Document Types
Individual Presentation
Location
Texas A&M University-San Antonio | HALL 321
Start Date
2-22-2024 2:40 PM
End Date
2-22-2024 3:00 PM
Track
Applied Linguistics
Abstract
The presentation draws on personal experience teaching French with Spanish as co-language of instruction with majority-Hispanic classes as well as the emergence of a Spanish-centered approach to Romance language instruction at Hispanic-serving institutions primarily in California (Martinez 2014) and more recently in Texas.
Exploring the advantages and difficulties of using Spanish as a “gateway language” (Donato 2018) alongside French in A1-level classes, the presentation will share the experiences of students enrolled in these classes who fall under various categories, including Heritage speakers and bilinguals.
The presentation will use interviews conducted with current and former students to explore the concept of translanguage awareness, drawing on students’ existing proficiency in and use of English, Spanish, and Spanglish to become more conscious of how French is already embedded in and related to their expanding linguistic repertoires.
Recommended Citation
Watson, Robert, "“Le nom es el nombre or the last name?” Translanguage Awareness in a French Class for Spanish Speakers" (2024). 11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language. 19.
https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/heritage_spanish/SCHEDULE/Thursday/19
Included in
Digital Humanities Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Language Interpretation and Translation Commons, Latin American Languages and Societies Commons, Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons
“Le nom es el nombre or the last name?” Translanguage Awareness in a French Class for Spanish Speakers
Texas A&M University-San Antonio | HALL 321
The presentation draws on personal experience teaching French with Spanish as co-language of instruction with majority-Hispanic classes as well as the emergence of a Spanish-centered approach to Romance language instruction at Hispanic-serving institutions primarily in California (Martinez 2014) and more recently in Texas.
Exploring the advantages and difficulties of using Spanish as a “gateway language” (Donato 2018) alongside French in A1-level classes, the presentation will share the experiences of students enrolled in these classes who fall under various categories, including Heritage speakers and bilinguals.
The presentation will use interviews conducted with current and former students to explore the concept of translanguage awareness, drawing on students’ existing proficiency in and use of English, Spanish, and Spanglish to become more conscious of how French is already embedded in and related to their expanding linguistic repertoires.
