Afro-Peruvian Spanish declarative intonation

Abstract

Abstract This study offers an analysis of Afro-Peruvian Spanish (APS) declarative intonation. Our findings indicate that this dialect presents intonational features that diverge from other varieties of Spanish. It shows minimal downstepping across utterances and a predominant use of the L+H* pitch accent, even in prenuclear position, where L+>H* is more commonly cited in neutral contexts. At intermediate phrase edges, the most common APS boundary tone is L- rather than H-, which is usually employed in other varieties to indicate the continuation of a thought. Our results evidence a simplified set of phonological targets, which are analyzed as the byproduct of SLA processes that were subsequently conventionalized and nativized at the community level by later generations of APS speakers.