CHICANO ENGLISH IN CONTEXT

Carmen Fought

June Hurt ENG 525 Fall 2013

Introductory Video

WHAT IS CHICANO ENGLISH?

What it ain’t is Spanglish,

or ‘messed up’ English OR Spanish!

Photo by Reed Saxon/AP

A LITTLE HISTORY

Chicano English is a contact dialect that arose from the linguistic settings in which there is contact between Mexican Spanish and American English.

It is not simply English influenced by Spanish.

Speakers of Chicano English are native English speakers who speak a variety of English found in their community.

It is a variety of English spoken by fluent English speakers who are not English learners.

CALIFORNIA WAS ONCE PART OF MEXICO

Some Chicano English speakers have ancestors that have been in America longer than many ethnicities in the eastern U.S.

LATINO POPULATION IN THE U.S.

Fastest growing minority in the United States

Distinctive demographic profile

Native born outnumber immigrants

historically by wide margin

L.A. COUNTY HAS A GROWING

LATINO POPULATION

FOUGHT DID HER FIELDWORK IN CULVER CITY

Near the intersection of two major freeways

Fairly stable population size

Above LA County median income

Westside Park High School

An alternative school for students with ‘issues’

Has a small student body and small staff

Tight-knit community

Students treated with dignity

About 55% Latino

SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN LATINO FAMILIES

Majority of young adults live at home until married

Parents have strict rule systems Role of siblings part of the role of family Positive value placed on family relationships

Opposite end of spectrum would be gang members

Middle class

Lower middle class

Working class

Lower working class

Low income

SOCIAL CLASS DIFFERENCES AMONG CHICANOS

COMMUNITY DYNAMICS

Born in the community-Immigrant

-Recent immigrant Racial tensions

Degree of assimilation

Gang membership

Social class tensions

THE GANG SUBGROUP

Gang members

Wanna-bes/back-up: may one day be members

Wanna-bes/hangers-on: will NEVER be members

Straights/nobodies

OTHER AFFILIATIONS

The moms

Mexican nationals

Speakers from outside of the high school

MI HIJO SPEAK NO ESPANGLISH

Molina Speaks comes from a Mexicano-Chicano background and is a first generation college graduate. He teaches college-level courses in Chicano Studies, Hip-Hop Studies, and Media Justice.