Varieties of Spanish in the United States

This book provides an impressive amount of useful information about Spanish in the U.S. The reader will not only learn about the past and present vitality of Spanish in the U.S. but also about the extensive scholarship devoted to documenting its many varieties. -- Carmen Silva-Corvalan, University of Southern California Specialists in the field will celebrate the publication of Varieties of Spanish in the United States, which is the first book-length scholarly treatment not limited to a particular region or variety of Spanish in the United States. Lipski is the person best-suited for this undertaking, given the breadth of his command of the relevant literature and his own fieldwork. -- Rena Torres Cacoullos, University of New Mexico Varieties of Spanish in the United States is a top-notch production by a scholar with a breadth of field that few can match. John Lipski covers the field thoroughly, with a sure and confident voice. Specialists will welcome this thorough volume, majors and graduates will get a foundational understanding of the research that has gone on for the past fifty years, and instructors will naturally reach for it. -- Otto Santa Ana, University of California, Los Angeles

Traces the importance of the Spanish language in the United States and presents an overview of the major varieties of Spanish that are spoken there. This work provides descriptions of the distinguishing characteristics of the major varieties, from Cuban and Puerto Rican, to the varieties dating back to the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.Thirty-three million people in the United States speak some variety of Spanish, making it the second most used language in the country. Some of these people are recent immigrants from many different countries who have brought with them the linguistic traits of their homelands, while others come from families who have lived in this country for hundreds of years. John M. Lipski traces the importance of the Spanish language in the United States and presents an overview of the major varieties of Spanish that are spoken there. "Varieties of Spanish in the United States" provides - in a single volume - useful descriptions of the distinguishing characteristics of the major varieties, from Cuban and Puerto Rican, through Mexican and various Central American strains, to the traditional varieties dating back to the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries found in New Mexico and Louisiana.Each profile includes a concise sketch of the historical background of each Spanish-speaking group; current demographic information; its sociolinguistic configurations; and, information about the phonetics, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and each group's interactions with English and other varieties of Spanish. Lipski also outlines the scholarship that documents the variation and richness of these varieties, and he probes the phenomenon popularly known as 'Spanglish'. The distillation of an entire academic career spent investigating and promoting the Spanish language in the United States, this valuable reference for teachers, scholars, students, and interested bystanders serves as a testimony to the vitality and legitimacy of the Spanish language in the United States. It is recommended for courses on Spanish in the United States, Spanish dialectology and sociolinguistics, and teaching Spanish to heritage speakers.