Puerto Rican Spanish, Reggaetón Style! The (Socio)Linguistics of Urban Music

Featuring in-depth studies of iconic reggaetón artists from Ivy Queen to Karol G, 'Puerto Rican Spanish, Reggaetón Style: The (Socio)Linguistics of Urban Music' is a groundbreaking collection that delves into the sociolinguistic intricacies of reggaetón. This volume offers innovative examinations of the genre through a linguistic lens, featuring a diverse range of methodologies and subdisciplines, including phonology, lexicography, semantics, and discourse analysis.
The chapters explore the stylistic elements that define reggaetón, shedding light on the unique indexical value of sibilant and liquid consonants, the distinctive lexicon of reggaetón lyrics, and the ways in which artists use language to navigate—and challenge—racial and gender stereotypes in the construction of their performative identities.
By bridging the gap between linguistic theory and popular music, this cutting-edge volume offers a fresh perspective on reggaetón’s cultural power. It is an invaluable resource for anyone working in fields like language, sociolinguistic analysis, performance studies, popular music, and Puerto Rican culture.
'Puerto Rican Spanish, Reggaetón Style: The (Socio)Linguistics of Urban Music' will not only resonate with researchers, but it will also captivate fans of reggaetón—from cultural and media critics to the everyday listener. With its thorough exploration of how language drives the global expansion and cultural significance of reggaetón, this text is essential for anyone interested in the intersections of language, music, and sociocultural identity.

List of Figures and Tables
Contributors
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Teresa Satterfield
University of Michigan
Preface
Derrek Powell
The University of Texas at Austin
Cristina Maymí González
The University of Texas at Austin
Introduction: (Socio)Linguistic Perspectives on the Link Between Puerto Rican Spanish and Reggaetón
Wilfredo Valentín-Márquez
Millersville University

PART 1: STYLISTIC ASPECTS OF REGGAETÓN
Chapter 1
SIBILANTS’ MARK ON THE GENRE: Standard Singing Styles, s-Reduction, and Reggaetón
Derrek Powell
The University of Texas at Austin
Chapter 2
DEL BARRIO, A LA RADIO, AL MUNDO ENTERO: El léxico del reggaetón puertorriqueño
Cristina Isabel Maymí
The University of Texas at Austin
Chapter 3
LIQUID CONSONANTS IN THE HISPANIC CARIBBEAN: Urban Music in PueLto Rico
Piero Visconte
The University of Texas at Austin

PART 2: REGGAETÓN AND IDENTITY PERFORMANCE
Chapter 4
FROM CAFRE TO BICHOTA: How the Projection of a Performance Identity by Karol G Reinscribes the Silencing of Race and Gender Stereotypes in Reggaetón
Julio E. Vega Cedeño
University of Minnesota at Twin Cities
Marién Villanueva Vega
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
Chapter 5
“YO TE DIGO SI TÚ ME PUEDE’ PROVOCAL”: Ivy Queen and the Indexical Value of Lambdacism
Derrek Powell
The University of Texas at Austin
Almeida Jacqueline Toribio
The University of Texas at Austin

PART 3: REGGAETÓN AND (SOCIO)LINGUISTIC CHANGE
Chapter 6
“QUÍTATE TÚ PA’ PONERME YO”: Tracing the Dialectal Pull of Reggaetón
Kendall Medford
Tulane University
Chapter 7
“‘TÁ PA’ LA RUMBA Y HACER DINERO”: From ‘ser/estar + ADJ’ to ‘ser/estar + PRP’ in Puerto Rican Spanish
Erin Trybulec
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Abbreviations Used
References
Index

This book is dedicated in memoriam to Wilfredo Valentín-Márquez and his enduring contributions to Puerto Rican cultural studies and sociolinguistics.
Cristina Isabel Maymí and Derrek Powell are up-and-coming researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. The two bonded over an interest in the curious interplay between language and popular culture, often conversing around a shared passion for reggaetón and the resonance and cultural significance of the genre. What began as lighthearted discussions gradually evolved into deeper explorations of reggaetón form, content, meaning, and influence, with a particular focus on the genre’s relationship to productions and perceptions of Puerto Rican Spanish. Each editor contributes a complimentary perspective on the topic informed from their unique experiences and engagement with reggaetón as both consumers and critics.
Cristina Isabel holds MAs in Linguistics from the Universidad de Puerto Rico and in Hispanic Lexicography from La Real Academia Española. Her work on Caribbean sociolinguistics, bilingualism, and language ideologies, primarily focuses on perceptions and productions of Puerto Rican Spanish in contexts of dialect contact and the migratory experience.
Derrek holds BAs in Spanish and Dance from The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and an MA in Hispanic Linguistics from The University of Colorado at Boulder. His work is grounded in intersections of critical sociolinguistics, ethnomusicology, and media studies, principally investigating linguistic stylization for artistic and stage performances.

Puerto Rican Spanish, Caribbean Spanish, Reggaetón, Reggaeton, Urban Music, Popular Music, Sociolinguistic, Ethnomusicology, Language and identity, Caribbean Studies