Forma y función de los juegos fónicos en el habla juvenil de Puebla (México)
In the youth speech of Mexico a frequent use of phonic wordplays that transform or substitute lexemes and phrases without significant alteration of the signifier are found among linguistic vitality signs. This linguistic phenomenon uses three phonic techniques: parasitic suffixation, lexical substitution based on phonic similarity and echo chaining. This report contributes by filling a void in the scientific literature and to expose this overlooked phenomenon by exploring its formal linguistic aspects and social functions. The aim of this study is to establish the relationship between linguistic structure and linguistic and social functions inherent to phonic wordplay use.  The empiric study conducted in Puebla (Mexico) allowed the collection of a corpus of more than two hundred phonic wordplays and the realization of sociolinguistic interviews with eighteen Puebla youth, who employ the studied expressions. This work proposes a classification of the corpus based on their formal structure in order to highlight that the phenomenon conforms to fixed patterns of construction. After a thematic analysis of the interviews, with an emphasis on phonic wordplay examples, we observe that the use of phonic wordplays mainly accomplishes poetic and ludic, as well as social cohesion and identity functions. This study confirms that the non-normative and cryptic characteristics intrinsic to phonic wordplays help to reinforce the aforementioned social functions as an argotic speech.
Phonic wordplay pun youth speech parasitic suffixation echo chaining lexical substitution