Voseo
The Voseo is a morphosyntactic feature of Spanish in certain regions in South and Central America (especially Argentina , the Río-de-la-Plata region and Nicaragua , but is also found in Costa Rica , Guatemala and other Central American countries as well as in Creole-speaking parts the Philippines ). The classic form of Voseo is the use of the pronoun vos (historically "you") instead of tú ("you") in the singular form of address .
development
The singular salutation in Latin was just tu . A plural form for singular salutation only existed since the late Roman period: vos . This form was the courtesy form . Through the process of over-generalization, vos is displacing the doing , but retaining its importance. The vos has meanwhile been used as a singular as well as plural and familial form of address in Spanish, similar to the English you , which was originally used as a plural pronoun opposite thou . Reverence was now expressed through the salutation vuestra merced ("Your Grace"), which in the course of time developed first into vuasted and then usted .
From the 16th century, the Spanish reinstalled the tú as a singular salutation and the suppression of the vos in the plural form. In the plural, the personal pronoun vosotros (“you”, literally “you other”) prevailed. This development did not take place in the Spanish-speaking areas of America; vosotros is not used there to this day and vos remained as a form of family salutation in the singular for a long time and is sometimes used until today. This phenomenon is known as Voseo . (Instead of the vosotros used in Spain, ustedes is used in Latin America .)
to form
There are three different manifestations of the Voseo.
Pronominal-verbal voseo
The pronominal-verbal Voseo consists of the pronoun vos and a special Voseo verb form that deviates from standard Spanish . This is a modification of the regular Spanish conjugation forms of the 2nd person plural in the singular meaning, which is not used in Latin America. This classic Voseo shape is widespread in the Río de la Plata area ( Argentina , Uruguay , Paraguay and including Bolivia ) and is also used in Central America (from Tabasco , Mexico , to western Panama) and in certain regions of Colombia , Venezuela (north-west ) and Ecuador used.
- Vos hablás , vos tenés in Central America , Colombia , Bolivia , Paraguay , Argentina , Uruguay
- Vos habláis , vos tenéis in Zulia ( Venezuela )
- Vos hablái , vos tenís in Chile (very informal, sometimes vulgar)
Purely pronominal Voseo
The purely pronominal Voseos is formed with the pronoun vos , followed by the regular second person in the singular. This form is used in certain regions of Argentina and Bolivia. It is also found in Central America , where dubbed television programs (especially children's programs) are broadcast mainly in Mexico , which is why children sometimes use tú and vos mixed. In areas of the Ecuadorian Sierra where vos is used, it is more common these days to use the verb form of tú .
- Vos hablas, vos tienes in the Ecuadorian Sierra and certain regions in Bolivia and Argentina
Purely verbal voseo
It is formed with the pronoun tú , followed by the Voseo verb forms. Its use is particularly widespread in Chile, where the pronominal Voseo is only used to a limited extent.
Vos as an object
In the case of the pronominal Voseos, vos only replaces tú and ti (after a preposition). The object shape remains the same. The possessive forms tu (s) , tuyo (s) and tuya (s) do not change either.
Examples
- "Are you from Indonesia?"
- vos : " ¿Vos sos de Indonesia? “(General Voseo) or“ ¿Vos erís de Indonesia? "(Chilean Voseo)
- tú : " ¿Tú eres de Indonesia? "
- "Are you from Indonesia?"
- “ ¿Vosotros sois de Indonesia? "(Spain)
- “ ¿Ustedes son de Indonesia? "(Argentina: 2nd person plural ustedes instead of vosotros )
- "I want to speak with you."
- vos : “ Quiero hablar con vos. "
- tú : “ Quiero hablar contigo. "
- "I want to talk to you."
- “ Quiero hablar con vosotros. "(Spain)
- " Quiero hablar con ustedes " (Argentina)
- "I see you."
- vos & tú : “ Te veo. "
- "I see you.":
- " Os veo. "(Spain)
- " Les veo (a ustedes) " (Argentina)
- "I'll give it to you."
- vos & tú : “ Te los regalo. "
- "I'm giving it to you."
- " Os los regalo. "(Spain)
- " Se los regalo (a ustedes) " (Argentina)
- "There are your shirts."
- vos & tú : “ Ahí están tus camisas. "
- "There are your shirts."
- “ Ahí están vuestras camisas. "(Spain)
- " Ahí están sus camisas " (or " Ahí están las camisas de ustedes ") (Argentina)
- "Is it your?"
- vos & tú : " ¿Es tuya? "
- "Is that yours?"
- “ ¿Es vuestra? "(Spain)
- " ¿Es suya? "(Or" ¿Es de ustedes? ") (Argentina)
Verb conjugation
Present Indicative
| infinitive | Present Indicative | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| General | Chilean | Zulia | |
| o ír | o ís | ||
| ven ir | ven ís | ||
| dec ir | dec ís | ||
| dorm ir | dorm ís | ||
| sent ir | sent ís | ||
| escrib ir | escrib ís | ||
| conclu ir | conclu ís | ||
| pod he | pod és | pod ís | pod éis |
| across him | across és | across ís | across éis |
| mov he | mov és | mov ís | mov éis |
| sab it | sab és | sab ís | sab éis |
| pens ar | pens ás | pens ái | pens áis |
| cont ar | cont ás | cont ái | cont áis |
| jug ar | jug ás | jug ái | jug áis |
| err ar | err ás | err ái | err áis |
| ser | SOS | soi / erís | sois |
| ir | vas | vai | vais |
| haber | has | shark | habéis |
The rules of conjugation of the Voseo are relatively simple, but differ depending on the region.
Except for the specifically mentioned verbs ser , ir and haber , all verbs follow the rules described. In the case of ser and ir , the conjugation in the present indicative can be derived from that of the modern vosotros : sois ~ sos , soi ; vais ~ vas (which corresponds to the tú conjugation), vai . The form erís in the Chilean Voseo is worth mentioning, which is an exception among the exceptions.
General Voseo
The -r at the end of the infinitive is replaced by an -s . In the case of a polysyllabic word, the last vowel is given an accent ( acute ) in order to preserve the stress (see examples below). The only exceptions to this rule are the verbs ser ( sos ), ir ( vas ) and haber ( has ).
This conjugation is the one that is most common. It is used in:
- Argentina
- Uruguay
- Paraguay
- Bolivia
- Ecuador (Esmeraldas Province)
-
Colombia
- in the west (Pacific coast): the departments of Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño
- in the center, mainly the Paisa region: the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Quindío, Risaralda, and part of Tolima.
- Central America
Chilean voseo
In Chilean Voseo, the infinitive ending -ar is replaced by -ái , the endings -ir and -er are both replaced by -ís , which sounds more like -íh . Exceptions are ser ( erís or soi ), ir ( vai ) and haber ( hai ).
Voseo in Venezuela
In Venezuela (state of Zulia ) practically the same conjugation is used as vosotros in Spain, but the ending- s is breathed in so -áis , -éis and -ís are articulated like -áih , -éih and -íh (similar to Chilean).
imperative
| infinitive | Imperative Voseo |
|---|---|
| ven ir | ¡Ven í ! |
| dec ir | ¡Dec í ! |
| sal ir | ¡Sal í ! |
| ser | ¡ Sé ! |
| hac he | ¡Hac é ! |
| com he | ¡Com é ! |
| mov he | ¡Mov é ! |
| pens ar | ¡Pens á ! |
| cont ar | ¡Cont á ! |
| jug ar | ¡Jug á ! |
The positive form of command is used in all regions of the Voseo except Chile. For the negative form of command (which also applies in Chile), use the subjunctive (see below).
The rule for the formation of the positive command form is even simpler than that of the indicative present: The -r at the end of the infinitive is omitted and the last vowel is given an accent to maintain the stress. The only exception is the verb ir , which in many Voseo regions has the command andá (from the verb andar ).
Subjunctive / Subjunctive
A crucial difference between the Voseo in Central America , Colombia and Bolivia and in the region around the Rio de la Plata is the verb form in conditional / subjunctive . In the Río de la Plata region, the verb forms of tú are used in the subjuntivo, while in Central America, Colombia and Bolivia the original verb forms of vos are retained. These are also used in the Río de la Plata region, but more to emphasize something or in emotional situations.
|
Central America Colombia Bolivia |
Río de la Plata | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| No quiero que mintás | No quiero que mientas | I don't want you to lie |
| Que durmás bien | Que duermas bien | Sleep well! |
| No te preocupés | No te preocupes | Do not worry! |
In the other countries where the (verbal) Voseo is used, the verb forms of vos are still used .
| Chile |
Venezuela ( Zulia ) |
|---|---|
| No quiero que mintái | No quiero que mintáis |
| Que durmái bien | Que durmáis bien |
| No te preocupís | No te preocupéis |
comparison
Here is a comparison table of the conjugation of some verbs in the present indicative for tú and for vos , next to them are those for vosotros , the pronoun of the 2nd person plural, only used in Spain today.
The accented forms ( vos and vosotros ) and the infinitives are stressed on the last syllables; the tú forms are stressed on the penultimate syllables. The verb forms in bold are irregular. In verb stems such as “ac o rdar”, “p o der” and “v e nir”, the sound shifting ( diphthongization ) fails .
| verb | meaning |
Tú (2nd Sg.) |
Vos (general) |
Tú / Vos ( Chile ) |
Vos ( Eastern Colombia ) |
Vos ( Venezuela ) |
Vosotros (2nd place in Spain ) |
Ustedes (2nd place in America) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ser | be | eres | SOS | erís / soi | soi | sois | son | |
| hablar | speak | hablas | hablás | hablái | habláis | hablan | ||
| acordar | recall | ac ue rdas | acordás | acordái | acordáis | ac ue rdan | ||
| comer | eat | comes | comés | comís | coméi | coméis | comen | |
| poder | can | p ue des | podés | podís | podéi | podéis | p ue the | |
| vivir | Life | vives | vivís | viví | vivís | viven | ||
| venir | come | v ie nes | venís | vení | venís | v ie nen | ||
distribution
Cono Sur
Río de la Plata
The classic Voseo conjugation common in Argentina and the other La Plata countries ( Uruguay , Paraguay ) is also used in parts of Bolivia . In Argentina, the Voseo is part of the standard language, is also recognized in the written language and is deliberately cultivated as an Argentine peculiarity. From here, it also increasingly asserts itself in the standard language of the other La Plata countries.
Some Uruguayans combine the pronoun tú with the verb forms of the classical Voseo (for example, tú sabés ). Today, however, this use is on the decline as the use of the pronoun vos becomes increasingly generalized due to the dominance of Argentine in the media.
Chile
In Chile usual Voseo verb forms are slightly formed differently: Instead of the classic Voseo i omit the Enddiphthongs falling s for a diphthong from ( Tú soi , ¿estai casada? , ¿Te acordái? ). In verbs of the e-conjugation, the diphthong is completely omitted ( querís, bebís ), so that the ending -ís results , as with the i-conjugation ( venís, preferís ) . Again, the final s often falls away or is heard only as aspirated breath ( ¿Te Veni (s / h)? , ¿Quéri (s / h) agüita? ).
These verb forms are more likely to be used with the pronoun tú in Chile , as the use of the pronoun vos is considered an Argentinian peculiarity and in many cases is vulgar. Nonetheless, the use of the pronoun vos with an aspirated s (say voh ) exists between very good friends or as an insult. The Chilean Voseo (with tú ) belongs to the informal language level and is replaced by the standard tuteo in formal situations. Usted is used in very formal situations .
Colombia
In western Colombia and in some Central American countries up to the southern states of Mexico ( Chiapas & Tabasco ), practically the same Voseo verb forms are used as in the Río de la Plata region (sometimes with aspiration of the -s ).
In eastern Colombia, the areas bordering Venezuela, one conjugates as in Zulia, but with the omission of the -S at the end ( podéi , sabéi , vení , viví etc.)
A total of around 20 million Colombians, almost half of the total population, are “Voseantes”.
Venezuela
In northwestern Venezuela , especially in the state of Zulia , the largest state in terms of population, the pronoun vos is used as a singular form of address with the verb forms of the regular (but not used in Latin America) second person plural.
Overall, more than an eighth - at least 3.6 million - of Venezuelans are voseantes.
Ecuador
In the Sierra, the same verb forms were common as in Zulia (Venezuela), more or less the same as vosotros in Spain. These verb forms are now considered out of date and are only used by the older generation in everyday language. The pronominal Voseo is quite common, i.e. the use of the pronoun vos in connection with the verb forms of tú , - Examples:
- vos puedes , vos vienes , vos sabes etc.
In northwest Ecuador, mainly in the province of Esmeraldas , the verbs are conjugated as in the Río de la Plata countries, Bolivia, Colombia, and Central America (general conjugation): vos podés , venís , sabés etc.
In the media and the educational system, exclusively tú used. Thus the Voseo is limited to the spoken language.
Central America
Central America is also basically “voseante”. However, the language usage varies in different countries and even within different regions of the same country.
Panama
Panama is mainly "tuteante". There are areas near the border with Costa Rica where Voseo can still be found.
Costa Rica to Guatemala
In Costa Rica , vos and usted are used as informal salutations in different regions. So tú can sound very formal and pedantic. This is why Costa Ricans generally do not use this language . The use of the vos enjoys a wide acceptance and belongs (with its verb forms) to official school teaching.
Nicaragua is very “voseante”. As a form of address, also in the media, the vos is very common. Tú is hardly present at all, unless you are dealing with foreigners.
The Hondurans mainly use vos in the spoken language. However, in the media and the written language, tú has more acceptance.
The situation in El Salvador is similar to that in Honduras, but vos is gaining increasing acceptance in the media and in the written language.
Guatemala is originally “voseante” and vos is still common in the spoken language, but there are certain regions, families, or classes of society that tend to use tú .
In Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala there are many people who practically only use tú and ti when writing or reading and almost exclusively use vos in everyday speech .
In Central America you sometimes hear “¿Qué quieres vos?” Instead of “Qué querés vos?”. Here the influence of television becomes noticeable, where mostly a "neutral Spanish" is used and accordingly tú and the regular verb forms of the 2nd person singular are used, which is why some people (especially children) vos and tú and their corresponding verb forms now and then confuse them.
In all the countries from Costa Rica to Guatemala, the use of tú between men is considered somewhat feminine.
Mexico
The Voseo is restricted to the south of the country. In Tabasco the Voseo is more or less extinct. In Chiapas , vos still exists, but the younger generations are increasingly using tú .
literature
- Alfredo I. Álvarez: Hablar en español: la cortesía verbal, la pronunciación del español estandar, las formas de expresión oral. Ediciones de la Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo 2005
- Johannes Herz, Marie Seitz, Olivia Gaßmann: The Voseo in Hispanoamerica. Grin Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 3-640-20698-3
- Joseph R. Weyers: Linguistic attitudes toward the tuteo and voseo in Montevideo, Uruguay. Spanish in Context, Vol. 10: 2 (2013), pp. 175-198, doi: 10.1075 / sic.10.2.01wey
Web links
- Angela Keil: The Voseo in Chile and Argentina. Term paper, forms of address in the Romance languages. Romance Studies Institute LMU Munich, WS 2010/2011, January 42, 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ Personal pronouns - Formas deertramiento - voseo - tuteo - usted, Justo Fernández López. Hispanoteca.eu
- ^ María Irene Moyna: Child Acquisition and Language Change: Voseo Evolution in Río de la Plata Spanish . Texas A&M University, Selected Proceedings of the 11th Hispanic Linguistics Symposium, ed. Joseph Collentine et al., 131-142. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, 2009, pp. 131-142
- ^ Georgia C. Ennis: The Social Functions and Implications of Voseo in Quito, Ecuador. A Linguistic and Anthropological Account. University of Michigan's International Institute Individual Fellowship and Department of Anthropology, pp. 1-89
- ^ Travis Sorenson: Voseo to Tuteo Accommodation among Salvadorans in the United States. Hispania Volume 96, Number 4, December 2013 pp. 763–781, 10.1353 / hpn.2013.0120