Identity and Communicative Competence in Spanish for Specific Purposes by Vollmer Rivera, Alexis A.;

Short description:

Identity and Communicative Competence in Spanish for Specific Purposes analyzes the experiences of three Spanish for Specific Purposes (SSP) students, offering insight into the intersectionality of society, politics, identity, and linguistics in community-based settings.

Long description:

Identity and Communicative Competence in Spanish for Specific Purposes analyzes the experiences of three Spanish for specific purposes (SSP) students, offering insight into the intersectionality of society, politics, identity, and linguistics in community-based settings.

Analyses provide empirical evidence to a growing body of work about how experiential language learning (EX-LL) enhances student preparation to utilize target languages in professional services. Ethnographic portraits and discourse analysis also illustrate how EX-LL, such as internships, provides students with opportunities to position and protect their identities using linguistic and extralinguistic resources. Discussions are presented throughout the volume on how to implement EX-LL from a critical perspective that supports students while mutually benefiting community members. Harnessing community members’ stories to contextualise and illustrate the disparities U.S. Hispanic/Latinx communities face in accessing high-quality care and services, the volume proposes SSP as a form of advocacy to narrow this gap while simultaneously enhancing students’ skills in Spanish.

Designed for graduate students, educators, researchers, and program developers in SSP, second language acquisition, heritage language pedagogy, and sociolinguistics, this volume will prompt the reader to (re)imagine how language learning traverses society, politics, and identity in community-based settings.

Table of Contents:

Foreword

Glenn A. Martínez

Preface

   A Snapshot of My Journey

   Purpose and Audience of the Book

   Organization of the Book

   !Feliz viaje!

   Reference List

1 Spanish for Specific Purposes as an Opportunity for Advocacy: Introducing the Cases of Maria, Petra, and Penelope

   Introduction

   The Why of the Book

   The Purpose of the Book: SSP to Bridge the Gap

   The Pedagogical Background of the Book

   The Pertinent Theories and Frameworks of the Book

   The Research Contexts, Participants, and Sites of the Book

   Takeaways and Points for Continued Reflection

   Reference List

2 Soy Puertorriqueña, Punto: Maria’s Journey of Constructing Her Identity as a Female Puerto Rican Producer and Journalist in the Southwestern United States

   Introduction

   Narration of María’s Positionality as a Nonlocal Native Speaker: Colonization, Translanguaging, and Language Ideologies

   Claiming Her

Puertorriquenidad in Broadcast

   Linguistic Proficiency and Commitment to an Academic Standard Variety

   Maintaining Her Authentic Self Within a Gender-biased Professional Environment

   Implications for EX-LL/LSP Pedagogy and Internship Design

   Takeaways and Points for Continued Reflection

   Reference List

3 Don’t Worry, Be Nappy: Petra’s Journey of Positioning Her Identity as a Legitimate and Authentically Multilingual/Multidialectal Speaker Across Racial Boundaries

   Introduction

   Narration of Petra’s Authentically Multilingual/Multidialectal Self

   Self-protection in Situations of Linguistic Discomfort

   Language as a Vehicle for Interpersonal Communication

   Hair as a Site of Resistance in (White) European-dominated Societies

   Implications for EX-LL/LSP Pedagogy and Internship Design

   Takeaways and Points for Continued Reflection

   Reference List

4 Penelope or Penelope?: Penelope’s Journey

   Introduction

   Narration of Penélope’s Language Acquisition Background

   Journalism as a Bridge to Family and Community

   Development of (Linguistic) Empathy for Generational Journeys

   (Re)Claiming a Mexican-American Identity

   Implications for EX-LL/LSP Pedagogy and Internship Design

   Takeaways and Points for Continued Reflection

   Reference List

5 Strategic Knowledge in Professional Discourse: Innovative Communicative Strategies and Their Social Functions

   Introduction

   Strategic Knowledge: A Brief Review

   Communicative Strategies During in situ Encounters

   Communicative Strategies During Premeditative Conversations

   Implications for EX-LL/LSP Pedagogy and Internship Design: Expanding and Providing Instruction on Communicative Strategies and Communicative Competence

   Takeaways and Points for Continued Reflection

   Reference List

6 Raising Our Thinking About Critical Engagement With the Community

   Introduction

   Frameworks for Collaborating Critically With (Minoritized) Communities

   Frameworks for Engaging in Critical EX-LL Research and Evaluation in the Community

   Takeaways and Points for Continued Reflection

   Reference List

Index