Varieties of Spanish in the United States (Georgetown Studies in Spanish Linguistics) - Softcover

Lipski, John M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1589012135 ISBN 13: 9781589012134

Publisher: Georgetown University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Thirty-three million people in the United States speak some variety of Spanish, making it the second most used language in the country. Some of these people are recent immigrants from many different countries who have brought with them the linguistic traits of their homelands, while others come from families who have lived in this country for hundreds of years. John M. Lipski traces the importance of the Spanish language in the United States and presents an overview of the major varieties of Spanish that are spoken there.

Varieties of Spanish in the United States provides―in a single volume―useful descriptions of the distinguishing characteristics of the major varieties, from Cuban and Puerto Rican, through Mexican and various Central American strains, to the traditional varieties dating back to the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries found in New Mexico and Louisiana. Each profile includes a concise sketch of the historical background of each Spanish-speaking group; current demographic information; its sociolinguistic configurations; and information about the phonetics, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and each group's interactions with English and other varieties of Spanish. Lipski also outlines the scholarship that documents the variation and richness of these varieties, and he probes the phenomenon popularly known as "Spanglish."

The distillation of an entire academic career spent investigating and promoting the Spanish language in the United States, this valuable reference for teachers, scholars, students, and interested bystanders serves as a testimony to the vitality and legitimacy of the Spanish language in the United States. It is recommended for courses on Spanish in the United States, Spanish dialectology and sociolinguistics, and teaching Spanish to heritage speakers.

About this title

About the Author

John M. Lipski is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Spanish and Linguistics in the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese at The Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of several books, including Latin American Spanish, El español de América, and A History of Afro-Hispanic Language Contact. He is also editor of the journal Hispanic Linguistics.

Review

"Belongs in the personal library of every linguist who specializes in the Spanish of the United States."―Language Problems and Language Planning

"An engaging style and impeccable publication . . . Obligatory reading for teachers involved in bilingual or heritage language education."―Modern Language Journal

"A very welcome addition to our accumulation of knowledge on the subject of Spanish in the United States. It has the advantage of being accessible to, and usable by, a wide spectrum of interested readers, both in linguistics per se and in the sociology of language. The author is to be congratulated for a job well done, well organized, and exquisitely presented."―Journal of Sociolinguistics

"The book shares with the rest of Lipski's work the fruits of his broad reading, wide-ranging fieldwork, impeccable scholarship, excellent organization, and exceptional clarity. Varieties of Spanish in the United States is a valuable and important contribution to the fields of Hispanic dialectology and language contact phenomena, and will be of interest to specialists and non-specialists alike."―Revista Internacional de Linguistica Iberoamericana

"This book offers a wealth of information in mostly very accessible and well-structured form."―Bulletin of Spanish Studies

Edition details

• Publisher: Georgetown University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1589012135
• ISBN 13: 9781589012134
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 276