U.S. Spanish is being recognized

Spanish holds a unique place in the history of the U.S.; it has been spoken in the Southwest since its annexation in 1848 and has not been lost to the pages of history books like many other ethnic languages, such as Italian and German. Teaching Spanish as a heritage language is crucial for its continued vitality in the U.S., Language Magazine's Armando Guerrero, Jr. points out.

“Teaching Spanish as a heritage language is crucial for its continued vitality in the U.S. However, efforts to do so are often crippled by ideologically motivated policies. In addition, the linguistic insecurity that is fomented in and out of Spanish-speaking communities furthers the rejection of Spanish,” says Guerrero. “Before we can start to remedy this situation, we need to examine the root causes for this insecurity, and then present a different perspective of U.S. Spanish that promotes linguistic security and fosters a desire to learn academic Spanish, whilst enriching the Spanish registers already spoken by students.” Read the complete story here.

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