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Spanish Speakers in the USA
explores the relationship between language and culture both as
specific to Latin@s and as a generalizable example of linguistic and
cultural diversity. The concept of identity is explored, with special
attention to culturally embedded ideas about 'race' and ethnicity, and
how language contributes to identity construction. Also addressed are
attitudes and beliefs about the Spanish language, and the people who
speak it, as they are revealed in online communication, public
discourse, films and television. Linguistic consequences of language
contact are discussed, showing how so-called 'Spanglish' is both
socially significant and linguistically mundane. The final chapter
illuminates how the education of Spanish speakers in the USA school
system is linked to issues surrounding Latin@ identities and
ideologies about Spanish.
Review:
Fuller covers
the topic of contemporary Spanish-English bilingualism in the US with
refreshing clarity and thoroughness. Not only does this text present
the latest issues in this field, it does so in a way that illuminates
them without sacrificing their complexity. It is a must-read for
students, teachers and practitioners in this field.
MaryEllen
Garcia, Emeritus, The University of Texas at San Antonio, USA
Fuller brings us an engaging and perceptive look into issues of
bilingualism and language choice, as a focus for the social
construction of identity. The book uses vivid examples to illustrate
the complex and contradictory ideologies about Spanish and English in
the US, and how these play out at both individual and societal levels.
A must-read.
Carmen Fought, Pitzer College, USA
About the author
Janet M. Fuller is a Professor of
Anthropology and the Director of the Women, Gender and Sexuality
Studies program at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She has
done research on many facets of multilingualism, including the social
identities and language use of children in Spanish-English bilingual
classrooms in the USA.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part 1: Ideologies and identities
1: Language Ideologies and Language Policies
Language
ideology defined
A framework for studying language
ideologies
Normative monolingualism
English only
Monoglossic language ideologies
Ideologies about the value of
Spanish
Mock Spanish
The status of English
Language
policies, planning and practices
Language policy in the US
Bilingual education
Workplace practices and policies
Services in languages other than English
Discussion questions
and activities
Recommended reading
2: Language and
Identity
Social constructionist approaches to identity
Social identities are on many levels
Social identities are
multiple
Social identities are continually shifting
Towards a non-essentialist perspective on identity
Identity
construction through language use
Identities in bilingual
discourse: Translanguaging
Language choice and identity among
Latin@s in the US
Discussion questions and activities
Recommended reading
3: ‘Race’, Ethnicity and Spanish
Speakers in the US
‘Race’ as a social construct
Race
in Latin@ studies
Ethnicity
Race, ethnicity and the
linguistic construction of identity
Race, ethnicity and national
identity
Language ideologies and Latin@ identities
Discussion questions and activities
Recommended reading
4: Media Representations of Spanish and Spanish Speakers in US
English
Language TV and Film: Production and Reproduction of
Ideologies
An unrepresentative representation of Latin@s
Stereotypical portrayals of Latin@s
Cultural stereotypes
in the new millennium
Language use: Monolingual norms and
deviant behavior
TV representations of Latin@s for children:
Spanish as a resource
Disconnect
Discussion questions
and activities
Recommended reading/viewing
Part 2:
Language practices
5: Spanish Language Maintenance and
Shift in the US
Introduction: Minority languages
Options
in language contact: Factors and attitudes
Keeping the L1 and
‘refusing’ to learn English
Learning English and
maintaining Spanish
Language shift: Losing Spanish
Diglossia versus sustainable languaging
Ethnolinguistic
vitality
Language maintenance and social networks
Spanish language maintenance and shift in the US
Case studies
of language maintenance and shift in different communities: Variables
and consequences
Spanish in the southwest
Cuban Americans
in Miami
Puerto Ricans in New York City
Spanish in Chicago
Conclusion
Discussion questions and activities
Recommended reading/viewing
6: Linguistic Consequences
of Spanish-English Bilingualism in the US: ‘Spanglish’ and Chican@
English
Introduction
Language contact phenomena defined
Structural borrowing
Concluding remarks about structural
aspects of US Spanish
Chican@ English
Discussion questions
and activities
Recommended reading
Key to abbreviations
for grammatical glosses
7: Latin@ Education in the US
Introduction
Education of Latin@s in the US: History and
program types
A short history of educational policies in the US
regarding the language(s) of education
Educating English language
learners: Program types
Submersion
Transitional bilingual
education programs: Early exit
Transitional bilingualism
programs: Late exit
Immersion and other maintenance programs
Effectiveness of bilingual education programs
Ideologies in
language education
The role of identity in Latino education
Conclusion
Discussion questions and activities
Recommended reading
References
Glossary
Index