Spanish Language of North American Students of Hispanic Heritage
A Field Study in North Texas
Keywords:
Heritage speakers; inter-language; error analysis; practical application; Spanish in USA; Texas.Abstract
In search for ways to support the growing number of Spanish / English dual language programs in Texas and how these programs are poised to produce bilingual teacher candidates to alleviate our current teacher shortage in bilingual education; this paper analyzes the variations of Spanish language and proficiency levels of 9th graders heritage speakers in Arlington (Texas). This group of students who could be considered a representative sample of typical Spanish speaking students coming from bilingual programs has been included in a research project designed to identify specific academic and personal information data for the purpose of analyzing the root and essence of common Spanish errors. After cross-referencing results from different researches, we were able to establish not only the causes of the different levels of proficiency demonstrated by our students, but also the key components of the instructional methodology necessary to address this issue. The students were classified in three groups and a classroom instruction demonstration was offered to each group, thus providing practical applications examples that can be replicated in order to bridge the students’ needs with effective instructional practices. Resumen Teniendo en cuenta el crecimiento acelerado de los programas de lenguaje dual en inglés y español; al igual que la posibilidad de que este tipo de programa se convierta en la cuna de los futuros docentes que puedan ayudar a terminar la crisis existente por la falta de educadores bilingües en Texas, este trabajo analiza las diferentes variantes y los diferentes niveles de lengua y cultura española que presentan los alumnos de herencia hispana en un colegio de Arlington (Texas). Este grupo de alumnos se pueden considerar una muestra representativa del perfil estudiantil de Hispano-parlantes que proviene de los programas bilingües y por lo tanto fueron incluidos en un estudio en el cual hemos recopilado información, tanto académica como personal, sobre los aprendientes y hemos realizado un análisis de errores en diferentes producciones orales y escritas. Por último, hemos cruzado estos datos pudiendo establecer no sólo las causas de los diferentes niveles de competencia encontrados sino también las claves de la metodología específica que estos alumnos necesitan. Los alumnos participantes se clasificaron en tres grupos y se diseñó una demostración de instrucción en cada salón de clase con el propósito de ofrecer ejemplos de aplicación practica que conecte las necesidades del alumno con un tipo de instrucción que sea realmente efectiva.References
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Carreira, M. (2000). Validating and promoting Spanish in the United States: Lessons from linguistic science. Bilingual Research Journal, 24(4), 423-442.
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Hurtado, A. and Vega, L. (2004), “Shift Happens: Spanish and English Transmission Between Parents and Their Children.” Journal of Social Issues 60:137-155.
Lutz, Amy. (2006), "Spanish Maintenance among English-Speaking Latino Youth: The Role of Individual and Social Characteristics." Social Forces 84(3): 1417-1433.
Muñoz, J. (1992), La adquisición de lenguas extranjeras: hacia un modelo de análisis de la interlengua. Madrid: Visor.
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Richard, A. Logan, J. Lutz, A. Stults, A. (2002), “Only English by the Third Generation? Loss and Preservation of the Mother Tongue among the Grandchildren of Contemporary Immigrants.” Demography 39(3): 467-484.
Silva-Corvalán, C. (1993). On the permeability of grammars: Evidence from Spanish and English contact. AMSTERDAM STUDIES IN THE THEORY AND HISTORY OF LINGUISTIC SCIENCE SERIES 4, 19-19.
Selinker, L. (1972), “Interlanguage”, International review of applied linguistics, 10: 209-231.
Valdés, G. (2012). Spanish as a heritage language in the United States: The state of the field. Georgetown University Press.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2017), 2017 National Population Projections (Supplemental). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.
Bergen, J. J. (1990). Spanish in the United States: sociolinguistic issues. Georgetown University Press.
Carreira, M. (2000). Validating and promoting Spanish in the United States: Lessons from linguistic science. Bilingual Research Journal, 24(4), 423-442.
Corder, S. (1981), Error analysis and interlanguage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Crawford, J. (1993), Hold your tongue: Bilingualism and the politics of “English only.” Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Escobar, A. M., & Potowski, K. (2015). El español de los Estados Unidos. Cambridge University Press.
Fernández, S. (1997), Interlengua y análisis de errores en el aprendizaje del español como lengua extranjera. Madrid: Edelsa.
Fairclough, M. (2006). Language placement exams for heritage speakers of Spanish: Learning from students' mistakes. Foreign Language Annals, 39(4), 595-604
Galindo, M. (2007), “Principales modelos de análisis de datos en la investigación sobre adquisición de segundas lenguas” RedELE, 7.
González, A. (2016), La materia de lengua española en la educación secundaria de Texas. Análisis de errores y estudio de necesidades de los alumnos hispanohablantes. Saarbrücken: EAE.
Hurtado, A. and Vega, L. (2004), “Shift Happens: Spanish and English Transmission Between Parents and Their Children.” Journal of Social Issues 60:137-155.
Lutz, Amy. (2006), "Spanish Maintenance among English-Speaking Latino Youth: The Role of Individual and Social Characteristics." Social Forces 84(3): 1417-1433.
Muñoz, J. (1992), La adquisición de lenguas extranjeras: hacia un modelo de análisis de la interlengua. Madrid: Visor.
Potowski, K., & Carreira, M. (2004). Teacher development and national standards for Spanish as a heritage language. Foreign Language Annals, 37(3), 427-437.
Richard, A. Logan, J. Lutz, A. Stults, A. (2002), “Only English by the Third Generation? Loss and Preservation of the Mother Tongue among the Grandchildren of Contemporary Immigrants.” Demography 39(3): 467-484.
Silva-Corvalán, C. (1993). On the permeability of grammars: Evidence from Spanish and English contact. AMSTERDAM STUDIES IN THE THEORY AND HISTORY OF LINGUISTIC SCIENCE SERIES 4, 19-19.
Selinker, L. (1972), “Interlanguage”, International review of applied linguistics, 10: 209-231.
Valdés, G. (2012). Spanish as a heritage language in the United States: The state of the field. Georgetown University Press.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2017), 2017 National Population Projections (Supplemental). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.
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2020-07-01
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