From spanish-only cheap labor to stratified bilingualism: Language

Identifier:  imarina:5609456

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina5609456

Authors:  Alarcón A; Heyman J

Abstract:
Recent sociolinguistic research adds new economic sectors, such as the service economy, to the list of key forces that shape unequal, dynamic and complex diglossia (e.g., Spanish in the United States). However, little detailed work has been done on the linguistic characteristics of specific labor sectors in the wider contexts of debordering and rebordering. In this article we develop in depth the market mechanisms and institutional constraints that shape the valuation and social expansion of Spanish in El Paso, Texas the study finds that in sectors with low skills and low linguistic intensity, linguistic management policies are effectively Spanish- only. However, as skills increase and there is a greater need for regulated communication in the occupational role, more constraints are observed on how Spanish functions in work use and professional careers. © 2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston.