Speaking Spanish in the US

Adopting a thoroughly interdisciplinary, critical and social constructionist approach, Fuller and Leeman make tremendous strides in teasing out the myriad ethnoracial, geopolitical and sociocultural foundations that affect Spanish speakers in being counted, educated and cared for in US society. This book will undoubtedly become a cornerstone in the formation of the next generation of scholars and activists dedicated to the study of Spanish in the US. * Glenn A. Martinez, The Ohio State University, USA *
Speaking Spanish in the US is an insightful, accessible, and wide-ranging book that provides a critical counterforce to contemporary discourse that criminalizes Latinx Spanish-speakers and their linguistic practices, showing definitively that Latinx people are now and have always been a vital part of US sociocultural and political economic life. * Hilary Parsons Dick, Arcadia University, USA *

A significant contribution to the study of language in society, this book challenges readers to consider the social and political meanings of speaking Spanish in the United States [...] The inclusion of key terminology, discussion questions, and resources for further reading make this book an ideal text for courses in linguistics, language studies, and a number of other disciplines.

-- Carlo Cinaglia, Michigan State University, USA * Language in Society 50 (2021) *

Educators, scholars, and students of linguistics, Hispanic linguistics, and Latino studies, as well as academics in other fields and nonacademics interested in the state of Spanish in the US would benefit tremendously from reading this text, as it intertwines many threads quite masterfully and clearly develops how to use an interdisciplinary critical sociopolitical approach to integrate language, identity, and linguistic ideology into teaching and social justice.

-- Michelle F. Ramos Pellicia, California State University San Marcos, USA * Latino Studies, 2021 *

Speaking Spanish in the US es, desde ya, un hito en los estudios sobre la lengua española en los Estados Unidos. Marca el camino, o los caminos, a seguir.

-- Silvia Betti, Università di Bologna, Italia * Hispania, Volume 104, Number 3, September 2021 *

Este libro es una publicación sumamente interesante para aprender y reflexionar acerca del contexto social, político e ideológico del español en los Estados Unidos en la actualidad y también acerca de las condiciones históricas y otros antecedentes que han moldeado esa situación [...] es altamente recomendable para estudiantes o para investigadores que precisen de referencias sobre temas particulares concernientes al español.  

-- Claudia Crespo del Río, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú * Infoling 6.24 (2021) *

En definitiva, Speaking Spanish in the US muestra las realidades sociolingüísticas del español en EEUU, visibilizando la diversidad de la comunidad latinx y su relevancia en la historia, sociedad y desarrollo económico de este país. Es un libro accesible para estudiantes e investigadores que no tienen formación especializada en los estudios sobre lenguaje en su contexto sociocultural; sin embargo, también constituye un estudio de largo alcance que indaga perspicazmente las causas etno- racionales, geopolíticas, ideológicas y sociales que subyacen en el discurso que degrada a los hispanohablantes y a sus prácticas lingüísticas. 

-- Gabriela Prego-Vázquez, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain * Discurso & Sociedad, Vol.15(4), 2021 *

This book is a must-read for researchers, teachers and students of sociolinguistics, sociology of language, linguistic and cultural anthropology, and anyone who is interested in multilingual discourse, bilingual education, and in the relationship between language and worldviews, identity performance, public policy or racialization processes, among many other up-to-date issues concerning language use in the US.

-- Marcela Altamira, National University of Cordoba, Argentina * Spanish in Context, 2022 *

I will plan to use this textbook for my general education-level students, and I would recommend it to instructors teaching courses on the sociopolitics of Spanish in the US; it takes on an ambitious array of potentially sprawling topics in an interesting, focused, and accessible way. This work lives up to its promise, providing a valuable, complex approach to a compelling topic that is of critical importance to higher education in today’s political landscape.

-- Anna Babel, The Ohio State University, USA * Journal of Spanish Language Teaching, 2021 *

The book is clearly organized and would make an engaging text for a course on Spanish in the U.S. or courses that study the intersection of politics and language. Students of many interrelated disciplines could benefit from this book, as well as Spanish instructors who are ready to implement critical pedagogy in their courses and would like inspiration for where to start.

-- Mary Hudgens Henderson, Winona State University, USA * Spanish as a Heritage Language Vol. 1 No. 1, 2021 *

This volume is an important addition to the growing body of linguistic research on the oldest European language spoken in what is now the United States. Its focus on the social and political realities of Spanish speakers, as opposed to structural aspects of the language itself, sets it somewhat apart from other studies. While some book-length treatises do mention the sociopolitical dimensions in which Spanish exists, none deals with these as a principal theme.

-- Daniel Villa, New Mexico State University, USA * Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2021 *