Philip P. Limerick* The discursive distribution of subject pronouns in Spanish spoken in Georgia: A weakening of pragmatic constraints? https://doi.org/10.1515/shll-2018-0013 Abstract: This study examines subject expression from a pragmatic perspective in an emerging bilingual community of Roswell, Georgia, an exurb of Atlanta. Using sociolinguistic interviews conducted in Roswell, first-person singular subject pronoun (SP) usage is analyzed among 10 Mexican speakers within five distinct pragmatic contexts: salient referent, switch focus, contrastive focus, pragmatic weight, and epistemic parentheticals. A comparison is made between Georgia speakers and monolingual Mexican speakers in Querétaro in order to explore the possible weakening of pragmatic constraints due to English contact. Results indicate that a contact hypothesis is not supported in terms of overall overt pronoun usage as evidenced by similar frequencies when com- pared to monolingual Mexican varieties. However, an increased use of overt SPs in the context of salient referent as well as a diminished use of overt SPs in switch focus contexts is found, suggesting a potential weakened sensitivity to such pragmatic constraints. Keywords: subject pronouns, pragmatic constraints, Spanish in the US, Mexican Spanish, English contact 1 Introduction The expression of subject pronouns (SPs) is one of the most extensively studied features of the Spanish language. There is a wide range of research dedicated to SP usage from various theoretical perspectives, and it has been examined both among first-language (henceforth L1) speakers as well as L2 learners of Spanish (e.g., Cameron 1993; Carvalho et al. 2015; Carvalho and Child 2011; Erker and Guy 2012; Lozano 2009; Otheguy et al. 2007; Otheguy and Zentella 2012; Quesada and Blackwell 2009; Rothman 2009; Silva- Corvalán 1982). There are various factors that have been shown to influence *Corresponding author: Philip P. Limerick, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA, E-mail: nztm@uga.edu Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 2019; 12(1): 97–126 Authenticated | nztm@uga.edu author's copy Download Date | 5/14/19 2:09 AM