Do Younger Generation Immigrants Keep Their Accent Abroad? The Case of Andalusian "s" in Brussels
What is it about?
The way diaspora groups retain their language varieties, or accents, can change from generation to generation. In Andalusian Spanish, the letter “s” at the end of a syllable is often weakened through aspiration or deletion. For instance, the phrase ‘las casas’ can be pronounced as ‘lah casah’ or ‘la casa’ —a trait that is perfectly acceptable linguistically speaking, but that is generally looked down upon inside and outside the Andalusian region. This study explores whether this characteristic feature of Andalusian Spanish is maintained by heritage speakers in Brussels, that is, people with Andalusian roots born and raised in the Belgian capital. We interviewed women from the first and second generations and found that the younger generation reduced their “s” sounds considerably less than the first generation. This suggests that, added to the difficulties in keeping a heritage language alive abroad, some dialect varieties can face additional challenges for the maintenance of their particular features.
Why is it important?
Our findings emphasize the importance of considering the many varieties of Spanish — its accents, dialects, regional and social variations — when studying the language abroad. In the field of heritage languages, Spanish is sometimes treated as a uniform concept, which risks giving an incomplete picture by focusing mainly on prestigious or widely accepted versions of the language. Additionally, while much attention has been paid to the role of heritage language maintenance in fostering belonging, identity, and integration in new environments, far less is known about the maintenance of specific heritage varieties. Our study shows that heritage languages can survive while losing particular dialect traits, raising new questions about the cultural and social impact of such change.