Spanish language in the Americas

foreign languages
general courses

The program is designed to trace the evolution of the Spanish language in Latin America, as well as to introduce you to selected varieties of contemporary Spanish in the Americas.

After an overview of language change in the Iberian Peninsula, which will be our starting point, the focus will shift to the emergence of Latin American Spanish in the colonial times. Then we will move on to the analysis of a number of contemporary varieties of practical Spanish prevalent in different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Theoretical information about the differences in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation will be matched with examples of practical usage (in Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, complete with the so-called Spanglish).

The program teaches the history of the language and also its practical usage. In class you will be exposed to Spanish as it is spoken in different parts of the Spanish-language world. We will also collect linguistic data, both written and spoken.

Classes will cover the following topics:

1. Information about the development of Spanish in the Iberian Peninsula.

2. The Spanish prevalent in America – characteristics, examples.

3. “Crónicas de las Indias” (excerpts).

4. Spanish in the contact with indigenous languages.

5. Africa in America – Africanisms.

6. The characteristics of various regions: el Cono Sur, the Caribbean, Mexico.

7. Spanish in border zones: the dialects, slang (el parlache, el lunfardo, pidgin)

8. Spanish-language inhabitants of the USA (Spanglish).

H. López Morales, La andadura del español por el mundo, Santillana Ed., Madrid, 2010.

H.López Morales, La globalización del lexico hispánico, Espasa-Calpe, Madrid, 2006.

E. Bravo García, Mª T. Cáceres-Lorenzo, Claves para comprender las Crónicas de Indias, Madrid, 2012.

Graciela Barrios, Etnicidad y lenguaje, FHUCE, Montevideo, 2008.

T. Todorov, La conquista de América. El problema del otro, Siglo XXI Ed., Madrid, 1987.

R. Alvarado, El español de América hacia el siglo XXI, tomo II, Instituto Caro y Cuervo, Santa Fé de Bogotá, 1992.

A. Morales, Gramáticas en contacto: análisis sintáctico del español de Puerto Rico, Playor, Madrid, 1986.

J. Lipski, El español de América, Cátedra, Madrid, 1996.

Sobrino Triana “Actitudes linguísticas del hablante cubano. Hacia el español de las Antillas”, en: Signo y Seña. Revista del Instituto de Linguística, Núm. 29 (2016)

F. Bravo García, “Español de América. Español internacional”, en: Estudios de Lengua Española. Descripción, variación y uso, Iberoamericana, Madrid, 2009.

M. Martínez Pérsico “El español americano y el bilinguismo paraguayo. Interferencias y contacto de lenguas”, en: Illuminazioni, núm. 30 (X-XII) 2014.

N. Toscano, “La Florida y el suroeste americano”, en: Enciclopedia del español en los Estados Unidos, Instituto Cervantes-Santillana, Madrid, 2009.

L.S. Castañeda, “El parlache: resultados de una investigación lexicográfica”, Forma y función, 18, p. 74-101.

G.L. Guitarte, “Del español de España al español de 20 naciones. La integración de América al concepto de lengua española”, en: C. Fernández Alonso et al, El español de América, vol. I, Salamanca 1992, p. 65-86.

O. Alba "El español del Caribe: unidad frente a diversidad dialectal", Revista de Filología Española, vol. LXXII, nº 3-4 (1992).

KNOWLEDGE

Upon completion of the program students will be able to:

- identify the Spanish language spoken in different regions;

- recognize the characteristic features of Spanish language spoken in America;

- identify the main dialectal areas of Latin America

- Students will have knowledge of the history, culture and Spanish language of Latin America and the Caribbean;

- Students will have knowledge of the diversity and multi-cultural character of both Americas.

SKILLS

Upon completion of the program students will be able to:

- discuss linguistics in Spanish;

- collect linguistic data in the real world;

- put theoretical knowledge into practice;

- present arguments in the discussion on the diversity of Spanish language

SOCIAL COMPETENCES

Upon completion of the program students will be able to:

- communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions;

- can cooperate with others in a group accepting different roles

- are ready to use knowledge of american Spanish in their professional careers

Presence and active participation (unjustified absence acceptable twice only) 20%

Completion of assignments during the term. 10%

Partial test 30%

Final test 40%