Alternations in the Simple Vibrant in Five Geolectal Regions of Cuba Analysis of an Oral Corpus

Abstract

The topic of liquid allophones in the Caribbean region is not a neglected one among phoneticians. These sounds belong to the most relevant variations when it comes to determining different local dialects. However, the investigations concerned, perhaps due to differences in their methods or the multiplicity of the corpus they examine, are often contradictory in their results. Focusing on the different realizations of the simple vibrant on the island of Cuba, the present study aims to position itself in the extensive spectrum of works already published to function as a mediator between them, and as such, it aims to seek correspondences, differences, and, first of all, ask questions. For this reason, this study begins with a brief historical and bibliographic review on the behavior of the vibrant in the Caribbean (first chapter), to then give rise to the part dedicated to the methodology (second chapter) where the factors that determine the main aspects of the analysis (third chapter) will be presented. Based on data obtained from a series of interviews with residents of different provinces of Cuba, the proportion of the standard realizations of the simple vibrant will be examined, together with its variants, according to geographical areas, social indicators and the syllabic position of these sounds. Finally, through this document, we want to give an approximate answer to the question of whether it is possible to draw diffenrent isoglosses from the existing ones, based on the alternations in the vibrants in spoken Cuban Spanish.