Teaching Sociolinguistic Variation in the Intermediate Language Classroom: "Voseo" in Latin America

• Published in: Hispania Vol. 97; no. 3; pp. 368 - 382
• Main Author: Shenk, Elaine M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Inc 01.09.2014
• Subjects: Dialects; Foreign Countries; Form Classes (Languages); Latin America; Morphology (Languages); Second Language Learning; Sociolinguistics; Spanish; Spanish Speaking; Verbal Communication
• ISSN: 0018-2133
• DOI: 10.1353/hpn.2014.0089

The acquisition of sociolinguistic variation by second language learners has gained increased attention. Some research highlights the value of naturalistic exposure through study abroad while other studies point out that classroom input can facilitate the acquisition of particular features of variation. Nevertheless, said attention to the intersection of sociolinguistic variation and second language acquisition is not always reflected in curricular content and pedagogy. As one example, Spanish language classrooms often do not cover "voseo," which is defined as the use of the pronoun "vos" or the corresponding verbal morphology, even though learners are typically presented with other types of variation in personal forms of address. This article discusses reasons why "voseo" is typically excluded in the language classroom, offers a rationale for its inclusion at the intermediate level that connects with the objectives of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in Communication, Cultures, Comparisons, and Communities, and articulates a series of activities designed to help language learners recognize and respond appropriately to conversational "voseo" usage. The suggested learning units are framed within the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication and thus promote general language learning while specifically enhancing intermediate learners' sociolinguistic awareness of this particular dialectal feature.