Vowel raising and identity in the highlands of Puerto Rico

Vowel raising becomes an identifier by outsiders, and a membership tool for insiders in a community of practice. This chapter provides a detailed description of vowel raising in Puerto Rican Spanish. First, it gives an overview of vowel raising in Puerto Rico based on previous research about this topic. Then, the chapter offers a summary of the universal tendencies of vowels and how these are connected to vowel raising in general. It provides an outline of vowel raising in other Spanish dialects to introduce the theoretical framework involved in the process found in Puerto Rican Spanish. Following this, the chapter illustrates that this feature has evolved organically, prompted by linguistic economy. In summation, the chapter postulates that vowel raising might be absent in some individuals, but in those who preserve this feature, it becomes an emblem of identity, connected to a tight community of practice.