1st Edition
Bringing Linguistics into the Spanish Language Classroom A Teacher's Guide
Bringing Linguistics into the Spanish Language Classroom is a practical, time-saving resource that allows teachers to easily integrate the most interesting and important findings of Hispanic linguistics into their Spanish language classes.
Teachers will find classroom-ready explanations and PowerPoint slides for each topic covered, as well as instructions and materials for in-class activities and take-home projects that will engage students in this fresh take on the target language. Slide presentations for each chapter are available online at www.routledge.com/9780367111960.
The book covers aspects of Spanish from the trilled r to the personal a, from Indo-European origins to modern dialects, and from children’s first words to adult speech errors. An innovative set of five linguistics-based essential questions organizes and contextualizes this wide range of material:
- How is Spanish different from other languages?
- How is Spanish similar to other languages?
- What are the roots of Spanish?
- How does Spanish vary?
- How do people learn and use Spanish?
Fully customizable to teacher and student interest, proficiency level, and time available in class, this book is ideal for Spanish language teachers looking to incorporate valuable linguistic insights into their curricula, even if they lack prior knowledge of this field. It is an excellent resource for Hispanic linguistics courses as well.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Why linguistics?
How to use this book
More about the essential questions
Chapter 1: How is Spanish different from other languages?
Spanish in the world
Speakers and countries
The Academy system
The Nobel Prize in Literature
Language features
The inverted ¿ and ¡ marks
The eñe
The th sound
The mega-preposition en
The two imperfect subjunctives
The variety of Spanish past tenses
Gendered first and second person pronouns
Chapter 2: How is Spanish similar to other languages?
Limited capitalization
Five vowels
Simple syllables
The trilled r
Special locative
Multiple 'you' pronouns
Frequent irregular verbs
Preterite and imperfect
Gender
The personal a
Chapter 3: What are the roots of Spanish?
External history
A bird’s-eye view of the history of Spanish
Spanish as an Indo-European language
Spain before Latin
The Roman conquest
After Rome
The Reconquista
Spanish comes to the Americas
Modern times
Internal history
The sound changes that shaped Spanish words
Sources of Spanish words
Changes in meaning
Por and para
The many descendents of Latin ille ‘that’
The evolution of the Spanish verb system
Irregular yo verbs (-zco and -go)
Stem-changing verbs
The extreme irregularity of ser and ir
Drastic changes in the Latin noun system
Chapter 4: How does Spanish vary?
Dialects and multilingualism
Spanish dialects
Multilingualism in Spain
Multilingualism in Latin America
Code-switching
Language features
Variation in Spanish pronunciation
Weakening or deletion of final s
Yeísmo, seseo, and ceceo
Deleting d between vowels
Puerto Rican r
Vocabulary
Leísmo
Subject pronouns
Non-standard verb forms
Variation in verb use
Chapter 5: How do people learn and use Spanish?
Learning Spanish
Motherese ("baby talk")
Order of acquisition of consonants
First words
Learning semantic contrasts
Noun agreement
Order of acquisition of verb tenses
Learning to conjugate
Second-language learning
Using Spanish
Speech errors
Language and thought
Spanish "Pig Latin"
Appendix A: In-class activities
Appendix B:. Take-home projects
Appendix C: Slides
Index
Biography
Judy Hochberg has a PhD in linguistics from Stanford University and teaches Spanish at Fordham University, New York. She is the author of ¿Por qué? 101 Questions about Spanish (2016) and blogs at spanishlinguist.us.
"Hochberg’s extensive knowledge of the Spanish language and linguistics is evident on every page. What is especially commendable, however, is the fact that the book is written in an engaging style with an eye toward classroom implementation. (...) To help impart the material, the book is supplemented by thoughtfully designed in-class activities and take-home projects, organized by students’ respective levels of Spanish proficiency. (...) On the broadest level, the approach of this book is to provide Spanish teachers a more thorough understanding of the language and then give them practical advice on how to impart the subject matter. Hochberg’s many years of teaching experience have grounded the material in such a way that it is accessible and easily adaptable to any classroom. (...) Hochberg’s ability to convey complicated topics in a straightforward manner will appeal to a broad range of readers."
Daniel J. Nappo, The University of Tennessee at Martin, USA, Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching (JLLT), Volume 13 (2022), Issue 1
"This book is a very timely resource for teachers who are keen to develop a basic linguistic awareness in students of modern languages and who need to develop confidence in this area themselves. It focusses on a number of aspects of the Spanish language which are known to be of particular interest (as well as often being popularly misunderstood) and explains them in an easily accessible way, while remaining authoritative and academically rigorous. At the same time, it is remarkable just how much ground is covered, which will surely whet the learners' (and indeed teachers') appetite for deeper knowledge. The briefings in English provided for teachers are followed by invaluable 'Teacher talk' sections giving the essential information in Spanish; they are accompanied by in-class and take-home activities, and are accompanied by a set of attractive powerpoint presentations (in Spanish). Professor Hochberg has set an admirable model for similar enterprises." - Christopher Pountain, Queen Mary University of London, UK
"The book is ideal for Spanish language teachers looking to incorporate valuable linguistic insights into their curricula, even if they lack prior knowledge of this field. It is an excellent resource for Hispanic linguistics courses as well. The approach presented in this book is highly customizable. Teachers can adapt many of the book’s activities and projects for multiple levels of instruction, including for the most basic beginner’s level. The book can also be used as a supplement to other books, textbooks, or materials. Bringing Linguistics into the Spanish Language Classroom is a treasure trove of ideas, facts and activities, and is enthusiastically recommended." - Carlos Benavides, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Hispania, Volume 105, Number 1, March 2022
