Espanol | Spanish
Spanish For Heritage Speakers
New Course Series!!
Spanish as a Heritage Language at CSU
Building Advanced communication, Confianza y Orgullo
"The majority of my family can speak Spanish, but I can't. My parents never took the time, for reasons that I don't know, to teach me how to speak Spanish."
Senior, NMHU
"It takes heritage speakers just a few semesters to reach a level of sophistication that beginners take years to achieve."
Guadalupe Valdes, Professor of Education and Spanish, Stanford University
What is the goal of "Spanish for Heritage Speakers"?
SHS courses are especially designed to provide Spanish Language instruction for individuals who grew up in a Spanish-speaking environment who may speak Spanish themselves, but have not studied the language enough to use it for written or professional communication. The aim is to build upon the linguistic and cultural competency the student already possesses and using it as a springboard to develop and expand literacy, reading and writing skills. A second aim is to address the socio-political and cultural factors contributing to language loss within the Hispanic communities in the US . Linguistic and cultural skills are strengthened through an integrated literacy approach, as well as cultural and community outreach activities, which are incorporated into a service learning component.
What is a heritage language learner?
- one who has lived in the United States all or most of his/her life and is English dominant
- may be two, three or more generations removed from daily use of the language
- may have comprehension but may or may not have oral or written proficiency
- considers Spanish part of his/her heritage and/or culture.
Courses currently offered at CSU :
LSPA 280 focuses on vocabulary, oral communication, and literacy skills, with the aim of expanding the functions and contents of communication in the language beyond those associated with the immediate family and other informal contexts.
LSPA 380 builds on the linguistic and cultural competency of the heritage Spanish learner and expands communicative and literacy skills through the performance of advanced level skills such as elaborate narratives and logical argumentation.
Spring 2009: LSPA 380, Spanish for Heritage Speakers, TR 9:30-10:45 109 Eddy
For more information, please contact:
Maura Velázquez-Castillo
Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics, Clark C-112
(970) 491-6797 mvelaz@lamar.colostate.edu