SpanishLesson 1 of 1 in the course Spanish phonology

Yeísmo: Phonemic Merger, Regional Patterns, and Spelling Effects

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Yeísmo is a widespread feature of Spanish pronunciation involving the sounds represented by the spellings ⟨ll⟩ and ⟨y⟩. This lesson introduces the phonemic merger and explains why yeísmo does not require every speaker to pronounce the merged sound in exactly the same way.

In Spanish varieties that have yeísmo, the traditional palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/, commonly written ⟨ll⟩, is no longer distinguished from /ʝ/, commonly written ⟨y⟩. Both spellings represent the same phoneme for these speakers. This loss of the lateral quality is an example of delateralization. The name yeísmo comes from ye, one Spanish name for the letter ⟨y⟩.

All flashcards

Yeísmo
The absence of a phonemic distinction between /ʎ/, traditionally written ⟨ll⟩, and /ʝ/, traditionally written ⟨y⟩.
Delateralization in yeísmo
The loss of the lateral quality associated with /ʎ/ as it merges with /ʝ/.
Zheísmo and sheísmo
Yeísta realizations of the merged sound as voiced [ʒ] and voiceless [ʃ], respectively.
Lleísmo and ultralleísmo
Lleísmo refers to maintaining the /ʎ/–/ʝ/ distinction; ultralleísmo is a reported merger toward [ʎ].
Homophones resulting from yeísmo
Words such as *cayó* and *calló* can be pronounced alike while retaining different meanings and spellings.

Quiz questions

  1. In which regions is the yeísta realization [ʒ] often reported?Answer: In much of Argentina and Uruguay.
  2. For a yeísta speaker, what is the relationship between *cayó* and *calló*?Answer: They may be homophones with different meanings and spellings.
  3. Where both /ʎ/ and /ʝ/ pronunciations occur, what tendency has been reported in rapid, casual speech?Answer: The /ʎ/ pronunciation may be more likely to disappear.
  4. Which factor is associated with the retention of /ʎ/ in some Spanish-speaking areas?Answer: Contact with languages such as Aymara, Quechua, or Guaraní.
  5. What happens to the written forms ⟨ll⟩ and ⟨y⟩ when a speaker has yeísmo?Answer: They remain distinct in spelling even when their pronunciations coincide.

Based on the Wikipedia article Yeísmo, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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