COURSE SYLLABUS
Spring 2008
SPA 343 –Bilingualism and Sociolinguistic Issues in the Spanish-Speaking World
MWF 2:00-2:50
DF206
Dr. Christine Coleman Núñez
Office: 14 deFrancesco Bldg.
Phone: 683-4429
E-mail: nunez@kutztown.edu
Website: http://faculty.kutztown.edu/nunez/
Office Hours: MWF 12:00 – 1:00; W 3:00 – 4:00, and by appointment
Course Materials:
Reading materials will be selected from the bibliography (attached) and made
available online. A detailed list of reading assignments will be distributed
separately.
Course Description:
This course examines Hispanic bilingualism and sociolinguistic issues, with
particular emphasis on Spanish in the US, but includes Spanish in contact with
other languages throughout Latin America and Spain. In this course we will
consider language contact from historical, sociological, theoretical, educational
and political perspectives. Reading selections will be in English and in Spanish.
Class discussion will be in Spanish. Spanish 212 is a prerequisite of this course.
Course Objectives:
The student will
acquire a deeper understanding of the linguistic diversity of the Hispanic
cultures;
recognize the social stratification and relative prestige of different varieties
of Spanish;
become familiar with principal varieties of Spanish in the U.S.;
identify attitudes toward bilingualism and non-standard language use;
learn to evaluate the use of diverse languages in public settings,
particularly educational ones.
Course Outline:

Introduction: General terms and concepts
o Language status and language policy issues
 Language prestige
 Linguistic identity of social groups
 Diglossia
 Language maintenance and shift
 Language loyalty
o Sociolinguistic issues
 Standard and non-standard dialects
 Social stratification of language
 Linguistic/verbal repertoires
 Sociolinguistic variables and variants
 Code-switching

Spanish in the U.S.
o Language policy
 Growth of the Hispanic population
 “US English” (English as the official language)
 Bilingual and Heritage Language Education
 Foreign language policy and planning issues
o US Latino Spanish
 Lexical influence of English; Spanglish
 Code-switching
 Mexican-American, Puerto Rican and CubanAmerican Spanish

Hispanic linguistic diversity in Latin America
o Standard and non-standard dialects
o Historical influence of African and Indigenous languages
o Status of minority languages in Mexico
o Quechua’s influence on Spanish in the Peruvian Andes
o Guaraní-Spanish diglossia in Paraguay

Hispanic linguistic diversity in Spain
o Standard and non-standard dialects
o Historical influence of Arabic
o Mutual influence of Spanish-Basque contact
o Catalan and Spanish: language behavior and attitudes
Grading Policy:
A.
Calculation of final grade:
Assignments
Class Participation
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Research Paper/ Presentation
40%
15%
15%
15%
15%
B.
Short answer essay questions/ reaction papers will be assigned for each
class based on the required reading(s). Assignments must be typed (in
Spanish) and handed in by the due date for full credit. I will accept e-mail
submissions if they are received by the due date in Microsoft Word format
or as text in an e-mail message. Papers will be evaluated based on
thoroughness of content and grammatical accuracy.
C.
Students are expected to ATTEND ALL CLASSES. You will receive a
daily class participation score ranging from 0 to 3 based on the following:
0 absent, significantly late for class or left class early; or
disruptive, distracted, doing other assignments during class time,
etc.
1
attended entire class session; little or no participation
2 moderate amount of participation; quality of participation is fair
to good
3 well prepared for class; full participation in a wide range of
activities; i.e. outstanding
At the conclusion of the term, I will calculate your class participation grade
based on the total of these daily scores.
D.
There will be two exams. The midterm will cover the general terms and
concepts discussed in the introduction to the course, as well as issues
related to Spanish in the US. The final exam will cover the linguistic
diversity of Latin America and Spain.
E.
Guidelines for the research project and presentation will be distributed
separately.
Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all classes. Absence from
class due to a medical emergency or participation in a University sanctioned
event may be considered “excused” on condition that the student provide
appropriate documentation. Students are encouraged to read the Health and
Wellness Center’s procedure for medical excuses on page 21 of the Key which
states that the Center will provide an excuse “if the illness is of such a nature that
class attendance is not medically advised.” An absence will be considered
unexcused without appropriate documentation. Please note that “excused”
absences are at the discretion of the professor and do not include: making up
work for another class, meeting with your advisor, registering for classes,
attending housing meetings, aiding a friend or family member, routine doctor
visits, etc. If you make a personal choice to miss class for these reasons, it will
be considered an unexcused absence and you will not be permitted to make up
graded work done in class or hand in late assignments. You may, however,
hand in any work before it is due. Arrangements to make up work will be made
for students who participate in University events that require them to miss class
(athletics, field trips, conferences, etc.) provided that those arrangements are
made in advance of the missed class and students provide the appropriate
documentation.
→ More than 3 unexcused absences will result in the lowering of the final grade
for the course by one letter grade. Thereafter, the final grade will be lowered by
one additional letter grade for every 2 additional unexcused absences. The
following table illustrates the attendance policy:
NUMBER OF UNEXCUSED
ABSENCES
4 or 5
6 or 7
8 or 9
10 or more
EFFECT ON FINAL GRADE
grade earned lowered one letter grade
grade earned lowered two letter grades
grade earned lowered three letter
grades
student receives letter grade of “F”
Other Information:
A.
Please read about academic honesty in the College Catalog. Work that
has been written,corrected and rewritten, or translated by someone else is
unacceptable and constitutes plagiarism.
B.
Students are encouraged to bring to my attention any issues that they
believe will affect their performance in this course as early as they become aware
of them. Every attempt will be made to accommodate the special needs of
individual students. Disability Disclosure Statement: Any student who has a
need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the
instructor privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact
Disability Resources and Services to coordinate reasonable accommodations for
students with documented disabilities.
Course Schedule:
1/14-1/18
Introduction: General terms and concepts
1/21-1/25
“US English” - English as the official language of the US
NO CLASS 1/21
1/28-1/31
“US English”; Bilingual and Heritage Language Education
2/4-2/8
Bilingual and Heritage Language Education
2/11-2/15
Lexical influence of English on Spanish; Spanglish; Code-switching
2/18-2/22
Spanish in the US: language maintenance or shift?
NO CLASS 2/18; FOLLOW MONDAY SCHEDULE 2/19
2/25-2/29
Spanish in the US: dialectal variation
3/3-3/7
Review
MID-TERM EXAM 3/7
3/10-3-14
SPRING BREAK
3/17-3/21
Latin America: Standard and non-standard dialects of Spanish;
Historical influence of African and Indigenous languages
3/24-3/28
Minority languages in Mexico; Quechua's influence on Spanish in
the Peruvian Andes
NO CLASS 3/24
3/31-4/4
Guaraní-Spanish diglossia in Paraguay
4/7-4/11
Spain: Standard and non-standard dialects of Spanish; Historical
influence of Arabic
4/14-4/18
Catalan and Spanish: language behavior and attitudes
NO CLASS 4/18
4/21-4/25
Spanish-Basque contact; Presentations
4/28-5/2
Presentations
VI. INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
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Issue 4, p26-26.
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Juan: Academia Puertorriqueña, 1991.
Barrett, Rusty. “Language ideology and racial inequality: Competing functions of
Spanish in an Anglo-owned Mexican restaurant.” Language in Society,
Apr2006, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p163-204.
Baumgardner, Robert J. “The appeal of English in Mexican commerce.” World
Englishes, May2006, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p251-266.
Bergen, J.J., ed. Spanish in the United States: Sociolinguistic issues.
Washington, DC: Georgetown, 1990.
Bjarkman, Peter and Robert Hammond, eds. American Spanish Pronunciation:
Theoretical and Applied Perspectives. Washington, DC: Georgetown,
1989.
Brenneman, Michele H.; Morris, Robin D.; Israelian, Marlyne. “Language
preference and its relationship with reading skills in English and Spanish.
Psychology in the Schools, Feb2007, Vol. 44 Issue 2, p171-181.
Callahan, Laura. “Talking Both Languages: 20 perspectives on the Use of
Spanish and English Inside and Outside the Workplace.” Journal of
Multilingual & Multicultural Development, 2005, Vol. 26 Issue 4, p275-295.
Colombi, M.C. and F. Alarcón, eds. La enseñanza del español a
hispanohablantes: Praxis y teoría. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1997.
Fishman, Joshua A. “What is reversing language shift (RLS) and how can it
succeed?” Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 11, 1990,
p5-36.
García, O. “From Goya portraits to Goya beans: Elite traditions and popular
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Linguistics 12, 1993, p69-86.
García, Ofelia; Bartlett, Lesley. “A Speech Community Model of Bilingual
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Guion, S.G, Harada, T.- Clark, J.J. "Early and late Spanish-English
bilinguals’ acquisition of English word stress patterns", Bilingualism:
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Gutiérrez González, Heliodoro J., El español en El Barrio de Nueva York:
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Hornberger, Nancy H., ed. “Bilingual Education and Language Planning in
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Hualde, J.I. "Phonological change in a small language community",
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Klee , Ramos- García, Sociolinguistics of the Spanish-Speaking World: Iberia,
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1991
Lipski, John. Latin American Spanish. New York: Longman, 1994.
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Mar-Molinero, Clare. The Politics of Language in the Spanish-Speaking World.
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Megenney, William. “Africa en Venezuela: su herencia lingüística y cultura
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Latino high school students: Codeswitching as a classroom resource.”
Foreign Language Annals 33, 2000, p58-62.
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hispanos. Madrid, España: MAPFRE, 1992.
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challenges. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla, 2000.
Roca, Ana & John M. Lipski. Spanish in the United States: Linguistic Contact
and Diversity. New York: Mouton de Gruyter,1993.
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Angeles. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994.
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