Spanish is a pluricentric language, meaning that it has several centers of prestige (e.g., San Juan, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Lima). Moreover, Spanish, like all languages, evinces sociolinguistic variation, in that levels of formality are expressed through the use of different structures. Given this variety, students of Spanish will inevitably come into contact with variation Spanish. This variation in Spanish adds layers of complexity to the learning and instruction of the Spanish language; therefore, a linguistic understanding of variation is crucial for our students to achieve communicative competence. This unique work, which provides an overview of the most important linguistic aspects of Spanish within a context that recognizes variation, assumes no prior linguistic knowledge and is appropriate as a valuable resource manual for teachers and learners of Spanish alike.
Cuprins
Chapter One: Linguistics Perspectives on Spanish in a Pluricentric Society: Who Cares How They Speak? Why Variation in the Spanish Language is Important
Chapter Two: ¿Pescado o pehscado? The Sounds of Spanish in All their Variety
Chapter Three: ¿Dicen o decís? Variation in the Forms of Spanish
Chapter Four: ¿Frijol o habichuela? Spanish Lexical Variety: Potential and Pitfalls
Chapter Five: They said haiga in El Mio Cid? The History of Spanish as a Window into Variation
Chapter Six: Textbooks and Tips: How to Use and Enhance Available Resources in the University-level Class
Chapter Seven: Putting it All Together: Linguistics and Variation in the Spanish Language
Despre autor
Lucía Llorente holds degrees in both Hispanic and English Philology from the University of Deusto, Spain, as well as an MA and Ph D from the University of Washington. Dr. Llorente is currently an Associate Professor of Spanish at Berry College. Both are widely published authors and have coordinated instructors at the university-level.