Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons^™

Estas Rimas Son Para Ti: Exploring Learners Comprehension Of Spanish Language Music Containing Dialectical Features, Avizia Y. Long, Megan Harsh

Faculty Publications

This paper reports the findings of a study that examined native English‐speaking learners’ comprehension of Spanish language music containing Caribbean dialectal features. Twenty‐one learners enrolled in 300‐ and 400‐level Spanish content courses at a large, Midwestern public university in the US participated in this study. Each participant completed the following five tasks: (1) listening task, (2) listening task difficulty questionnaire, (3) vocabulary familiarity task, (4) Spanish language proficiency test, and (5) background questionnaire. The listening task contained short clips of Spanish language music, several of which contained dialectal features present in Caribbean speech and music. The results revealed that comprehension …

Precisiones Sobre La Identidad Dialectal De Las Islas Del Caribe Hispánico, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

El objetivo de esta presentación consiste en mostrar que, a pesar de la creencia extendida sobre la homogeneidad lingüística antillana, no existe un solo español del Caribe. Se demuestra que Cuba, Puerto Rico y la República Dominicana mantienen su particular identidad dialectal. Se llega a esta conclusión, tanto desde la perspectiva subjetiva de la percepción que tienen los antillanos de su modo de hablar, como por medio del análisis de una serie de fenómenos fonéticos, sintácticos y léxicos.

[Review Of] Jose Marti And The Global Origins Of Cuban Independence, Anne O. Fountain

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

La Variación Lingüística, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

En esta presentación se expone el carácter esencialmente variable de las lenguas. En primer lugar, se describen los diferentes tipos de variación lingüística, ilustrándolos con ejemplos orales de las numerosas variedades geográficas y sociales del español. Luego se analizan las causas externas - relativas al hablante - (históricas, geográficas, sociales, situacionales) y las internas - relativas a la lengua - (contexto fonológico, acento, posición en la cadena sintáctica, etc.) que condicionan o motivan los cambios lingüísticos.

La /S/ Hipercorrecta En Las Noticias Dominicanas, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

En esta presentación se examina la pronunciación de la /s/ en las noticias de la televisión dominicana. El análisis permite verificar la existencia del fenómeno de la hipercorrección en el habla de los presentadores y los reporteros, que producen unos índices extremadamente altos de retención de la /s/, en claro contraste con la situación propia del habla culta del país, que muestra una pronunciación variable, con predominio de la variante aspirada [h].

Norms Of Valence And Arousal For 14,031 Spanish Words, Hans Stadthagen-Gonzalez, Constance Imbault, Miguel A. Pérez Sánchez, Marc Brysbaert

Faculty Publications

Most current models of research on emotion recognize valence (how pleasant a stimulus is) and arousal (the level of activation or intensity that a stimulus elicits) as important components in the classification of affective experiences (Barrett, 1998; Kuppens, Tuerlinckx, Russell, & Barrett, 2012). Here we present a set of norms for valence and arousal for a very large set of Spanish words, including items from a variety of frequencies, semantic categories, and parts of speech, including a subset of conjugated verbs. In this regard, we found that there were significant but very small differences between the ratings for conjugations of …

[Review Of] Estrada, Oswaldo, Ed. Senderos De Violencia. Latinoamérica Y Sus Narrativas Armadas, Cheyla Samuelson

Faculty Publications

A review of Estrada, Oswaldo, ed. Senderos de violencia. Latinoamérica y sus narrativas armadas. Valencia: Albatros (Serie Palabras de América), 2015. Impreso. 367 pp.

[Review Of] La Estética De Lo Mínimo: Ensayos Sobre Microrrelatos Mexicanos, Ed. Pablo Brescia, Cheyla Samuelson

Faculty Publications

A review of Brescia, Pablo, ed. La estética de lo mínimo: Ensayos sobre microrrelatos mexicanos. Guadalajara: Universidad de Guadalajara, 2013. 166 pp.

¿Vera O Verra? Using Principles Of Task-Based Language Teaching To Practice Spanish Rhotics, Avizia Long

Faculty Publications

Research on task-based language teaching and learning has demonstrated that tasks may encourage second/foreign language development, specifically by facilitating conditions believed to engage processes that are important for second language acquisition to occur (Robinson, 2011; Skehan, 2014). Recent studies conducted by Solon, Long, and Gurzynski-Weiss (2014, 2015) have demonstrated that tasks designed to make pronunciation task essential do encourage learner attention to pronunciation, and increasing task complexity leads to greater accuracy in the production of the Spanish vowels [o] and [u]. This micro-teaching lesson, inspired by Solon et al., will showcase a task designed to make the pronunciation of the …

"A Bastard Jargon”: Language Politics And Identity In The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, Rachel Norman

Faculty Publications

This essay explores Junot Díaz's only full-length novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, through the theoretical lens of sociolinguistics and examines the ways in which Díaz has attempted to overcome the publishing industry's complicity in maintaining the nation's ethnocentric expectations in regards to English as the only acceptable language of publication. By introducing the work of several sociolinguists into the discussion, examining the use of African American Vernacular and “nerdish” alongside the Spanish, and reviewing Díaz’s relationship with his editors, I provide a more nuanced reading of the ubiquitous code-switching throughout Oscar Wao and suggest that beyond …

Comparing The Opi And The Opic: The Effect Of Test Method On Oral Proficiency Scores And Student Preference, Troy L. Cox, Gregory L. Thompson, Nieves Knapp

Faculty Publications

While studies have been done to rate the validity and reliability of the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Oral Proficiency Interview–Computer (OPIc) independently, a limited amount of research has analyzed the interexam reliability of these tests, and studies have yet to be conducted comparing the results of Spanish language learners who take both exams. For this study, 154 Spanish language learners of various proficiency levels were divided into two groups and administered both the OPI and OPIc within a 2-week period using a counterbalanced design. In addition, study participants took both a pre- and postsurvey that gathered data about their …

El Béisbol: Deporte Norteamericano Con Sello Hispanoamericano, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

El objetivo de este trabajo consiste en mostrar la importancia de la lengua española y la participación de los jugadores de origen hispano en el béisbol de las Grandes Ligas.

Moving Forward: Revisiting The Spanish For High Beginners Course, Flavia Belpoliti

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a case study on the redesign of a Spanish for High Beginners (SHB) course at a large metropolitan university in Texas, USA. The first section presents a discussion on the diverse nature of students who can benefit from an intensive first-year Spanish course and the challenges that these learners’ mixed abilities pose for instruction. The second section describes the redesign process of the SHB course, including placement procedures, the Spanish Language Program sequence, and changes in the syllabus to integrate communicative and transcultural competences by implementing a combination of focused instruction, collaborative learning and task-based approaches. The …

T/V Pronouns In L2 Acquisition Of Spanish, Christopher D. Sams

Faculty Publications

Many languages display a pronominal system in which there are both formal and informal forms to address others. In the L2 Spanish classroom, many English-speaking students unfamiliar with the T/V pronoun system (which is no longer present in English) often are only exposed to a generic set of rules (in the text and by the instructor) governing their usage. The system is a highly complex pragmatic phenomenon and can vary significantly based on factors such as dialect, familiarity, solidarity, emotion, and dispensation right. Lambert (1976) surveyed the phenomenon in Spanish and French and took into account familiarity, solidarity, and dispensation …

The Effect Of Short-Term Study Abroad On Second Language Spanish Phonetic Development, Silvina Bongiovanni, Avizia Y. Long, Megan Solon, Erik Willis

Faculty Publications

This study explores the impact of study abroad (SA) on second language Spanish phonetic development. Twenty-seven English-speaking learners of Spanish, 15 who were participating in a 4-week SA program in the Dominican Republic and 12 who were studying at their home (AH) institution, were recorded 5 weeks apart (at the approximate beginning and end of their respective programs). Recordings were analyzed acoustically, and four groups of segments were examined: word-initial /p t k/, intervocalic /b d ɡ/, intervocalic /ɾ/ and /r/, and word-final /l/. Productions at Time 1 and Time 2 as well as between the SA and AH groups …

On Spanish Loanword And Loanblends In Hawai'i Creole English, Robert N. Smead

Faculty Publications

Hawai'i Creole English (HCE) has been the object of much linguistic research. Virtually all researchers agree that its principal lexical sources include English, Hawaiian and Japanese. Other languages, such as Chinese and Portuguese, have also contributed. To date, however, few publications have considered Spanish as an important lexical source for HCE. The research reported herein attempts to remedy that oversight by considering ten putative loanwords and loanblends thought to derive from Spanish. These include ethnic markers associated with and local dishes brought by Filipino and Puerto Ricans immigrants in the early twentieth century. By documenting cultural traditions and consulting authoritative, …

The Hispanic Mortality Paradox: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of The Longitudinal Literature, J. Ruiz, P. Steffen, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

Objectives: The current objective was to compare Hispanic mortality rates to those of other racial/ethnic groups in order to investigate the possibility of a Hispanic mortality advantage.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published longitudinal literature reporting Hispanic individuals’ mortality of any cause compared with that of any other racial/ethnic group.

Results: Across 58 studies (4,615,747 participants), the random effects weighted average effect size was OR = 0.825 (P < .001, 95% CI = 0.75 to 0.91), corresponding to a 17.5% lower risk of mortality among Hispanic populations compared to other racial groups. The difference in mortality risk tended to be greater among older populations and varied as a function of pre-existing health condition, with effects apparent for initially healthy samples and for those with cardiovascular diseases. The results also differed by racial group comparison: Hispanics had lower overall risk for mortality than non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks, but overall higher risk for mortality than Asian Americans.

Conclusions: These findings provide evidence of a small Hispanic mortality advantage, with implications for conceptualizing and addressing racial/ethnic health disparities.

Variación Diacrónica Del Léxico Disponible Dominicano, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

Este artículo ofrece un análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo de la evolución histórica del léxico disponible de los dominicanos. Una investigación longitudinal ha permitido comparar datos recogidos en 1990 con otros obtenidos con la misma metodología en 2008. Los resultados indican que hay grandes diferencias en la variabilidad léxica exhibida par unos centros de interés, que experimentan cambios importantes, en comparación con la de otros, que parecen inmunes a la variación. Por otra parte, se descubre un incremento de la diferencia que separa a los dos grupos extremos de la escala social al cabo de poco rnenos de 20 años. En …

Panorama Sociolingüístico Del Caribe Hispánico Insular, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

El presente artículo ofrece una visión panorámica del español en el Caribe hispanico insular. Después de repasar brevemente los temas de investigación más relevantes, se describen los puntos de contacto entre las tres Antillas y se realiza una serie de precisiones sociolingüísticas. Estas puntualizaciones permiten destacar las peculiaridades, poniendo en evidencia que, a pesar de las conocidas semejanzas existentes en su modo de hablar, Cuba, la República Dominicana y Puerto Rico mantienen su propia identidad dialectal. La personalidad lingüística de cada una de las islas se revela tanto por medio de un análisis de las diferencias objetivas, como de la …

La Charca (1894) Y La Consagración Del Subalterno Puertorriqueño: Una Mirada Desde El Siglo Xxi Al Naturalismo De Manuel Zeno Gandía, Tania Carrasquillo Hernández

Faculty Publications

This article analyzes the representation of coffee plantation societies in the novel La Charca (1894) by Manuel Zeno Gandía (1855-1930). This literary text is a Puerto Rican classic and is one of the four novels included in Las Crónicas de un Mundo Enfermo (Chronicles of a Sick World). The author examines the political and economic structures developed in Puerto Rico during the nineteenth century, as portrayed in the novel. Carrasquillo Hernández pays close attention to the relations between social classes, the coffee oligarchy’s struggle, and the subjugation of workers by the hacendados (landowners) in order to promote and …

Hipercorrección En Los Programas De Noticias En La Televisión De La República Dominicana, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

Un hecho muy conocido dentro de la comunidad académica internacional es que el español hablado por los dominicanos constituye uno de los dialectos hispánicos más radicales en cuanto a la variabilidad de algunas de sus consonantes. Esto se puede ilustrar, por ejemplo, con los procesos de cambio a que estan sometidos los sonidos /r/ y /l/ tanto en posición final de silaba interna de palabra como al final de palabra, y la nasal /n/ al final de palabra. En este sentido, en las diversas regiones del país se producen distintas realizaciones fonéticas, condicionadas casi siempre por el estilo de habla …

Mi Mama Es Bonito: Acquisition Of Spanish Gender By Native English Speakers, Scott M. Alvord, Lisa Griebling Mccowen

Faculty Publications

For an adult, learning a second language can be a complex and demanding task. Differences between one’s native language and the target language can contribute to the complexity of the task. One significant way in which languages can differ is the system of gender. The difference between gender in English and Spanish provides a challenge for adult native English speakers learning Spanish as a second language. The aim of the current study is to examine gender marking on a variety of tasks by adult NS of English as beginning learners of Spanish, with hopes that such examination will provide insight …

Descriptive Adequacy Vs. Psychological Reality: The Case Of Two Restrictions On Spanish Stress Placement, Scott M. Alvord, Timothy L. Face

Faculty Publications

This paper examines two supposed restrictions on Spanish stress placement: 1) the heavy penult condition, which prohibits stress leftward of the penultimate syllable if the penultimate syllable is heavy, and 2) the three-syllable window condition, which prohibits stress other than on one of the final three syllables of a word. While these two conditions are clearly descriptively adequate generalizations about the lexicon, this study sets out to determine whether they are psychologically real restrictions, serving as constraints that prohibit words that violate them. The results of a perception study indicate that neither of these conditions is a psychologically real restriction …

Forms Of Address And Epistolary Etiquette In The Diplomatic And Courtly Worlds Of Philip Iv Of Spain, Lynn Williams

Faculty Publications

Observance of established etiquette in the matter of forms of address is a feature of all societies in all ages. Nowhere could this be more evident than in the diplomatic and courtly worlds of Philip IV of Spain. The following extract from the entry on 'tratamiento' in the Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada will serve to set the scene for this period in Spanish history: Contra las infracciones de las reglas sobre el tratamiento se dicto ya el 2 de Julio de 1600 por Felipe III una Pragmatica y otra en 1636 por Felipe IV disponiendo (que los que vinieren contra 10 …

On The Assignment Of Gender To Chicano Anglicisms: Processes And Results, Robert N. Smead

Faculty Publications

The creation of neologisms through linguistic borrowing is a complex process. For donor language models to be transformed into host language replicas, phonological and morphological adaptation must take place. Part and parcel of that adaptation is the assignment of gender to loanwords in a host language like Spanish. The present article examines gender assignment in two corpora of loanwords (New Mexican and Southern Colorado Spanish: N=212 and General Chicano Spanish: N=595). Through the application of variable rule methodology (GoldVarb 2), five factors are posited as significant. Two of these categorically determine gender assignment when present: (1) the biological sex of …

Fantasy And Purchasing Power: The World Wide Web As A Utopian Space And The New Capitalist Arena, Cheyla Samuelson

Faculty Publications

A review of The World Wide Web and Contemporary Cultural Theory by Andrew Herman.

Elisión De La /D/ Intervocálica Postónica, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

Los testimonios que confinnan el desarrollo del proceso de debilitamiento y la subsecuente desaparición de la consonante /d/ intervocálica en español, se remontan a fechas muy antiguas. En la actualidad, frente a palabras que han conservado la /d/, como crudo (de crudu), nido (de nidu), hay otras donde se ha perdido, como oir (de audire), creer (de credere), pie (de pede(m)). Sin embargo, las demás sonoras, /b, g/, se han conservado con mayor regularidad. Se trata de un fenómeno revelador de que posiblemente las dentales se caractericen por un grado menor de fuerza consonántica que las labiales o las velares.

Variable Léxica Y Comparación Dialectal, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

El desarrollo de nuevos enfoques metodológicos, como los de la sociolingüística, la etnografía de la comunicación, o la pragmática, parecería haber dejado rezagada a la dialectología dentro del amplio conjunto de disciplinas que estudian los fenómenos lingüísticos. Pero esa impresión solo sería válida desde la perspectiva que encierra a la dialectología en el marco de unos planteamientos tradicionales que la estancan y que suponen que debe mantenerse siempre apegada a los mismos métodos y las mismas herramientas. Como ha señalado Alvar con mucho acierto, la circunstancia de que la dialectología haya dejado de ser "la disciplina directriz de los estudios …

English Loanwords In Chicano Spanish: Characterization And Rationale, Robert N. Smead

Faculty Publications

One highly visible, often stigmatized feature of Chicano Spanish is lexical innovation due to intimate contact with English and the mainstream culture. As noted in table 1, these Anglicisms are the result of varying degrees of host language adaptation and integration and include at least three distinct types of innovations: the lexical switch, the loanword, and the calque.

Densidad De Anglicismos En El Léxico Disponible De La República Dominicana, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

En este artículo se presenta un análisis cuantitativo con el propósito de descubrir la densidad de los anglicismos en el léxico disponible dominicano de acuerdo con diversas variables. Se descubre que el factor más relevante para motivar la presencia de los anglicismos es la diferencia de centros de interés. En unos campos, la densidad es alta (medios de transporte, juegos, el vestido), pero en otros es muy baja e incluso, nula (animales, el cuerpo humano).