Chapter published in:
Aspects of Latin American Spanish Dialectology: In honor of Terrell A. Morgan
Edited by Manuel Díaz-Campos and Sandro Sessarego
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 32] 2021
► pp. 11–27

Between vos and usted

A sample of power negotiation in Nicaraguan Spanish during a baseball practice

| Baylor University
This chapter examines how Nicaraguan Spanish speakers alternate between vos and usted to index power negotiations in (a)symmetric exchanges during a baseball practice. The variation in pronominal exchanges shows directionalities: certain pronoun usage can mitigate, demonstrate solidarity, or empower commands. I research (1) the direction (voseo/ustedeo) of mitigation of the message, (2) the relationship (symmetric/asymmetric) of alternation between vos and usted, and (3) how uses of ustedeo are redefined from established definitions of “formality.” This study has a pragmatic focus based on courtesy theory. Vos and usted alternated actively, offering innovative practices as acts of power. Speakers use polite alternatives when familiarity and affect are negotiated through the use of voseo or ustedeo as a pragmatic value of the request.
Keywords: Nicaragua, baseball, , , forms of address, power
Published online: 12 January 2021
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.32.01lop
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