Immigration and reconstruction of linguistic identity: the case of Ecatepec

Abstract

Ecatepec is a municipality of the State of Mexico, part of the Metropolitan Zone of Mexico City and with a remarkable representation in the Sociolinguistic corpus of Mexico City. Second generation immigrants are common in Ecatepec, born in the new migratory destination, with weak ties with their original communities. Population in the area has usually has a low socioeconomic level, a small degree of social rising, and a very limited social and physical mobility. The aim of the paper is to sketch a portrait of Ecatepec speakers, in a framework of migratory settlement and regeneration of social identity. Particularly, the agreement of existential haber, the use of lo que es, and some prosodic choices are considered. The hypothesis is that the variable distribution of sociolinguistic processes in the area fits in the general linguistic reality of the city, but with some special features. In other words, Ecatepec is contained in the sociolinguistic complex of Mexico City, but it owns specific attributes witch are building a new identity, different to the migratory heritage and to the progressive integration in the global urban space.