Whose Spanish in the Classroom? A Historical Analysis of Spanish Varieties Taught in U.S. Schools

• In Event: Interrogating the Racialization of the Language of Science and the Science of Language

Abstract

In response to the growing popularity of Spanish-English bilingual programs in K-12 schools (Valdés, 2017), scholars have called not only for a closer examination of who is being served by these programs (Cervantes-Soon et al., 2017; Kelly, 2018), but also for challenging their role in naturalizing standard Spanish and English language varieties under a discourse of ‘appropriateness’ (Flores & Rosa, 2015). This study employs language-ideologies (Kroskrity, 2004) and raciolinguistics lenses (Flores & Rosa, 2015) to understand whose varieties (e.g., those of Latinx students, Latin American countries, or Spain) have been used in the teaching of Spanish in the US (either as a foreign language or in bilingual programs). Our main goal is to offer a historical perspective on how official language journals have maintained or challenged hierarchies of distinction between varieties and students of Spanish.

A language ideologies framework investigates people’s beliefs in: the existence of standard languages (Lippi-Green, 2011); the idea that languages can be studied disconnected from socio-historical contexts (Kroskrity, 2004); ideas surrounding the social value of languages (Fuller, 2012); and varieties of Spanish appropriate for school (Leeman, 2012). Raciolinguistics theory examines evaluations of language use based on speakers’ perceived race and ethnicity rather than linguistic features (Alim, 2016b).

Our data came from a literature review examining instances of the keywords “Spanish,” “history,” “United States,” “U.S.,” and “America” in the Modern Language Journal (MLJ) from its inception in 1916 through the present, and the Bilingual Research Journal (BRJ; formerly NABE and NABE Journal) from its creation in 1975 to now. These two journals were selected to compare descriptions of Spanish teaching and portrayals of students learning Spanish in the U.S. in both foreign language and bilingual education settings. Using our theoretical frameworks, we coded these articles based on: (1) portrayal of varieties of Spanish; (2) portrayal of reasons for learning Spanish; and (3) portrayal of students of Spanish.

The earliest decades of MLJ publications (1910s–1940s) challenge the teaching of Spanish from only the Peninsular/Spaniard viewpoint (e.g., “the unpardonable sin” of deviating from Castilian pronunciation [Luquiens, 1917]) and highlight values of Panamericanism during the world wars. Between the 1950s and 1970s, both MLJ and BRJ contain articles challenging the idea that certain varieties of Spanish are “unsuitable” (e.g., Valdés-Fallis, 1978). Publications from the 1980s through today address the need to expand the representation of diversity in U.S. Spanish varieties and the underrepresentation of U.S. Spanish-speakers in general (e.g., Arizpe & Aguirre, 1987), as well as supporting language maintenance as a resource in face of English-only movements. The current period also shows an emerging critical awareness of how race and ethnicity impact what Spanish is taught, to whom, and with what purposes.

This work expands scholarship done in language ideologies and raciolinguistics to include a historical perspective on the teaching and learning of Spanish in the U.S. context. It uncovers how unequal power dynamics in U.S. society have reproduced perceptions of the usefulness of learning Spanish, the variation that exists within it, and the diversity of its speakers.

Authors

• Diego Xavier Roman, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Katherine Ward, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Cynthia Baeza, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Rebecca Sawyer, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Carlos Orozco, Verona Area School District