Hiatus Resolution in Spanish: Motivating Forces, Constraining Factors, and Research Methods

In this paper, I review previous research on the tendency to resolve hiatus vowel sequences in Spanish, a phenomenon of language variation, especially reported in Latin American varieties. I report on the main factors that motivate and constrain the observed variability, including the force of internal linguistic principles as well as the external factors (social variables) that mediate on language variation and change. I conclude this paper by discussing some unexplored topics and methodological issues to be considered in future research.