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A Sociolinguistic Study Of Language Maintenance In The Northern New Mexico Community Of Arroyo Seco, Leroy I. Ortiz

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Since the late 16th century, the Spanish language has been maintained in rural, northern New Mexico communities, largely through a pattern of geographic isolation. Within the past 50 years, however, communities in northern New Mexico have begun to undergo greater sociocultural change and more contact with English.

Arroyo Seco is one Spanish-speaking community in northern New Mexico that has recently experienced increased intercultural contact. The purpose of this study was to examine the existing language situation in Arroyo Seco to determine to what extent the community is maintaining Spanish, to assess the strength of English, and to isolate the factors …