Tus palabras son de verdad: Centering the Voices and Experiences of Spanish “Heritage Speakers”

Project Title

Tus palabras son de verdad: Centering the Voices and Experiences of Spanish “Heritage Speakers”

Faculty Mentor(s)

Project Description

What does it mean to be a “heritage speaker” of Spanish within a society that is built on monolingualism? How does the United States’ current approach to language education – which is designed for monolingual English speakers – contribute to the often negative external perceptions (and self-perceptions) of Spanish heritage speakers and their linguistic abilities and identities? While differing definitions exist, the majority of leading scholars in the field define being a heritage speaker as someone who was raised for a majority of their lives in the United States, where English is the dominant language, but with mostly Spanish in their home. With this project, I intend to center the various experiences of Spanish heritage speakers within the Oberlin College community through in-depth interviews in a safe and supportive environment. Specifically, I focus on the categories of language use, the relationship between language and identity, past educational experiences, and experiences of linguistic discrimination and prejudice. By centering the voices and experiences of Spanish heritage speakers themselves, I hope to gain insight into the unique needs and desires of members of this community for their language education. Additionally, I seek to challenge the ways in which educational institutions categorize students’ linguistic abilities in ways that fail to take into account the nuance of their experiences. Thus, this research has the potential to uplift the voices of Spanish heritage speakers while also providing recommendations for future solutions to this gap in the educational system through collaboration with members of the Spanish Heritage Speaker community. 

Why is your research important?

My research is important as it intentionally centers the voices and experiences of a marginalized linguistic and cultural community that is often viewed through a deficit perspective that devalues their language use and identities. My specific approach in questioning what we believe to be true about language and specific categories of speakers intentionally disrupts the dominant hegemonic frames of whiteness, monolingualism and other harmful language ideologies that often frame research in the field of Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) education. Thus, I seek to legitimize the knowledge and experiences of individuals who hold this marginalized linguistic identity. 

What does the process of doing your research look like?

My research has involved extensive reading in order to familiarize myself with the current literature in the field of SHL education. In addition to this, I designed questions for an interview and, after getting approval from the IRB, I conducted a total of ten, hour long, interviews with current students at Oberlin who expressed interest in sharing their experiences with me. The final stage of my research has involved transcription of the interviews as well as an analysis of participant responses which will all result in an honors thesis. 

What knowledge has your research contributed to your field?

Due to the lack of researchers who identify with being a heritage speaker of Spanish themselves, I am contributing a perspective that is intending to do much more than simply talk about heritage speakers and instead, truly highlight the complexity of this experience. I also move away from the traditional focus on “fixing” specific linguistic features of the Spanish spoken by heritage speakers as I focus on the affective needs and experiences of this linguistic community. 

In what ways have you showcased your research thus far?

I participated in a panel presentation with other student researchers from the College of Wooster at the Kentucky Foreign Languages and Literatures Conference in April of 2024. Apart from this, I also presented at the Oberlin College Research Symposium in May 2024. Lastly, I plan to hold a public presentation after completing my thesis and defense in December 2024. 

How did you get involved in research? What drove you to seek out research experiences in college?

My research journey began as a result of experiencing insecurity and shame related to my linguistic and cultural identities, and thus I was curious to see if others with similar experiences to mine felt the same. I was also encouraged by my advisor, Claire Solomon, as well as other mentors at Oberlin including Pablo Mitchell, Yorki Encalada, Patty Tovar and Ana María Díaz Burgos to pursue this research topic. It is important to me to highlight a typically marginalized linguistic and cultural experience in a way that is empowering. 

What is your favorite aspect of the research process?

My favorite aspect of the research process has by far been the connections that I have been able to make with others, specifically through the interview process. I am deeply grateful to the individuals who agreed to be interviewed, as many of them were vulnerable and shared with me aspects of their life that they find important to their experience. 

How has working with your mentor impacted the development of your research project? How has it impacted you as a researcher?

Working with Claire has been deeply impactful as I have learned more about the writing process as well as the value of being open and vulnerable. Claire has encouraged me to be more confident in my ability to question the work of previous scholars while also learning how to utilize and appreciate it. 

What advice would you give to a younger student wanting to get involved in research in your field?

I would encourage younger students who want to get involved in research in this field to not doubt their own abilities and to be open to challenging what we think we know to be true. I would also encourage them to find their community in Oberlin, both amongst other students who are doing research as well as different professors.