Promos I created to help get people to take the survey
Heritage Speakers of Spanish reported not feeling confident about their pronunciation when in courses designed for native English speakers.
Quotes from Students about their experiences and the “why” behind their survey responses
UC Davis Masters in Linguistics
Thesis for MA in Linguistics
For my Masters Thesis, I conducted a survey with 113 Spanish students at UC Davis about linguistic perceptions. I found that many students who spoke Spanish at home had anxiety speaking Spanish in language classrooms.
Abstract from when I presented the research at 4th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language in 2017.
Investigating identity and linguistic insecurity, this pilot study examines pronunciation perceptions held by Spanish heritage (SPAs) and non-heritage students (NNs). At a large public US university, 113 Spanish students completed an anonymous survey regarding their linguistic background and perceptions.
A badge of identity, pronunciation is a window into identity and societal perceptions (Crystal, 2008). For some Spanish heritage speakers, proficiency and native-like accent are necessary for an “authentic” Latinx persona (Leeman, 2015; Helmer, 2011). Some Hispanic students feel shame, frustration, and inadequacy in relation to their Spanish, feelings that can be magnified in a classroom setting (Potowski, 2012; Val, 2010). These linguistic insecurities may be fueled by the contradictory discourses of Hispanic acceptance and appreciation as opposed to racist rhetoric omnipresent in contemporary US society (Colombi, 2015; Reznicek-Parrado, 2015; Vasquez, 2015).
Data suggest that SPAs in introductory Spanish courses (iSPAs) lacked confidence in their pronunciation skills compared to their NNs peers and SPAs in intermediate Spanish courses. Students explained their lack of comfort in speaking in class as stemming from anxiety and the perception that their speaking abilities would be perceived as inferior to other students. Concerning cultural climate, 82% of students agreed that their community respects and appreciates diverse language backgrounds. Yet, students cited experiences with discrimination, ignorance, covert and overt biases, stereotyping, ignorance, and racism. Responses included accounts of student reactions to the political climate in the US regarding the Hispanic community, the perception of using a “secret language,” and derogatory terms like “illegal.”
Perceptions of pronunciation help to reveal the linguistic insecurities of iSPAs as they navigate the university Spanish classroom. Recommendations from this pilot study include explicitly discussing language diversity, dialectal differences, and support services for SPAs in Spanish courses.