Mexican American English in Context

Jaclyn Ocumpaugh, Rebecca Roeder

Recent studies have examined the effects of regional varieties on the English ofMexican Americans outside the Southwest (Hartford 1978; Frazer 1996; Gordon2000; Wolfram, Carter, and Moriello 2004; Roeder 2006). The present study is an examination of the vowel systems of Mexican Americans in two communities in Lower Michigan - the Lansing area, where the Northern Cities Shift (NCS) is afeature of the predominant local dialect, and Berrien County in southwest Michigan,which has not shown extensive NCS influence. The findings reveal a kiteshapedpattern in the lower vowels of the Lansing speakers, which is attributableto a new variety of Mexican American English influenced strongly by tbe NCS.The degree of accommodation to this pattern by Mexican Americans in BerrienCounty - where the Mexican American community is less well established - correlates with their length of residence in the area.