Identity, language insecurities, and the heritage language classroom: the case of a Filipino-Latina bilingual
Abstract
In the field of Spanish heritage language (SHL), scholars have pointed out that strong sense of identity in their heritage language can, in turn, help SHLLs’ language maintenance, reconnecting with their heritage community (Beaudrie, 2020) and developing socio-cultural and linguistic awareness (Parra et al. 2017). However, little is known about how individuals who claim additional ethnolinguistic identities that intersect with their SHL’s identity, and how they navigate and construct their complex sense of self.
The present study follows Sabrina, a Filipina-Latina heritage speaker of Spanish, during a semester in which she took a Spanish class for heritage and second language speakers, exploring the effects of such class in her identity construction as a Filipina-Latina. The class’s curriculum included current pedagogical frameworks in the field of SHL, such as of Critical Language Awareness (Holguin-Mendoza, 2016), Pedagogy of Multiliteracies (Parra, 2016) and Learning by Design (Cope & Kalntziz, 2015). Data was collected through interviews (before, during, and after the semester), course assignments, and a questionnaire. Interviews and assignments were transcribed and analyzed thematically for emerging trends.
Results indicates the benefits of the class in helping Sabrina claim a strong sense of identity. Specifically, the class gave Sabrina the tools and vocabulary to challenge the linguistic insecurities she had experiences throughout her life. Likewise, Sabrina reported that learning about Spanish speaking communities in the US validated her own lived-experience and created a desire to raise awareness about the nuances and complexities of her identity both as a Filipino-Latina, and as Asian Latina. Likewise, she felt more confident in asserting her identity as a Spanish speaker and is more eager to expand her vocabulary and abilities without having the pressure of “sounding perfect”. These results are discussing in light of the theoretical and pedagogical implications for SHL’s scholarship.
Identity, language insecurities, and the heritage language classroom: the case of a Filipino-Latina bilingual
In the field of Spanish heritage language (SHL), scholars have pointed out that strong sense of identity in their heritage language can, in turn, help SHLLs’ language maintenance, reconnecting with their heritage community (Beaudrie, 2020) and developing socio-cultural and linguistic awareness (Parra et al. 2017). However, little is known about how individuals who claim additional ethnolinguistic identities that intersect with their SHL’s identity, and how they navigate and construct their complex sense of self.
The present study follows Sabrina, a Filipina-Latina heritage speaker of Spanish, during a semester in which she took a Spanish class for heritage and second language speakers, exploring the effects of such class in her identity construction as a Filipina-Latina. The class’s curriculum included current pedagogical frameworks in the field of SHL, such as of Critical Language Awareness (Holguin-Mendoza, 2016), Pedagogy of Multiliteracies (Parra, 2016) and Learning by Design (Cope & Kalntziz, 2015). Data was collected through interviews (before, during, and after the semester), course assignments, and a questionnaire. Interviews and assignments were transcribed and analyzed thematically for emerging trends.
Results indicates the benefits of the class in helping Sabrina claim a strong sense of identity. Specifically, the class gave Sabrina the tools and vocabulary to challenge the linguistic insecurities she had experiences throughout her life. Likewise, Sabrina reported that learning about Spanish speaking communities in the US validated her own lived-experience and created a desire to raise awareness about the nuances and complexities of her identity both as a Filipino-Latina, and as Asian Latina. Likewise, she felt more confident in asserting her identity as a Spanish speaker and is more eager to expand her vocabulary and abilities without having the pressure of “sounding perfect”. These results are discussing in light of the theoretical and pedagogical implications for SHL’s scholarship.
