Afro-Veracruz Spanish: African Diaspora and Creole Genesis
What do Afro-Veracruz Spanish features say about the nature of this contact variety? What were the sociohistorical conditions in which AVS formed? Was slavery in Veracruz (Mexico) much different from slavery in other European colonies? How can we use these interdisciplinary data to address current debates on the origin of other black communities in the Americas and the languages they speak?
Project Description
Exploring creole studies from a linguistic, sociohistorical, and legal perspective, this project advances our knowledge of the subject by offering a cohesive approach to provide new theoretical insights into language contact, language acquisition and language change. In particular, it compares the legal system regulating black slavery in Veracruz, Mexico with the systems implemented by other European colonial powers in the Americas, to cast light on the nature and origin of Afro-Veracruz Spanish (AVS) and its implications for creole genesis.
Selected Publications
- Sessarego, S. (2019). Language Contact and the Making of an Afro-Hispanic Vernacular: Variation and Change in the Colombian Chocó. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Sessarego, S. (2015). Afro-Peruvian Spanish: Spanish Slavery and the Legacy of Spanish Creoles. Amsterdam: John
- Sessarego, S. (2014). The Afro-Bolivian Spanish Determiner Phrase: A Microparametric Account. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.