Linguistic Practices, Attitudes and Identities of Hispanic Immigrants in Los Angeles: Two Case Studies
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Keywords
linguistics, sociolinguistics, linguistic identity, bilingualism, diglossia, language transfer, Los Angeles, Hispanic immigrants
Department
International Studies and Languages
Major
International Studies and Hispanic Studies
Abstract
With over thirty three million speakers, Spanish is the second most widely used language in the United States. Huge influxes of immigrants from Central and South America have made Spanish the fastest growing minority language in the country. Such numbers have attracted considerable scholarly attention as linguists and anthropologists seek to understand the impact of language shift, language mixing, and language identity in areas with dense populations of Hispanic immigrants. In spite of the breadth of information on these topics in certain regions and cities of the United States like Miami and New York City, surprisingly little research exists on discourses of language practices and linguistic identities among Hispanic immigrants in Los Angeles. Based off of informational interviews, this project focuses on the case studies of two Salvadoran immigrants who have lived in Los Angeles for over thirty years. These interviews explore the linguistic practices of each participant by looking at the social territories in which they use Spanish and/or English, as well as their linguistic attitudes and sense of identity as bilingual individuals. These two cases are compared to existing literature in the field with the aim of expanding on and deepening an understanding of the impact of language on bilingual Spanish-English speakers' identity.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Kelle Marshall
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Presentation Session
Session A
Location
Plaza Classroom 188
Start Date
1-4-2016 5:15 PM
End Date
1-4-2016 5:30 PM
Linguistic Practices, Attitudes and Identities of Hispanic Immigrants in Los Angeles: Two Case Studies
Plaza Classroom 188
With over thirty three million speakers, Spanish is the second most widely used language in the United States. Huge influxes of immigrants from Central and South America have made Spanish the fastest growing minority language in the country. Such numbers have attracted considerable scholarly attention as linguists and anthropologists seek to understand the impact of language shift, language mixing, and language identity in areas with dense populations of Hispanic immigrants. In spite of the breadth of information on these topics in certain regions and cities of the United States like Miami and New York City, surprisingly little research exists on discourses of language practices and linguistic identities among Hispanic immigrants in Los Angeles. Based off of informational interviews, this project focuses on the case studies of two Salvadoran immigrants who have lived in Los Angeles for over thirty years. These interviews explore the linguistic practices of each participant by looking at the social territories in which they use Spanish and/or English, as well as their linguistic attitudes and sense of identity as bilingual individuals. These two cases are compared to existing literature in the field with the aim of expanding on and deepening an understanding of the impact of language on bilingual Spanish-English speakers' identity.