Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons^™

Experiences Of Hispanic/Latine Graduate Students In Unco’S Audiology And Speech-Language Pathology Programs Within A Hispanic-Serving Institution Context: Qualitative Thematic Analysis From A Moderated Focus Group, Ashley Fuhrman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Existing literature has examined workforce diversity in healthcare as a factor that may shape patient rapport and the delivery of culturally responsive, patient-centered care. Given the increasing demand for audiologists (AuDs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with diverse and multilingual backgrounds, it is important to understand how graduate programs prepare students to serve linguistically and culturally diverse populations. This qualitative study examines the experiences of Hispanic/Latine graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), a recently designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The study explores students’ perceptions of training, support, and experiences in serving diverse populations. …

Visual Semiotics And Cultural Hybridity In Orión, El Atlante: Negotiating Global Comic Codes And Mexican Identity, Jaime Cruz-Ortiz

The Coastal Review

This article examines the 1980s Mexican comic series Orión, el Atlante through the lens of visual semiotics and cultural hybridity, drawing on Roland Barthes’s theory of polysemy and Néstor García Canclini’s concept of hybridization. While Mexican historietas have long been understudied, Orión offers a compelling case for understanding how Latin American comics negotiate global superhero tropes and local cultural imaginaries. The analysis foregrounds the historieta’s layered visual codes and narrative strategies, revealing how its retrofuturistic Atlantis blends Greco-Roman aesthetics, advanced technology, and indigenous symbolism to construct a mythic space that evokes both precolonial grandeur and modern aspiration. Orión’s characterization—rooted …

Propuesta Curricular Para La Asistencia Médica Bilingüe Orientada A La Concordancia De Lenguas Y La Interpretación Médica En Español, David Sanchez-Jimenez, Noemi Rodriguez, Justin Harnandan, Margarita Perez, Melissa Garcia

Publications and Research

Resumen: El presente trabajo describe el proceso para establecer una especialización secundaria bilingüe centrada en la comunicación y la interpretación médica en una universidad de Estados Unidos designada como Institución al Servicio de los Hispanos. Este nuevo título universitario brindará a los estudiantes bilingües de español e inglés especializados en el área de la salud la oportunidad de mejorar sus destrezas comunicativas para convertirse en competentes profesionales de la salud concordantes de lengua.

Abstract:This paper details the process to establish a new bilingual academic minor in health communication and medical interpretation at a United States university designated as a Hispanic-Serving …

Volume 8 (2025) The Spanish Language, Language Variations, Cultures And Responsibility

International Journal on Responsibility

This issue reflects an intentional and profound commitment to linguistic inclusion, cultural diversity, and the shared responsibility of scholars to broaden the scope of academic dialogue beyond the boundaries of English. The essays collected here invite us to reimagine bilingualism not only as a communicative skill but also as a moral, social, and institutional responsibility.

Esta edición representa un compromiso intencional y profundo con la inclusión lingüística, la diversidad cultural y la responsabilidad compartida de ampliar los horizontes del diálogo académico más allá de los límites del inglés. Los ensayos aquí reunidos nos invitan a reimaginar el bilingüismo no solo …

Acquisition Of The Tap-Trill-Lateral Contrast By Speakers Of L1 Cantonese-L2 Spanish, José Esteban Hernández

Spanish Faculty Publications

In the present study an assessment of the on-target and off-target production of liquids (laterals and rhotics) is undertaken in a corpus of second language (L2) Spanish. The Chinese-origin participants have immigrated to Mexicali, Mexico where they have acquired L2 Spanish in a natural setting. As a major aim, a quantitative analysis of the data is performed to determine the production of on-target and off-target articulations in lateral, tap, thrill, and syllable-coda rhotic. Internal and external factors are considered in the analysis; for example, liquid production in syllable onset, coda and consonant clusters was considered. The data were subjected to …

“Let Me Be A Bridge”: Language Brokering Among Emerging Adult Latina Professionals In The Midwest, Elise M. Dubord

Faculty Publications

In immigrant families, bilingual children and adolescents regularly act as translators and interpreters for family and community members who are not fluent in the dominant language. These childhood language brokers later shift the focus of their translation activities as they transition into adulthood and develop professional skills. This research explores narratives of language brokering trajectories of three bilingual Latinas who were emerging adult professionals in three cities in Iowa. Based on a series of interviews collected over a 15 month period, this analysis examines how participants described realigning their family language responsibilities while simultaneously transferring their language brokering skills to …

Pedro Aceves Mfa Thesis, Pedro M. Aceves

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

My Work is about looking at Cruising through a queer decolonial lens. Using multiple mediums such as photo, glass, Augmented reality, and film, I explore these queer histories and aesthetics through not just an anthropological approach but also an artistic epistemological approach weaving together narratives of prehispanic and modern queer Latinidad.

"Integrating The Seven Stages Of Conocimiento With Nahuatl And Ralámuri Wisdom In Kosmic Feminism: My Creative Writer Identity.", Hilda Yaneth Sotelo Dr

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

This paper explores the intersection of Kosmic Feminism and the seven stages of conocimiento as outlined by Gloria Anzaldúa, integrating Indigenous wisdom from Nahuatl and Ralámuri traditions. It examines how decolonial thought, feminist theory, and creative writing can be transformative tools for personal and communal healing. Drawing on personal experiences rooted in the borderlands of Ciudad Juárez-El Paso and Rarámuri heritage, the author blends Anzaldúa’s framework of conocimiento with Indigenous perspectives to offer a critique of patriarchal systems and a vision of holistic, cosmic resistance. The seven stages of conocimiento—awakening (El Arrebato), liminality (La Nepantla), commitment (El Compromiso), healing (La …

The Power Of The Poetry Club, April Vazquez

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

Poetry spaces provide a place where young people can express themselves and develop skills like critical thinking, empathy, and creativity. They empower young people, particularly those at the margins of society. I organized an extracurricular poetry club, Yo Misma, with Latina adolescents in which we read the work of ten Latin American women poets. As a result of the experience, club members made connections between the poems and their own lives. Furthermore, reading poems by poets they identified helped the girls to find their own voices, both as readers and writers.

Language-Related Episodes In Individual Observations Versus Collaborative Interactions: The Case Of Advanced Learners Of Spanish, Emilia Alonso-Marks, Mariche G. Bayonas, Diana Marysol Contreras-Licea

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

The pandemic forced many students to complete tasks individually either at home or in virtual classrooms. This study compares individual task performance with small group collaborations in terms of Language-Related Episodes (LREs) and the honing of pronunciation. Two groups of advanced Spanish learners from India and the USA participated in the study. Results note that having more than one learner does not increase LRE productivity; individual learners produce more affective/metacognitive LREs; and linguistic forms focused on by individual learners are more memorable than those discussed collaboratively. Pedagogical recommendations are proposed for both types of learning scenarios.

Book Review - Language Ideologies And Linguistic Identity In Heritage Language Learning., Michelle F. Ramos Pellicia

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

No abstract provided.

The Rescue Of Wahutedew’Á And The Epistemological Reforestation: An Analysis Of Time In A Terra Dos Mil Povos, By Kaká Werá Jecupé, Ivo Cruz

The Coastal Review

It is estimated that in 1500, the year the Portuguese arrived in America, there was a population of 2,431,000 inhabitants, according to historian John Hemming (1978), who occupied the lands that we now know as Brazil. These peoples had their own culture whose cosmology was destroyed and erased over time by a violent process of colonization. Even though entire groups were decimated, much of their influence is still alive in Brazilian culture. This influence can be found in vocabulary, cuisine, and even religious practices. With the aim of rescuing ancestral narratives and knowledge of various native peoples, Kaká Werá Jecupé …

Light And Darkness For Aesthetic Pleasure: An Exploration Of J.M.G. Le Clézio’S Early Writings And Jun’Ichiro Tanizaki’S In Praise Of Shadows, Kenichiro Otani

The Coastal Review

Building upon comparative principles, this semantic reading of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s essay In Praise of Shadows and J.M.G. Le Clézio’s early writings illustrates how both the Franco-Mauritian author and the Japanese writer problematize modern Western perception laden with concepts stifling flexible imagination through the mysterious worldview of light/darkness. They also simultaneously express the hope that another way of life leading to liberation is possible. Delving into the spiritual confinement of the subject, they demonstrate how keeping rich creativity within one’s heart can be an escape from a stagnant society. Albeit in very different mediums, Tanizaki and Le Clézio assert that the …

Teaching Cuba In Georgia Today, Eric Kartchner

The Coastal Review

This essay details a college professor's approach to teaching a course on Cuban history and culture. The professor's pedagogical choices were influenced by Ada Ferrer's book, Cuba: An American History, and José Antonio Bowen's work on fostering independent thinking. The syllabus covered pre-Columbian Cuba, Spanish rule, the wars of independence, the Castro era, and significant cultural aspects like music and religion. The course emphasized multiple perspectives and encouraged student-led research, challenging preconceived notions about Cuba's complex relationship with the United States. The professor aimed to promote critical thinking and understanding through student-driven inquiry.

Búsqueda De Babosas Marinas: Understanding Barriers Of Environmental Literacy And Climate Advocacy Within Southern California Spanish-Speakers, Cintya Felix, Ashley Lam, Lorena Muñoz, Micah Kim

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The Hispanic and Latino populations are the largest ethnic minority in California, and more than 10.4 million Californians consider Spanish their first language. However, English is the primary language in most educational and public spaces. This means Spanish-speaking communities have limited access to coastal ecosystems and learning opportunities about coastal areas impacted by climate change and extreme weather, which becomes a barrier to civic engagement, climate advocacy, and local decision-making. During the 2023 summer, we partnered with local climate advocacy organizations and held educational programs at two public beaches in southern California. The presentations in English and Spanish taught foundational …

(Bi)Lingüe, (Bi)Cultural Y El Espacio Intermedio, Emma Sempsrott

Research Honors

In this research project, I am investigating the differences in the US education system in regard to Spanish bilingual education. This research is rooted in the political and policy debate surrounding Dual Language Programs and Transitional Bilingual Programs, which blossomed during the Reagan administration in the 1980’s. More specifically, I am researching the differences between these two programs and their individual cognitive benefits. In order to examine these differences, I will compare them using two different populations: Bloomington, IL and Saint Charles, IL. Both of these areas have different populations as well as different offerings of bilingual support and education. …

Proficiency Assessment In Bilingualism Research: How Valid Are Our Measures?, Sara Saez-Fajardo, Melissa A. Bowles

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

Many Spanish HL acquisition studies have used proficiency assessments developed for L2 learners to meet investigation standards. However, few researchers present any validity evidence of these instruments’ appropriateness for HL learners. In this presentation, I inspect the validity evidence of one of the most popular proficiency tests: the DELE test.

The Gen Z Heritage Learner: Redefining The Shl Program For A Post-Pandemic Generation, Alejandro Acero Ayuda

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

The purpose of this presentation is to reflect on some of the perspectives, beliefs and policies that lie behind the definition, understanding and framework of ‘success’ (Beaudrie, 2020) according to the Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) programs, and the design on which these programs rely to develop their curricular foundation for the upcoming generation of heritage learners.

How ‘success’ materializes depends on what is the specific profile of Heritage Language Speaker (HLS) used as reference according to each SHL program’s perspective (Carreira, 2012). The larger vision upheld on what is the SHL Education specific purpose, deeply influences the theories and perspectives …

Actitudes En Pro Y En Contra Sobre El Uso Del Lenguaje Inclusivo Y Su Enseñanza En El Salón De Clases De Shl., Brisa Del Bosque, Mica Boh

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

Con esta investigación, buscamos predecir si la enseñanza del lenguaje inclusivo en español en los salones de clase de español como SHL y como L2, provocará que su uso continúe en la lengua española o pase como una moda efímera.

Encuestamos a 75 instructores de Español K-12 en los Estados Unidos, que compartieron sus opiniones sobre la enseñanza y el uso del lenguaje inclusivo. La mayor parte de los instructores que respondieron nuestra encuesta, han enseñado a estudiantes de SHL y L2.

Como instructores de español, se puede ignorar la propuesta del lenguaje inclusivo y seguir enseñando de la forma …

Towards Shl Benchmarks From The Bottom-Up: High-School Teachers As Curriculum Designers, Isabel Torrubia Gortari, Maureen Wrightson, Elisa Gironzetti

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

Spanish heritage language (SHL) programs at the secondary level lack a set of standards that address the linguistic, social, affective, and professional needs of students (Potowski & Carreira 2004) and guide the curricular decisions of administrators and teachers. While several curricular proposals currently exist for post-secondary education (e.g., Beaudrie, Amezcua, & Loza, 2021), these are not always easily adaptable or applicable in a secondary school program and can be perceived by secondary teachers as a top-down imposition disconnected from their reality. To address this need, our project engaged researchers, high-school teachers, and administrators in a long-term initiative aimed at: a) …

Consejos Y Enseñanzas From The Graduate Student Perspective: Implementing Culturally Responsive Practices And Creating Teaching Moments In Spanish As A Heritage Language (Shl) Classrooms, Maria Vielma, Jorge A. Hernández

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

We center our own consejos y enseñanzas to bring a critical focus to the experiences and perspectives of graduate student SHL instructors and how they should be central to addressing, examining, and implementing best teaching practices, especially culturally responsive teaching (CRT).

Creating A Culture For Heritage Speakers In The Midwest: Promoting Spanish And French As Heritage Languages Among Undergraduate Students, Elise M. Dubord, Elizabeth Zwanziger

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Cultura Y (Ataque De) Corazón: A Training For Health Professionals Needing Medical Interpretation Services, Elizabeth Dudek, Shelby Edwards

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

Limited English proficiency is a known barrier to quality health care outcomes (Green 2017, Helmi 2021). Inclusion of a certified language interpreter during health care encounters improves outcomes among ESL (English as a Second Language) patients (Karliner, Jacobs, Chen, and Mutha 2007). Interpretation with a certified interpreter promotes understanding between patients and their medical providers, and advances both health and race equity (Foiles Sifuentes, Robledo Cornejo, Castaneda-Avila, Tija, and Lapane 2020). Most health care workers receive no formal training in how to use an interpreter with limited English-proficiency patients. Located in the Hispanic Heritage District of an increasingly Latine mid-sized …

Empowering Spanish Heritage Learners Through A Community Informed, Online Medical Spanish Curriculum, Bonnie C. Holmes Ph.D., Kenneth Rhee Md

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

The lack of standardized medical Spanish curriculum leads to variable content and quality, often neglecting heritage language learners. Also, community engagement efforts seldom extend to curriculum development. Learn about a collaboration between Spanish faculty and a physician to create an innovative, virtual Spanish for healthcare curriculum that addresses these challenges.

¿Es Bienvenido El Uso De “Haiga” En Clases De Shl? Reacciones Y Experiencias En Clases De Herencia En Los Estados Unidos, Brisa Del Bosque

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

En esta investigación cualitativa, he entrevistado a 5 instructores de SHL y a 5 padres/madres de familia con estudiantes de herencia en grados K-12, para escuchar sus opiniones sobre el uso del “haiga” en el salón de clases SHL en los Estados Unidos y en los hogares de hablantes de español como lengua de herencia.

Algunos de los temas y preguntas durante las entrevistas fueron:

¿Cómo se enseña el uso de “haiga”?

¿Se debe enseñar?

¿Se promueve su uso?

¿Lo usas en casa o en tus clases?

¿Se debe corregir?

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre haiga y haya?

El corregir …

Nuestras Raíces: Recovering The Radical And Critical Past Of Spanish As A Heritage Language In Arizona And Beyond, Lillian Gorman

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

This presentation recovers the Latinx community voices around the understudied critical linguistic legacy of Spanish as a Heritage Language in Arizona. Specifically, I turn to the reconstruction and recovery of the archive around Adalberto “Beto” Guerrero’s impact on Latinx language experiences in Tucson and the greater Southwest.

Unveiling Critical Language Awareness Through Tiktok: Fostering Community, Dialogue And Student Perspectives In The Spanish Heritage Language Classroom, Sarah Henderson

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

“What are the students saying?” examines students’ reactions towards critical language awareness-laden media presented in the Spanish as a heritage language (SHL) classroom. Critical language awareness (CLA) emphasizes how “language practices are invested with power relations and ideological processes which people are often unaware of” (Fairclough, 1992, p.7). In the classroom, CLA manifests in ways that “helps students understand how language prejudice is intertwined with broader social hierarchies and power relations. Further, it seeks to promote students’ development of critical resources for resisting and challenging those hierarchies” (Leeman 2018, p. 348). The present classroom-based study furthers CLA research by advancing …

Los Hablantes De Lengua Heredada En Tiempos De La Cultura Snack, Marcela Fritzler

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

Los hablantes de lengua heredada en tiempos de la cultura snack

Los formatos breves multimodales presentes en el ecosistema mediático brindan muestras de lengua auténticas, en un rico abanico de registros, que favorecen el desarrollo lingüístico de los hablantes de lengua de herencia. De allí que, su inclusión como recursos didácticos genera la posibilidad de crear actividades motivadoras y significativas para este colectivo de estudiantes.

Resumen

Diseñar un programa para hablantes de lengua de herencia requiere tener presente, ante todo, que constituyen un grupo heterogéneo que abarca desde hablantes nativos hasta hablantes de tercera generación y más, si fuera el …

“Su Español Es Incorrecto”: Challenging Spanish Teachers’ And Students’ Linguistic Beliefs Through Cla In A Dialectology Course, Silvia Perez-Cortes

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

With the number of Spanish heritage classes and bilingual students being on the rise (Beaudrie, Amezcua & Loza, 2021), there is a pressing need to incorporate pedagogical practices that foster inclusivity and challenge dominant language ideologies (Holguín-Mendoza, 2018; Leeman, 2012; Lacorte & Magro, 2021; inter alia). This necessity is particularly dire at the K-12 level, where teachers ­oftentimes lack the training to deconstruct their own –as well as their students’– linguistic beliefs to offer a more socially-conscious instruction (Hudgens-Henderson & Hackman, 2021).

Following the work of Beaudrie et al. (2021) and Wilson & Marcin (2022), this study examines …

Nuestros Testimonios: A Plática On The Intersection Of Latina Identity And Critical Heritage Language Teaching And Research, Lillian Gorman, Nancy Domínguez-Fret, Isabella Calafate, Gabrielle Yocupicio, Stephanie Gonzalez

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

This panel brings together five Latina Spanish heritage language (SHL) educators and scholars to center our identities as fundamental to our roles as researchers and teachers in the field of Spanish as a heritage language. Drawing from Chicana feminist epistemologies, we assert that our Latina identities, histories, and positionalities are central to SHL past and present.