Language Change and Migration: /s/ Variation in Lima, Peru

In Peru, large-scale migration from the provinces to Lima in the second half of the twentieth century has created a context of intense language and dialect contact. This study examines /s/ variation among migrants from the Andean region, where Quechua, Aymara, and varieties of Andean Spanish—shaped through long-standing contact with these indigenous languages—are spoken. We analyze the speech of 59 participants representing “classic Limeños,” whose families have lived in Lima for several generations, and three generations of Andean migrants, using corpora collected in 1999–2002 and 2012–2013 to trace linguistic change in apparent time. Univariable analyses show significant generational differences: as distance from migration increases, aspiration becomes more frequent and elision declines, while [s] remains relatively stable after the first generation. Multivariable models incorporating migrant generation, family origin, neighborhood, education, and sex reveal that while a combined variable of migrant generation and family origin is significant, neighborhood, education, and sex are stronger predictors. Speakers from established neighborhoods, those with university education, and female speakers favor aspiration and [s], aligning with prestige norms. Mixed-effects logistic regression of linguistic variables confirms structured sociolinguistic change: the following segment is the strongest linguistic predictor, and there is a clear intergenerational shift from elision toward aspiration. However, constraint hierarchies—especially following segment and stress—remain stable, indicating change in rates rather than in linguistic conditioning.