Hispanic Studies

Despite a general tendency to avoid L1 use in the L2 classroom, pedagogical research has recently begun to challenge the predominantly monolingual approach to L2 teaching, and reassign the role of the L1 as a useful tool for both instructors and learners (Cook, 2001; Levine, 2011; Turball & Dailey O'Cain, 2009). However, while it is evident from previous research that the L1 serves several functions in the L2 classroom-and perhaps has an unavoidable presence that should be acknowledged-few studies look at how L1 use can positively impact L2 learners' classroom experiences and learning outcomes. The present study looks at instructor L1 use as it relates to learners' perceptions of their learning, as well as actual outcomes in terms of grammatical competence. Using data collected from a pilot study as well as an expanded follow-up study, this article aims to investigate the use of the L1 (English) in the L2 (Spanish) classroom in terms of instructor use and its relation to learners' perceived competence in L2 grammar. Results from both studies conform to previous findings in terms of the contexts in which the L1 is used by instructors. Furthermore, these results suggest that the L1 plays an important role in facilitating communication and establishing a rapport between instructors and learners, and through this may also positively impact learners' confidence and perceived competence in L2 grammar.

Owing to the continuous influx of immigration in Catalonia, multilingualism has become the bedrock of this region. Still, Catalan and Spanish remain the dominant languages of everyday communication, and immigrants are faced with the challenge of adopting both Spanish and Catalan linguistic identities. This dual acculturation process can span across generations and can be impacted by a variety of sociocultural factors. Additionally, motivation to acculturate can be rooted in individuals’ own complex identities that are constructed in different sociocultural contexts, a connection that Norton (2000) has conceptualized as “investment”. This study examines Muslim immigrant women’s investment in Spanish and Catalan, as well as the sociocultural factors that play a role in this investment. The present study relies on data gathered from 34 Muslim immigrant women from diverse geographic backgrounds. Findings indicate that a variety of factors impact informants’ relationship with their linguistic identities, often in disparate ways. Furthermore, first and second generation informants presented distinct experiences with acculturation, suggesting that it is a transgenerational process. Finally, informants’ responses also suggest that their linguistic investment is informed by their gendered and religious identity.

Norton (2000) argues that investment in L2 acquisition is also an investment in learner identity, which changes in the context of time and space-a notion that also has relevance for heritage learners. As such, the purpose of this study is to examine investment in language learning among HL Spanish speakers and the role of identity in their learning experiences. This study comprises of ten participants enrolled in an HL Spanish course. These participants completed a background questionnaire, interviews and writing prompts detailing their linguistic and cultural background, as well as their reflections on their heritage identity, HL exposure, and their investment, experiences and progress in their HL course. Results show that participants demonstrate varying degrees of investment in the HL, and heritage identity plays a role in this variance.

With the presence of Catalan, Spanish, and a variety of migrant languages, multilingualism in Catalonia extends across the region and is a regular practice for native-born and migrant residents alike. This study examines language use and its relationship to identity construction among first and second-generation Muslim women immigrants in Barcelona. Data was collected from 34 female informants in Barcelona, all of whom identified as first or second-generation Muslim. Data consisted of questionnaires and interviews which were designed to learn about the informants' linguistic background as well as the extent to which they used Spanish, Catalan and their native/heritage language(s). As a further case study, specific instances of code-switching among the South Asian Urdu-speaking informants were examined. Results point to a generational divide in terms of domains of use. However, informants demonstrated a greater tendency towards multilingual language use rather than restricting themselves to single language use in specific domains, a reflection of informants' self-reported code-switching practices, which were found to be a widely accepted communicative tool that serves an array of socio-pragmatic functions.

Language policy forms an integral part of constructing, upholding, and contesting the status and social space of languages. Such policies may perpetuate social inequalities between speakers of different languages in multilingual societies (Tollefson, 1991; Van Dijk, 1993; Es-cobar Alméciga, 2013; Ready, 2018). Policies that typically address society as a whole may also reference language use of migrant populations. The current study analyzes integration policies in Spain at the federal and regional levels in the autonomous communities of Madrid and Catalonia, and examines how these policies shape and characterize the role of language practices as they relate to immigrants' participation in Spanish society. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough, 1989), this study relies on intratextual and intertextual analyses to examine how discourse is produced and reproduced throughout national policy in comparison to policies of two of Spain's most populated autonomous communities with large immigrant populations. Findings indicate that-for both communities-integration through language education is considered a crucial aspect for active citizenship and maintaining social cohesion. However, while language education in Madrid refers to developing proficiency in Spanish, Catalan is central to Catalonia's language policies. In both cases, however, lack of competence in these languages is considered a major obstacle to integration and thus, social cohesion. Additionally, while migrant languages and cultures are emphasized as being important to interculturality and are referenced as having a role in integration, policies often fall short in their support for immigrant languages.

Language use is notably connected to the construction and negotiation of gendered identity (Butler, 1993; Cameron, 1997; Norton, 2000; Menard-Warwick, 2009). However, the study of intersectional identities-such as gendered and religious identity-as it relates to linguistic behavior remains a relatively unexplored area of research. This study examines self-reported language use as a gendered practice among Muslim immigrant women in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). Using data collected from interviews with 34 Muslim women, this study looks at self-reported gendered roles, as well as the linguistic and gendered ideologies that are reflected in informants' beliefs about their own language use. Furthermore, this study provides evidence of informants expressing specific gender roles that stem from both the heritage and target language (Spanish/Catalan) communities, as reflected in informants' tendencies to interact primarily with other women and vary their speech depending on the gender and/or heritage identity of their interlocutors.

In the last few decades, service learning (SL) has emerged as an instructional model that facilitates connections between learning experiences in and outside the classroom, and highlights the socio-political nature of language use (Grim, 2010; Bettencourt, 2015; Moreno-López et. al, 2017). However, its effective and relevant curricular implementation remains a challenge for educators. This paper examines how SL impacts advanced learners’ beliefs, attitudes, and motivation towards learning Spanish, as well as their ability to connect their service experiences with course content. Findings show that learners evaluate service experiences through a proficiency-based lens, where the success of their experiences depended on the amount of Spanish used and perceived improvements in proficiency. Additionally, while participants were frequently able to connect their SL experiences with course content, they did not necessarily recognize those learning moments as beneficial.

Systematic bullying is rampant in academia, particularly against women and women of color. Such bullying is particularly salient in institutions with Ph.D. programs, where faculty-student relationships may play a significant role in the outcomes of Ph.D. students' academic trajectory. The purpose of this chapter is to critically examine the hierarchical social structures that construct academic culture and uphold power inequities to the disadvantage of students. Specifically, I use personal narratives relating to bullying in academia in order to connect individual experiences to a broader discussion of the power inequities that covertly-and often overtly-govern academic culture. This chapter further looks at how these power inequities, particularly between faculty and students, are compounded by intersectional, minoritized identities. I conclude by calling on members of the academic community in privileged positions of power to not only support and protect vulnerable students, but also hold one another accountable for bullying and/or for tacit approval of it.

This book examines the intersectionality of gendered, religious identity among Muslim women in Catalonia, and illustrates how this identity is brokered through language use in a multilingual and diasporic context. Drawing on a mixed methods study of 1st and 2nd generation immigrant women, this book also examines how acculturation is a transgenerational process reflected in linguistic behavior. Through the use of questionnaire and interview data, the author constructs a story about informants' experiences navigating life vis-à-vis language use; specifically through the use of Spanish, Catalan and native/heritage languages. This book offers a unique lens through which we can further our understanding of the role of language in the acculturation process in Catalonia. It adds to the ongoing discussion about language and migration in Catalonia and provides a valuable contribution to debates about immigrant women's language learning and use.

[This file is a preview and includes Chapter 1.]

The revitalisation of the Catalan language has been an ongoing effort in Catalonia for decades. The language policies that have stemmed from this effort have perpetuated ideologies that promote the use and legitimisation of Catalan as both an official and a vehicular language. While this effort is widely regarded as an example of successful language revitalisation, the process has not been without conflict between Spanish and Catalan, particularly in terms of domains of use and disparate attitudes towards the two languages (

Code-switching is perhaps one of the most salient linguistic practices among Spanish-English bilinguals in the U.S., and therefore widely investigated. (Bailey, 2000; Kern, 2019; Lipski, 2014). While code-switching is typically associated with bilinguals who are highly proficient in two languages (Balukas & Koops, 2014; Benevento & Dietrich, 2015; Poplack, 1980; Rangel et al., 2015), it is crucial to also highlight the codeswitching practices of bilinguals who may have unequal levels of proficiency in each language, such as in the case of some heritage language (HL) learners. The present study examines socio-pragmatic functions of codeswitching among heritage learners of Spanish. Using data from questionnaires and interviews, this study looks at instances of and attitudes towards code-switching. Findings indicate that code-switching was generally viewed favorably among participants, and commonly practiced by most of the participants in a variety of social contexts. Interview data also suggests that code-switching serves various socio-pragmatic functions for participants. Given the double stigma attached to both code-switching (Rangel et al., 2015) and to Spanish in the U.S. (Showstack, 2012)-which often informs HL pedagogy-it is crucial to examine this linguistic practice in the context of HL learners in the U.S. in order to give code-switching a more prominent place and offer further legitimization of this practice, both in and outside the classroom.

While Arabic instruction has traditionally focused heavily-and often exclusively-on the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) (Ryding, 2006), scholars and practitioners have become increasingly critical of instructional approaches that ignore colloquial dialects of Arabic, and have therefore proposed an integrated approach to Arabic instruction (Younes, 1990). Such an approach interrogates and prompts a reflection on different notions and practices related to multilingualism, and how these practices may be relevant for heritage language (HL) and second language (L2) learners. This article thus offers a comprehensive and critical review of research on multilingual/-dialectal approaches to Arabic instruction. Focusing primarily on HL/L2 instruction in the United States, this review is premised by a brief history of research and practices in HL and L2 Arabic instruction. I then discuss multilingualism and multidialectalism as it pertains to Arabic instruction, as well as how these notions provide a lens for reevaluating ideas about diglossia, monolingual ideologies, and exclusive MSA instruction. This also involves an examination of specific multilingual practices in the language classroom, including code-switching and translanguaging. I conclude with a discussion of the implications that current research has for classroom practices, as well as a note about areas of investigation that merit further attention.

While Arabic-Spanish contact is a global phenomenon, its presence in the Spanish-speaking world is most widely associated with Spain and in historical contexts (Molina Martínez 2006, Ruhstaller and Gordón Peral 2018). Currently, the extensive vitality of Arabic all across Spain can be largely attributed to the predominantly Moroccan migrant diaspora. As such, current research in this area has centered on multilingual practices of Moroccan Arabic speakers in Spain, as well as how these practices relate to identity and language attitudes (García-Sánchez 2013, Mijares Molina 2006, Moustaoui Srhir 2020, Ready 2021). However, despite the perpetual presence of Arabic in Spain and the considerable Arabic-speaking Moroccan population throughout the country, Arabic and Arabic speakers are often regarded as foreign and separate from Spain's heritage. Media discourse can be a key site for perpetuating such ideologies: as a widely disseminated medium that often pushes specific interests or agendas, news media can offer insights into the social and political contexts that shape linguistic ideologies about Arabic. Using critical discourse analysis, I examine 60 Spanish online news articles published between 2013-2022, and analyze the representation of Arabic as it is used in Spain. Focusing specifically on news articles that center around Arabic in Catalonia and in Ceuta, I illustrate and problematize the paradoxical visibility and invisibility of Arabic in Spain, as well as how news discourse disowns Arabic and Arabs from Spain's European heritage.

The Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla have long been sites of undocumented migration to Spain. Owing to both anti-immigration attitudes often perpetuated in political discourse and the challenges involved in blocking migration in cities that are geographically separated from Spain's mainland, this migratory context has been heavily debated in Spain. However, it is critical to examine attitudes towards migrant populations of different legal statuses, and particularly essential to look at widely disseminated discourse such as mass media, which has the power to be impactful in shaping popular opinions. In this study, I analyse such discourse, and examine how migrants are represented in Spanish media. Using critical discourse analysis (Fairclough 2003) and media framing (Littlejohn, Foss, and Oetzel, 2021), this study looks at 100 online news articles published over a 10-year period (2013-2022). Findings indicate that news outlets use both text and photos to dehumanise and criminalise migrant populations.

This book uses sociolinguistic approaches to explore how media discourse on undocumented migration informs Morocco-Spain political relations. Historically, much of the contact between these two nations has been through conquest - first through the Umayyad Caliphate taking control of the Iberian Peninsula (then called Hispania) in the 8th century, and then through Spain’s occupation of northern Morocco in the 20th century. Though these historical roots have undoubtedly played a role in shaping present-day Morocco-Spain relations, migration has also become another critical element, as the majority of legally authorized migration to Spain comes from Morocco. Additionally, Morocco serves as a sojourn for much of the undocumented migration to the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, both of which are enclaves in Morocco and common entry points for North African and Sub-Saharan African immigrants. Migration to Ceuta and Melilla has therefore become a flashpoint for anti-immigration attitudes that are frequently perpetuated in political and media discourse. The author uses these cities as a case study, situating them within the wider context of both immigration-related policies and news articles in order to examine how migration is represented in Spain and Morocco. The book connects media discourse with policy discourse, and addresses how these mediums (1) co-construct anti-immigration and xenophobic ideologies, and (2) shape and are shaped by the somewhat strained relations between Spain and Morocco. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Discourse Analysis, Sociolinguistics, Migration Studies and Migration Policy, Media Studies and Political Communication.

[This file is a preview and includes Chapter 1.]