Teaching Sociolinguistic Variation in the Intermediate Language Classroom: Voseo in Latin America

Abstract

The acquisition of sociolinguistic variation by second language learners has gained increased attention. Some research highlights the value of naturalistic exposure through study abroad while other studies point out that classroom input can facilitate the acquisition of particular features of variation. Nevertheless, said attention to the intersection of sociolinguistic variation and second language acquisition is not always reflected in curricular content and pedagogy. As one example, Spanish language classrooms often do not cover voseo , which is defined as the use of the pronoun vos or the corresponding verbal morphology, even though learners are typically presented with other types of variation in personal forms of address. This article discusses reasons why voseo is typically excluded in the language classroom, offers a rationale for its inclusion at the intermediate level that connects with the objectives of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in Communication, Cultures, Comparisons, and Communities, and articulates a series of activities designed to help language learners recognize and respond appropriately to conversational voseo usage. The suggested learning units are framed within the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication and thus promote general language learning while specifically enhancing intermediate learners’ sociolinguistic awareness of this particular dialectal feature.

Register and Forms of Address in Costa Rica: Sociolinguistic Realities and Pedagogical Implications

“…as the preferred pronoun. These descriptors are rarely mentioned in Spanish language textbooks (Shenk, ), but the data here suggest that they are also viable, albeit rather nebulous, categories that should be addressed in language classrooms.…”

“…Several researchers have put forth lists of pros and cons of teaching the voseo in the Spanish classroom. Arguments against incorporating the voseo in the curriculum and even in regular Spanish textbooks have included (1) objections to overloading an already full plan of study, (2) teaching a form that is still considered substandard and is thus stigmatized by many, (3) the morphological and sociolinguistic complexity of the form, and (4) the fact that many Spanish instructors are unfamiliar with the form themselves (Benavides, ; Congosto Martín, ; Kapović, ; Lotherington, ; Mason & Nicely, ; Shenk, ; Watts, ).…”

“…The recommendation to incorporate this additional material into an already overloaded Spanish curriculum in general has met with resistance on several fronts (Long, 2011). In contrast, it has also been recommended that the voseo be included in one fashion or another (Cameron, 2012(Cameron, , 2014Congosto Mart ın, 2004;Lotherington, 2007;Mason & Nicely, 1995;Pearson, 2006;S anchez Avendaño, 2004;Shenk, 2014;Watts, 2001). The case for inclusion of the voseo in the Spanish curriculum of the United States can be made on many fronts.…”

“…Presently, most if not all Spanish textbooks used in the United States incorporate the form of vosotros, indisputably present in Spain with a population of 48 million Spanish-speakers. Nevertheless, regular users of the voseo in Latin America number more than 85 million -a dramatically larger number in comparison (Mason & Nicely, 1995;Potowski, 2010)-yet this structural paradigm is omitted from nearly all Spanish textbooks that are used in the United States (Cameron, 2012(Cameron, , 2014Lotherington, 2007;Mason & Nicely, 1995;S anchez Avendaño, 2004;Shenk, 2014;Watts, 2001). Germane to this study, the presence of the voseo is very noticeable in Costa Rica, in contrast with the relative absence of the tuteo, a form that is ubiquitous in commonly used Spanish instructional materials (Cabal Jim enez, 2013;Cameron, 2012Cameron, , 2014Jara Murillo, 2008;Kapovi c, 2007;Moser, 2006Moser, , 2008Vargas Dengo, 1974;Villegas, 1963).…”

“…Thus, language learners from secondary and postsecondary programs in the United States currently have, and it appears will continue to have, increasing contact with native speakers there, many of whom are daily voseo users (Mason & Nicely, ). Nevertheless, the voseo is largely absent from the Spanish textbooks that are used in the United States, and as a result, a high percentage of L2 learners of Spanish are never exposed to these forms (Cameron, ; Lotherington, ; Mason & Nicely, ; Sánchez Avendaño, ; Shenk, ). In fact, apart from learners who happen to be instructed by or have regular contact with a native speaker from Costa Rica, it is likely that most L2 learners of Spanish at the secondary and postsecondary levels are unaware that millions of native speakers of Spanish in Central and South America regularly employ this subject pronoun instead of what is taught in most textbooks (e.g., tú and vosotros ).…”