Job Discussion Forums

[John Hall]

The following is a link for a story which is in Spanglish:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060508/richards

It is a true and serious story, which might be interesting reading for anyone interested in Latin Americans involved in the Iraq War.

I use this text in some of my English classes as an exercise in "Spanglish" correction, as a way to get my students to overcome some of the typical mistakes that they make when speaking English.

Does anyone know any other articles or texts written in the same kind of Spanglish?

[Justin Trullinger]

Just a little clarification/question- I'm familiar with Mr Arredondo's text and his writing and activism. I wouldn't have called it Spanglish, though- I've always heard Spanglish used to describe the mixing of Spanish and English that has become popular slang with bilingual youngsters; the kind you hear a lot in Puerto Rico, or in Latin neighborhoods in New York. (Where Spanish words are used in place of English cognates, whether accurate or not, for example, or where English words are used in Spanish for emphasis, or humour...)


The text you're using is just second language English to me- obviously peppered with the errors that Spanish speakers make, but as it contains no Spanish, I wouldn't call it Spanglish.

I can see why you're using it, though, as my students often make the same errors that Mr Arredondo does.

How was using this in class, given the fairly intense nature of the material? And aren't you in Costa Rica? (Unless my memory is failing, isn't that where Carlos Arredondo is originally from?) It seems like this could bring up some pretty intense discussion...


Best,
Justin

[John Hall]

I'm just using the word "Spanglish" in the broadest sense to refer to any type of mixture of English and Spanish.

Mr. Arredondo is from Costa Rica originally, which is exactly why I use the text. "Costa Rican Spanglish" is exactly what my students tend to come out with. I would be quite happy if the text generated intense discussion in class; anything to get my students talking in English. However, I get my students to correct paragraphs of the text, which they then post on (the Internet program) Blackboard; so it is really homework with a focus on grammar and vocabulary correction.

In many respects, this story is more of a U.S. issue than a Costa Rican issue. Perhaps it would be a touchy issue if my students had friends who were in the U.S. military, but I do not know of any who do.