Spanglish
I did an Instagram Live with Susu (@inglesconsusu) about how we learned Spanglish and why we speak it today. You can hear us both speaking Spanglish.
Gloria Anzaldúa grew up on the U.S.-Mexican border. She writes about how her language—being a reflection of her surroundings—is a mixture of Spanish and English. Her main book is Borderlands which I’ll link here. The book is long, but if you just read one section, I recommend the one which starts on page 58. It’s called Linguistic Terrorism (it sounds intense but don’t be deterred by the name!) and discusses how it feels to be perceived as inferior due to your language(s).
Using Your Student’s First Language To Learn English
The first couple of pages of this guide describes how to teach students to use translators and bilingual dictionaries to learn English. It also includes links to helpful translators and resources.
If you’re interested in learning more about translanguaging as a theory, this video is great! It discusses the differences between translanguaging and code-switching while also touching on how translanguaging can be used to promote social change (e.g. help bilinguals not idolize monolingual native language).
How Sociopolitics Affects Your Language
PBS has an older program called From Sea To Shining Sea which is filled with great information, mainly about U.S. English. This article takes you through the history of the English-Only movement.
Cursing
I mainly used the book Holy Shit to write this newsletter. It describes how throughout history curse words have either been about Holy things (e.g. God) or Shitty things (e.g. the body, sex). It made me realize how much values have changed throughout history and how those changes have been reflected in language. It would make a really fun book club pick! Highly recommend!
There’s a Netflix show called History of Swear Words. I’ve seen a couple of episodes. They’re short, informative, and pretty funny. It’s hosted by Nicolas Cage and has interviews with comedians, lexicographers, and linguists.
Journaling Prompts
Spanglish is considered a language by most linguists. Would you consider it a language? Why or why not?
Do you think students’ home languages can help them learn English? If yes, which activities can you integrate into your teaching? If not, why not?
How Sociopolitics Affects Your Language was based on my family and my city. Think about your family and city: Why do you speak the languages you do? Do you speak the same language(s) as your parents? What about your great-grandparents?
How do you perceive cursing? Uneducated? Totally fine? Why do you think you perceive it the way you do?
Do you think students learning English as a second language should be taught curse words? Why or why not?
If you have any other resources to share with everyone, please comment them below! You can also comment your response to a journaling prompt. I’d love to hear your thoughts!