Evidence of Colonial Lag in Post Colonial Languages: The Case of Colombian Spanish

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to investigate evidence of colonial lag through the use of second person singular pronouns (SPSPs) in Colombian Spanish, a post-colonial language which developed as a result of language transplantation. The study uses Marckwardt’s (1958) and Görlach’s (1987) definitions of colonial lag, and Trudgill’s (1999, 2004), Hundt´s (2009) and Schreier´s (2013) observations on language transplantation as a basis for the investigation. A secondary aim is to demonstrate evidence of linguistic formality within the post-colonial society which can be linked to its colonial history and post-colonial development. The study employs a diachronic approach in which data collection was carried out via three sources in Bogotá: historical documents from 1800 – 1900, novels published between 1999 and 2002, and in-person, face-to-face exchanges carried out in 2009. SPSPs found in the data were analysed firstly to establish the meaning conveyed in each exchange and to determine if and how the use of SPSPs has changed across time. The examples of pronoun use were then analysed using GOLDVARB to ascertain how personal characteristics such as gender, age and socio-economic status influence their use. The results of the study posit that colonial lag, one of three predicted outcomes in the evolution of post-colonial languages, can be observed in the use of SPSPs in Bogotá, Colombia. It likewise provides evidence of formality in linguistic behaviour within Bogotá society which is reminiscent of the post-colonial society.

Keywords: post-colonial languages, Colombian Spanish, colonial lag