Documenting Puerto Rican English

Investigadora: Sally Delgado

Department: Inglés

Descripción: This proposal continues the exploratory work of pilot projects designed to generate linquistic resources, motivate, research, and increase recognition of the linguistic and non-verbal features of a distinct variety of English that is spoken in Puerto Rico. It aims to document phonological, lexical, syntactic, paralinguistic, and non-verbal communication features that characterize Puerto Rican English. The project has three objectives: (1) assess the extent of scholarship on Puerto Rican English and its representation in current literature, (2) process existing audio and survey data to plan the dissemination of exploratory findings, and (3) document the methodologies of data-gathering strategies for formal evaluation with the IRB and/or an external funding agency. It additionally aims to collect data that would help researchers understand the issues that impact English in Puerto Rico such as the attitudes of its speakers and nuances of context (including sociolinguistic parameters), specifically given the history of English imposition on the island and its continued ties to political status and social advancement while, at the same time, serving as a lingua franca for online communication and mass media consumption among younger generations.