave 24 molecular profiles, may be regarded as belonging to autochthonous varieties. Results offer new SSR allelic profiles of ancient Spanish varieties to form part of the genetic heritage of grapevine and reveal the existence of some synonymies, homonymies, and discrepancies in the published database from the El Encín Grapevine Germplasm Bank in Madrid, Spain.

Perceptions of Second Person Singular Pronoun Use in San Salvador, El Salvador

Abstract El Salvador Spanish evidences a tripartite system of pronoun address, with one formal pronoun, usted, and two informal pronouns, tú and vos. The present study addresses attitudes toward pronoun use in San Salvador through the use of a linguistic questionnaire. The choice of pronoun is not dependent solely on the interlocutor whom the speaker is addressing, but also social factors, such as a speaker’s age, gender, and education. Statistical analysis demonstrates that tú is reserved for a few specific situations, and may represent an intermediate level of formality between usted and vos. Tú is reported more frequently by older and moderately educated speakers. Vos, however, is being advanced by younger, welleducated speakers in both frequency and into pragmatic areas that previously belonged to usted. In this way voseo in San Salvador may reflect increased informality and a higher use of regional forms reported in many Spanish varieties.