Spanish -speaking immigrants on Indiana: Quantitative and qualitative analyses of

their attitudes towards Spanish in the U.S.

• "[L]anguage is a powerful social force that does more than convey intended
referential information” (Cargile et al., 1994, p. 211)
• Language attitudes are the listeners’ evaluations activated by a language variety

Why do we study language attitudes?

1. Helps influence and make predictions about that language’s maintenance and shift
in the community (Luo & Wiseman, 2000; Rivera-Mills, 2000)
2. Guides language policy and planning and promotes language awareness
(Pennycook, 2001)
3. Can help understand language identity (Aceves et al., 2012)

The present study

Goal: Examining Spanish-speaking immigrants’ language attitudes towards Spanish in

the U.S., paying special attention to four language attitudes components:
Attitudes towards Spanish in general
Attitudes towards Spanish in the U.S.
Attitudes towards Spanish language maintenance
Attitudes towards Spanish/English bilingualism

What we know about language attitudes towards Spanish

There is nothing in a language that make speakers have more positive or negative
attitudes towards it (Bullock& Toribio, 2014)
Texas (Galindo, 1995; Achugar & Oteíza, 2009; Achugar & Pessoa, 2009; Mejías
et al., 2003), Arizona (Beaudrie & Ducar, 2005), New York (Toribio, 2003;
Zentella, 1995), California (Rivera-Mills, 2000), New Mexico (Aceves et al.,
2012)
Spanish speakers have positive attitudes towards the language, but are afraid that
their children may be stereotyped if they become Spanish speaker (Galindo, 1995)

Motivations
Lack of studies investigating Spanish language attitudes in the rural Midwest
Lack of quantitative and qualitative methods as complementary approaches to the
study of language attitudes
Study of a combination of language attitudes components that have not been seen
before
Representation of a more varied population
Give voice to a minority that is excluded also from academia

Research Questions
1. Do Spanish-speaking immigrants in Indiana carry positive or negative attitudes
towards Spanish, considering attitudes towards (1) Spanish in general, (2) Spanish in the
U.S., (3) Spanish maintenance in the U.S., and (4) Spanish/English bilingualism?
2. How are Spanish-speaking immigrants’ attitudes towards Spanish displayed in their
discourse during an interview? Do they confirm the results found in the questionnaire
results?
3. How do LAs towards Spanish vary according to background factors?
4. How are Spanish-speaking immigrants’ attitudes towards their own language displayed
in their discourse during an interview? Do they confirm the results found in the
questionnaire results?

Methodology – tasks
1. Background (age, gender, length of stay in the U.S., nationality, educational
level, English proficiency, and experience as a Spanish speaker in the U.S.)
2. Survey (four sets of questions about each of the components)
3. Sociolinguistics Interview (open-ended questions about each of the four
components, and about experience as a Spanish speaker in the U.S.)

The survey
I20. I would not mind if the next generation in my family did not speak Spanish.
a. Strongly disagree b. disagree c. neither agree nor disagree d. agree e. strongly agree

I21. By trying to maintain their language in the U.S., Spanish speakers are denying to
assimilate into the American culture.
a. Strongly disagree b. disagree c. neither agree nor disagree d. agree e. strongly agree

I23. Spanish is not the language of the U.S. and it is just not natural that it ceases to be
spoken at some point.
a. Strongly disagree b. disagree c. neither agree nor disagree d. agree e. strongly agree

The interview
Attitudes towards Spanish in the U.S.
1. What do you think about using Spanish in public places on the U.S.? Why?
2. In some schools Spanish is taught at the elementary level, in some schools it is
taught at the HS level, and in some schools in the U.S. Spanish is not taught at all.
What do you think would be the best for schools and students? Why?

Results
Most positive attitudes and several linguistic resources and strategies to either
legitimize or resist hegemonic forces
Older age = more positive attitudes except towards bilingualism
More years of formal education = more positive attitudes
Spanish in general: associations of language and identity, culture and family.
“[Spanish] is the language of my parents, it is the language of my culture, and
because I want to maintain my roots. The language is the root of the Latino
people. I want generation that comes after me to keep speaking Spanish.”
Mateo, 21
 Conversations (Gee, 2014)
“For me, um, there is nothing wrong because here in the United States, um, here
is freedom of speech. One can speak whatever language they want to, because
any language that one speaks… as long as it is does not damage anyone else,
there is no reason for… other people to feel annoyed.”
Lucas, 33

Modals
Direct quotations
“Creo que no debería haber problema, pero hay siempre alguien que te va a ver
como ‘cállate, pues’”
Lucas, 33

“truth” + derived conclusion

if-clause
“La lengua aquí es el idioma inglés, y yo pienso que la escuela tiene que enseñar
inglés. Si se va a preserver la lengua, sería en sus casa, pero bien hablado y bien
escrito, y aprendido bien”
Juan, 41

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