Polemical educational, linguistic, political, and social issues concerning bilingualism in the United States continue to affect current research trends that examine how the majority language (English) and minority languages (e.g., Spanish) impact each other. Field analyzes the societal dynamics of the southern California Chicano-Latino community from an international perspective to demonstrate how the coexistence of bilingual acquisition, SLA, and multilingualism impinges on first language (L1) English societal norms. This volume, which subsumes eight chapters, intends to establish an integral linguistic and historical background for investigating the linguistic diversity of Latino populations in the United States.
The first two chapters present substantial terminology regarding how children develop language skills. Field distinguishes between sequential bilingualism, simultaneous bilingualism, and monolingualism so as to contend that standardized tests aimed at monolinguals do not align with bilingual children’s sociocultural language development. Although Field does not offer specific suggestions for modifying these standardized tests, chapters 3 and 4 strengthen this fundamental contention by addressing linguistic and social factors that influence Chicano bilinguals’ acquisition of Spanish, Chicano English (ChE), and Standard American English (SAE). Field identifies prejudicial stereotypes and various morphosyntactic differences between the ChE and SAE varieties as major issues that hinder Chicano children’s acquisition of SAE.
The last four chapters describe how teachers, government officials, and the general U.S. public confront the controversy surrounding bilingual education. Field profiles how the ambivalent attitude of English-only advocates has led to the suppression of Chicano children’s language exposure to Spanish and SAE in formal education environments. Field reinforces this profile through analysis of weak bilingual education programs that cause these children’s language skills to become underdeveloped.
The inclusion of key terms, chapter summaries, discussion topics, and practice essay questions at the end of each chapter facilitates readers’ comprehension of linguistically diverse communities of Chicano-Latinos. This volume will be of interest to scholars who investigate the interrelationship between language acquisition, language minority cultures, and multilingualism in the United States.
