ANTHR 3460 - [Language Ideologies and Practices]

(crosslisted) LSP 3460

Spring. Next Offered: 2020-2021. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Co-meets with ANTHR 6460/LSP 6460.

V. Santiago-Irizarry.

Ideology and ideologies have become a core concern in the anthropology of language. This concern focuses on how language ideology articulates with sociocultural practices to inform human experience beyond language’s expressive and communicative functions. As asserted by pioneers in the field, rather than just epiphenomenal, language ideology is “a crucial link mediating human acts and institutions” (Schieffelin et al 1998:v). This course examines these articulations within the context of Latino communities, their linguistic practices, and the linguistic ideologies that inform their sense of identity vis-à-vis the dominant language ideologies and practices of U.S. society. Since Latino identity is often organized around the use of Spanish, individual and communal consciousness, both for Latin@s and non-Latin@s, is significantly shaped by the issues this raises in a society that is not just English–dominant but monoglottic and, thus, that racializes linguistic practices. Drawing from anthropological studies on language as a signifying practice, particularly those that focus on language ideologies, we will look at the place of language in the life of Latin@s in the United States.