There is growing interest in heritage language learners - individuals who have a personal or familial connection to a nonmajority language. Spanish learners represent the largest segment of this population in the United States. In this comprehensive volume, experts offer an interdisciplinary overview of research on Spanish as a heritage language in the United States. They also address the central role of education within the field. Contributors offer a wealth of resources for teachers while proposing future directions for scholarship.

This book introduces readers to basic concepts of sociolinguistics with a focus on Spanish in the US. The coverage goes beyond linguistics to examine the history and politics of Spanish in the US, the relationship of language to Latinx identities, and how language ideologies and policies reflect and shape societal views of Spanish and its speakers. Accessible to those with no linguistic background, this book provides students with a foundation in the study of language and society, and the opportunity to relate theoretical concepts to Spanish in the US in a range of contexts, including everyday speech, contemporary culture, media, education and policy. The book is a substantially revised and expanded 2nd edition of Spanish Speakers in the USA, including new chapters on the history of Spanish in the US, the demographics of Spanish in the US, and language policy; and expanded chapters on language ideologies, race, identity, media, and education. A Spanish-language edition of this book is also available: https://www.multilingual-matters.com/page/detail/?K=9781800413931.

This book introduces readers to basic concepts of sociolinguistics with a focus on Spanish in the US. The coverage goes beyond linguistics to examine the history and politics of Spanish in the US, the relationship of language to Latinx identities, and how language ideologies and policies reflect and shape societal views of Spanish and its speakers. Accessible to those with no linguistic background, this book provides students with a foundation in the study of language and society, and the opportunity to relate theoretical concepts to Spanish in the US in a range of contexts, including everyday speech, contemporary culture, media, education and policy. The book is a substantially revised and expanded 2nd edition of Spanish Speakers in the USA, including new chapters on the history of Spanish in the US, the demographics of Spanish in the US, and language policy; and expanded chapters on language ideologies, race, identity, media, and education. A Spanish-language edition of this book is also available: https://www.multilingual-matters.com/page/detail/?K=9781800413931.

Este libro ofrece un acercamiento a la sociolinguistica y al estudio del lenguaje y la sociedad, que luego se aplica al analisis del espanol hablado en Estados Unidos. Ademas de proporcionar informacion clave sobre la demografia y la historia del espanol en dicho pais, se analiza su situacion sociopolitica, la relacion de la lengua con las identidades latinxs, y las formas en que las ideologias y politicas linguisticas reflejan y condicionan la percepcion del espanol y sus hablantes. Se examina el uso y la representacion del espanol en una amplia gama de contextos, incluyendo el habla cotidiana, los medios de comunicacion, las escuelas, el censo y las instituciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales. Cada capitulo incluye preguntas de discusion y actividades de analisis. Esta edicion se basa en Speaking Spanish in the US (2020), pero esta pensada especificamente para el publico hispanohablante. An English-language edition of this book is also available: http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781788928274.