Voiceless stop aspiration in Yucatan Spanish: A sociolinguistic analysis

Previous research has indicated that in Yucatan Spanish, /ptk/ are aspirated at greater levels than in other varieties, a feature attributed to contact with Yucatec Maya, a language that has both aspirated and ejective voiceless stops. The current study presents the first quantitative, acoustic, variationist investigation of the linguistic and social factors that constrain aspiration (as measured by VOT) in Yucatan Spanish. Analyses, conducted using mixed-effects statistical models, indicate that VOT values are longer in stressed syllables and phrase initially, and also before non-low vowels. Regarding social factors, men consistently favor longer VOT, along with older speakers. While no significant result was obtained based on language background (Maya-Spanish bilinguals vs. Spanish monolinguals), there is evidence of the influence of language and dialect contact on the observed patterns. Further results and conclusions are discussed.