ABSTRACT

The Spanish Language in the United States addresses the rootedness of Spanish in the United States, its racialization, and Spanish speakers’ resistance against racialization. This novel approach challenges the "foreigner" status of Spanish and shows that racialization victims do not take their oppression meekly. It traces the rootedness of Spanish since the 1500s, when the Spanish empire began the settlement of the new land, till today, when 39 million U.S. Latinos speak Spanish at home. Authors show how whites categorize Spanish speaking in ways that denigrate the non-standard language habits of Spanish speakers—including in schools—highlighting ways of overcoming racism.

part Section I|30 pages

Language, Race, and Power

chapter |9 pages

Introduction

Language, Racialization, and Power

chapter Chapter 1|19 pages

Language Oppression and Resistance

The Case of Middle-Class Latinos in the United States 1

part Section II|32 pages

Rootedness

part Section III|66 pages

Racialization

chapter Chapter 5|16 pages

The Language-Elsewhere

A Friendlier Linguistic Terrorism

chapter Chapter 6|15 pages

“You Are Not Allowed to Speak Spanish! This Is an American Hospital”

Puerto Rican Experiences with Domestic Discrimination 1

part Section IV|31 pages

Resistance

chapter Chapter 9|15 pages

Subtracting Spanish and Forcing English

My Lived Experience in Texas Public Schools