Digital Commons Network^™

Todo Sobre América Latina, Kayla Madeline Schwartz

World Languages and Cultures

This project attempts to inform a Spanish-speaking audience about the humanities of Latin America. The format is a blog which solicits more engagement with the embedded research and written text. Colorful photos and informative videos attract the attention of a general public that may otherwise not be interested in learning extensively about history and culture. Such focus is important because Latin American past has great bearing on the lives of much of the Latinx community today—in many regions.

Specifically, this blog contains articles about history, literature, movies and shows, dance, and travelling. The audience can learn about a broad timeline …

Representaciones Ideológicas Del Lenguaje Entre La Población Mexicana En Nueva York, Maria Del Rocio Carranza Brito

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the linguistic ideologies that Mexican migrants bring when migrating and reproduce in their daily interactions with other Spanish and English speakers, as well as the representations of the language presented in their linguistic behaviors. This work presents an intersectional analysis where the factors of gender, migratory status, education, and work are determining factors in the adoption, maintenance, and reproduction of language ideologies, which affect the linguistic decisions of the speakers in their use of Spanish, learning of English and the support of bilingualism. Based on the stereotypical idea of Spanish as the …

Returning To Northern New Mexico. A Study Of The Nuevomexicano Lexicon., Guevara Del Angel

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

Spanish in New Mexico prior to the 1900s was the predominant language of the region that began to be displaced with the growth of the English-speaking population during the 20th century. In this dissertation I refer to the Spanish language variety that has had the longest historical presence in northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado as Traditional New Mexican Spanish (TNMS, as per Bills & Vigil, 2008). This study aims to document aspects of maintenance and change regarding TNMS. The traditional heritage variety of New Mexican Spanish is changing in many ways, evolving from what has been documented in the …

El Mundo Del Amor: Un Sitio Para Apoyar A Lxs Hispanohablantes Locales Y Crear La Percatación Y La Diversidad En El Condado De San Luis Obispo, Daniele Lauran Mcclements

World Languages and Cultures

This project is a collective piece of tangible material that is a product of my years of learning, listening, and witnessing the overlap between the depth of different Spanish-speaking and Latinx cultures, and the various identities within the LGBTQ+ community. Taking a critical lens on what I have learned as an anglo student at Cal Poly through the words of a language that is not mine, this project speaks to the many layers to which my love, fascination and dedication with the Spanish language and cultures have impacted my life. Essentially, this project is a love letter and encapsulation of …

“Actitudes Hacia Los Acentos Y La Comunidad Latina: Un Estudio De La Percepción Del Inglés Hablado Con Influencia Del Acento Del Español Y Su Efecto En Los Latinos En Los Estados Unidos”, Eden Shenal

Student Research Submissions

The guiding question for the research in this study is as follows: what are the social impacts on Latino individuals speaking accented English as they live, work, and otherwise interact with US-born native English speakers? Are there adverse stereotypes and perceptions about foreign accents that impact their lives, and if so, what are those impacts and the potential long-term consequences of them?

La pregunta guía para la investigación en este estudio es la siguiente: ¿cuál es el impacto social de hablar inglés con acento extranjero en personas de origen latino mientras viven, trabajan e interactúan con hablantes nativos de inglés …

An Exploration On The Spanish Caribbean Dialectical Community: ¿Unidos O Separados?, Bryan J. Jimenez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Latin America holds a diverse array of people and language. Even regions and countries that speak the same language tend to speak it differently. This leads to interesting variations in language and speech. Most people of Latin American origin are able to note that Mexican Spanish and Puerto Rican Spanish are different in terms of intonation, speech pattern, vocabulary, and more. Most popular theories that section Latin America off by dialects group the entirety of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean into a single dialectical community. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic each hold unique histories and are home to a fascinating …

El Vínculo Entre La Literatura Y La Buena Publicidad En Varios Anuncios Del Mundo Hispanohablante (2017 - 2022), Carter Kane

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

El anunciante más conocido en todo el país de España, cuyo nombre es Luis Bassat, es el fundador de la agencia más prestigiosa Ogilvy España. Bassat escribió el Libro Rojo de la Publicidad, una guía de la disciplina publicitaria que resume todo de lo que Bassat ha aprendido a través de su carrera distinguida de más de 47 años. Asimismo de muchos otros temas, este libro denota 10 consejos a los anunciantes del día actual para mantener la buena publicidad. Este ensayo va a utilizar esos consejos como una rúbrica para examinar el uso de la literatura en la creación …

Teaching Spanish Conversation Through The Uaps: A Pedagogy Of Jesuit Values And Mission, Richard D. Reitsma

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This praxis piece explores the development of a Jesuit focused pedagogy within the context of a Spanish language conversation course. The author begins by defining the origins of the pedagogy employed in this course and how it came to be centered around the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus (UAPs) which consist of the following goals: 1) Showing the way to God/goodness/hope through discernment; 2) Walking with the excluded, the poor, the outcasts of the world, those whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice; 3) Journeying with Youth, to accompany young people in …

Student Centered Language Teaching: A Focus On Student Identity, Rachel Mano

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of essays that describe what the writer has come to see as essential topics in second language acquisition. It begins with a professional environment piece, and then a teaching philosophy statement focused on student identity and interaction in the classroom. This is followed by an essay on observations of teaching. The next two sections focus on pragmatic resistance among advanced learners and the importance of preparing learners for peer interaction. The portfolio concludes with an annotated bibliography outlining the main concepts associated with Communicative Language Teaching, a method that is commonly employed in second language …

Spanish Language Development And Perceptions Of Undergraduate Students During Short-Term Study Abroad, Marissa Baugh

Transformations: Presentation Slides

The purpose of this evaluative case study is to determine how students from a 4-year medium-sized college in the northeast US who participated in a short-term study abroad program in Cuernavaca, Mexico perceived their experience as worthwhile in their education. This research seeks to answer the following questions: 1) How does short-term study abroad impact students’ perceived level of Spanish language proficiency?; 2) What are students’ thoughts about short-term study abroad with respect to their learning beyond their Spanish language development (e.g., financial investment, cultural appreciation, etc.)?; and 3) What are students’ overall perceptions of the short-term study abroad program? …

Power, Policy, Profit: The Spanish Language In The United States, Eva C. Vazquez

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Over the past several decades, the Spanish language has been considered secondary to English, specifically in the United States. However, this paper argues that Spanish is one of the primary languages in the country because it is the second most spoken language, despite efforts to maintain a monolingual nation. Due to the impact of capitalism, if one’s first language is not English, they are separated and viewed as inferior in society. After providing background on the history of Spanish in the United States, this paper explores the impact of power, Americanization, education and cheap work on the Spanish language with …

The Need For Spanish In Mainstream Classrooms: A Celebratory Reclamation Of Linguistic Identity, Keila Torres

Art of Teaching Thesis - Written

This paper is a testament to the sociocultural importance of bilingualism in mainstream U.S. classrooms, specifically pertaining to the Spanish language and communities in which there is a large percentage of Spanish speakers. Approximately 13% of Americans are native Spanish speakers, this is equivalent to 40 million people. States like Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Texas can boast populations that include over 1 million Hispanic people (United States Census Bureau, 2019). However, our school curriculums do not reflect the large percentage of Spanish-speaking students who roam their hallways. I argue that traditional …

Immigration Stories: Final Project For Spanish For Heritage Speakers Class, Sarah S. Pollack

Open Educational Resources

The following is a complete set of instructions and materials for a capstone project for a Spanish for Heritage Speakers class. The project consists of conducting a carefully planned interview in Spanish with a family or community member about their immigration story. Students prepare appropriate questions and find background information about the historical, political, economic and cultural conditions in the country of origin of the interviewee. They record the interview and upload it to the StoryCorps Archive platform that is housed by the Library of Congress. Then, they listen to their own interview, and write up a three-page immigration story …

El Mar Y La Gente: Hacia Una Contextualización De Lo Indígena En El Botón De Nácar, Jonathan Braden Taylor

Honors Theses

El presente trabajo analiza las ramificaciones ontológicas, epistemológicas, y políticas del botón de nácar, un documental hecho en 2015 por el cineasta Patricio Guzmán. El siguiente análisis busca poner esta obra cinemática en el contexto de la formulación y el desarrollo del estado-nación chileno, lo cual ha ocurrido a expensas de las personas indígenas de la zona. Se observa que se emplea significación verdaderamente descolonizada en representaciones y discusiones de espacios acuáticos, lo cual engendra avances teóricos que utilizo para contextualizar el filme. Se sostiene que los efectos políticos de dicha significación descolonizada se ponen en marcha productivamente cuando son …

Autorretrato De Un Idioma: Metalenguaje, Glotopolítica E Historia, José Del Valle, Daniela Lauria, Mariela Oroño, Darío Rojas

Publications and Research

This introduction to an anthology of texts from the history of Spanish presents the theoretical bases for writing language history from a glottopolitical perspective

Using A Smart Phone To Learn Spanish: Does It Work And Will Students Use It?, Andrew J. Demil, Alysha Assaf, Ryan Cragun

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

Over time, mobile devices have penetrated the classroom, requiring new and beneficial ways to implement classroom instruction. Research suggests that Short Message Service (SMS) based instruction is an effective tool for acquiring second language (L2) vocabulary and idiom knowledge (Hayati, Jalilifar, & Mashhadi; Lu,). Additionally, studies have found that students believe that mobile learning (m-learning) is beneficial to acquiring a second language (Cavus & Ibrahim; Hayati, Jalilifar, & Mashhadi; Lu, 2008). This study examined whether m-learning can lead to Spanish vocabulary familiarity and if sentence comprehension outperforms reading definitions. Participants were 29 native English speakers studying Spanish as a second …

Broadening Perspectives: Using Multiple Teaching Approaches To Meet The Needs Of Language Students, Kalen Taylor

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is comprised of research, opinions, and ideas that the author has learned during the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). It is a representation of experiences gained through teaching lower division Spanish courses at USU. In addition to experiences, it is also comprised of research perspectives which were furthered by coursework in the MSLT program.

Contained within the pages is a road map of the author’s journey of learning and research. The portfolio begins with the author’s perspectives on teaching including his philosophy on teaching and how he has developed by observing …

Hija Del Sol, Cecilia Maria Martinez Tijerina

Theses and Dissertations

In this fantasy novel themes such as patriarchy, magic, female empowerment, and fresh and new mythology are tackled. This novel consists of 10 chapters, each chapter covers different themes from the creation of the earth, the creation of the protagonist, her experiences on Earth and her challenging journey against her father’s raze. Everything concludes with an ending exposed to numerous possibilities and with a protagonist aware of who she is.

Alternate abstract:

En esta novela fantástica se leen temas como el patriarcado, la magia, el empoderamiento femenino y una mitología fresca y nueva. Esta novela consta de 10 capítulos, cada …

The Language Vitality Of Nahuatl In Santiago Tlaxco, Mexico, Grace Gomashie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis assesses the language vitality of Nahuatl (also known as Mexicano) in Santiago Tlaxco, a rural bilingual community in the municipality of Chiconcuautla, located in Puebla, Mexico, in the face of the growing trend of language endangerment for many Indigenous languages. It explores the linguistic use and attitudes of community members, and how they contribute to language maintenance and language shift of Nahuatl. The main research questions are: a) what are the language use patterns of the community? and b) what are the prevailing language attitudes of this Nahuatl-speaking community towards its Indigenous language? Data on the language practices …

Researching Paraguayan Guarani: The Minoritized Language Of The Majority, Josefina Bittar Phd Candidate

LAII Events

Paraguayan Guarani, one of the native languages of Paraguay, is spoken by more than 80% of the country’s population. However, despite government and societal efforts, Spanish remains the language of prestige, required for education opportunities and social mobility. In this presentation, Josefina Bittar will discuss the characteristics of Guarani-Spanish bilingualism in Paraguay, the importance of documenting linguistic practices in the country, and the role of researchers in challenging the population’s internalized prejudices about languages and their speakers.

Investigando La Creación De Un Canal De Noticias BilingüE En Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo: Un Estudio De La Representación LingüÍstica, Paige Farris Mcgill

World Languages and Cultures

The purpose of this research study is to determine if there is a desire or demand for a bilingual English-Spanish news outlet at Cal Poly. Spanish is considered the most relevant language because it is the second most frequently spoken language in the community. Results are based on analysis of data collected through an electronic survey and various interviews. Demographics of the university as well as the surrounding community are also factors to consider.

El Profesor De Danza, Jorge Saenz

Theses and Dissertations

Después del crimen cometido donde una familia entera ha sido masacrada, el autor decide entrevistar al criminal Ian Joseph quien ha sido recluido en un instituto psiquiátrico. La novela describe el recuento del paciente y el descenso a su propia locura, al tiempo que el autor va agregando aclaraciones a pie de nota. El lector se entera que una de las razones por las que Ian Joseph perdió la razón fue debido principalmente a la cantidad de libros que leyó. El viaje hacia la criminalidad de Ian Joseph también es un camino literario. En este transcurso y tras un desenlace …

Posthumanism And The Representation Of Power Dynamics In Hispanic Graphic Novels, Savannah Campbell

Honors Projects

My focus in this research has been to use graphic novels, a literary medium that is often marginalized in both academic and cultural circles, to examine how posthumanism, specifically from the viewpoint of Spanish and Argentinian creators, allows readers to explore and critique various power dynamics.

An Interventionist Approach To Language Study Abroad: Exploring Metalinguistic Awareness In The Acquisition Of Spanish Through Digital Portfolio Documentation And Expert Mentorship, Meredith Mcgregor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Language study abroad offers the possibility of acquiring a multitude of competencies, linguistic and otherwise. While historically study abroad research has emphasized linguistic gains in isolation, it has gradually moved towards a more sociocultural approach whereby individual factors and intercultural competencies are seen as integral to the process of acquiring knowledge of a language. With remaining gaps in the literature, and as new instruments emerge, so too do new opportunities for tracking and measuring learning outcomes in innovative ways. The present study, framed by the intervention hypothesis and sociocultural theory, utilizes the social media platform Google+ as a space to …

Coarticulation In Two Fricative-Vowel Sequences Of Latin American Spanish, Jeff Renaud

Celebration of Learning

Dialectal surveys of Latin American Spanish (Perissinotto 1975, Resnick 1975) describe three main possible pronunciations for fu (fuego 'fire') and fo (foco 'focus') sequences: faithful [f], velarized [x], and bilabialized [ɸ], in order of frequency. While the velar realization has received phonetic and theoretical consideration (Lipski 1995, Mazzaro 2011), little is understood about the voiceless bilabial fricative [ɸ] in Spanish. This paper describes a three-part production study to uniformly account for the unfaithful velar and bilabial realizations.

Mazzaro (2011) explains the velar [x] variant by arguing that, given the acoustic similarity of, e.g., [fu]/[xu], listeners misperceive a speaker's …

El Andaluz Y El Español Estadounidense: Exploring Traces Of Andalusian Sibilants In U.S. Spanish, Carolyn M. Siegman

Hispanic Studies Honors Projects

The Andalucista Theory claims that Andalusian Spanish was particularly influential during the development of Spanish in Latin America during the time of Spanish colonization. The present study seeks to examine traces of Andalusian Spanish in Spanish in the United States, considering the added level of complexity brought by contact with English and heightened contact with other dialects of Spanish. By examining 10 interviews from Andalusian Spanish speakers and 12 interviews from Spanish speakers in the U.S., we provide a comparison of the modern-day phonetic realizations of , , and in these two distant linguistic regions.

Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Turn-Taking Practices In English And Spanish Conversations, Claudia B. Martínez

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

Conversation analysis is primarily concerned with the tacit rules of turn-taking in standard systems of conversation—that is, with how people maneuver through spoken conversations to make themselves heard, while still allowing for dialogue to take place. Sacks, Schegloff & Jefferson had largely influenced the groundwork for this field in the late 1970s by setting forth certain proprieties of speech that deem overlaps, or interruptions, generally untoward and counterproductive. My goal here is to rethink this theory, however, to illuminate certain culturally specific instances of overlapping that do indeed lend themselves to the flow of the conversation. I compare such instances …

The Importance Of Language In Cross-Cultural Interaction, Lacy Norton

Senior Honors Theses

Language and culture are connected. Because of this connection, people have a preferred language with which they have an emotional or cultural connection. In Latin American cultures, it is beneficial to speak to a person in their preferred language. Using a person’s preferred language as opposed to any other language will facilitate a deeper connection with that person, cross cultural barriers that may separate them, and be more effective when attempting to share the gospel.

Pronunciation Instruction Can Improve L2 Learners' Bottom-Up Processing For Listening, Elizabeth M. Kissling

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Listening is widely regarded as an important skill that is difficult and necessary to teach in L2 classrooms. Listening requires both top-down and bottom-up processing, yet pedagogical techniques for the latter are often lacking. This study explores the efficacy of pronunciation instruction (PI) for improving learners’ bottom-up processing. The study recruited 116 relatively novice learners of Spanish as a foreign language and provided the experimental groups with brief lessons in PI emphasizing segmental or suprasegmental features followed by production-focused or perception-focused practice. Learners’ bottom-up processing skill was assessed with a sentence-level dictation task. Learners given PI on suprasegmental features followed …

Bilingual Spanish Vowels: The Case Of Heritage Speakers, Megan E. Solon, Nyssa Knarvik, Joshua Declerck

Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Other Graduate Student Scholarship

Previous research on heritage Spanish vowel production has revealed consistent and systematic differences—including asymmetry in the vowel space, condensing and fronting of back vowels, and reduction and centralization of unstressed vowels—as compared to traditional descriptions of the monolingual Spanish vowel triangle. The present study takes another look at heritage Spanish vowels (both quality and quantity), using a group of “homeland” native Spanish-speaking late Spanish-English bilinguals for comparison purposes. Data for both groups were collected via a dyadic, meaning-focused task. Results revealed significant differences between heritage and homeland groups in front and mid-vowel quality, but no differences in vowel quantity. Additionally, …