This study provides a description of the sociolinguistic distribution of /s/-aspiration in the speech of 27 second-generation Madrid native speakers living in the neighborhoods of Madrid proper. The presence of this phonological phenomenon is strong evidence that this dialect belongs to the group of non-standard Spanish dialects. /s/-aspiration is analyzed as it relates to the intralinguistic variable Phonetic environment (syllable-final before a consonant, word-final before a consonant, pre-pausal, and word-final before a vowel), and the extralinguistic variables Speech style, Sex, Education, Age, Interlocutor and Interviewer.
Findings in this study showed that the highest rates of non-standard /s/ variants are found in word-final position before a consonant indicating that Madrid Spanish belongs to an advanced stage of sound change in terms of /s/-aspiration. In casual conversation, rates of /s/-aspiration represent one third of all /s/ instances, while the non-standard features decreased as the speech style became more careful. The most prominent difference between any two sociodemographic groups with respect to /s/-aspiration was found between men and women, where women were much more conservative than men. The variables Phonetic environment, Speech style and Sex were found to be highly significant in predicting the occurrence of standard vs. non-standard /s/ variants. The variables Education, Age, Interlocutor and Interviewer were found to be non-significant in predicting the occurrence of standard vs. non-standard /s/ variants.
Findings in this study showed that the highest rates of non-standard /s/ variants are found in word-final position before a consonant indicating that Madrid Spanish belongs to an advanced stage of sound change in terms of /s/-aspiration. In casual conversation, rates of /s/-aspiration represent one third of all /s/ instances, while the non-standard features decreased as the speech style became more careful. The most prominent difference between any two sociodemographic groups with respect to /s/-aspiration was found between men and women, where women were much more conservative than men. The variables Phonetic environment, Speech style and Sex were found to be highly significant in predicting the occurrence of standard vs. non-standard /s/ variants. The variables Education, Age, Interlocutor and Interviewer were found to be non-significant in predicting the occurrence of standard vs. non-standard /s/ variants.