The battleground of metaphors: language debates and symbolic violence in Puerto Rico (1930–1960)

Abstract

In Puerto Rico, the defense of Spanish and discussions of bilingualism have been conditioned by the island’s local politics and its relationships with the United States. Previous research has looked at how identity politics and specific political players produced arguments in favor or against various language proposals. Yet, questions regarding the complex ideological nature of the language debate in Puerto Rico remain to be examined with greater focalization and critical scrutiny. To this end and employing an interdisciplinary approach to issues of language and linguistic representation, I explore the ideological complexity of bilingualism in Puerto Rico during several decades from the perspective of the politics of language and by taking into account the phenomenon of symbolic violence. I argue that particular metaphors of language exemplify the link between symbolic and material violence in the context of this society’s struggles for political self-determination.

Language Attitudes Towards Spanish and English in Puerto Rico

“…In sum, the failure in the teaching of both languages could be interpreted as a result of the linguistic conflict between Spanish and English: linking both languages to certain ideologies of cultural assimilation has not permitted an effective educational project in Puerto Rico. Within this ideological context, Spanish has been seen as a symbol of national identity (Shenk, 2015;Valdez, 2016) that serves as a pitfall for the assimilation and annexation to the United States. e ideology in defense of the vernacular goes in hand with a rejection and fear of English.…”

“…Spanish and English are both official languages in Puerto Rico since 1993. is political decision has generated many debates and multiple discussions given the issues of identity, resistance, repression, mobility, social and economic opportunities, and cultural clashes that the history of these two languages raises in the island (Delgado Cintrón, 1989;Negrón de Montilla, 1990;Pousada, 2008;Ríos Ávila, 1995;Rivera Ramos, 2007;Shenk, 2015;Valdez, 2016). While nowadays many Puerto Ricans are bilinguals, Puerto Rico cannot be considered a bilingual society (Carroll, 2009(Carroll, , 2016González-Rivera & Ortiz López, 2018;López Laguerre, 1997).…”

Language Policy and Language Rights from the Perspective of US Presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump

“…Historically, discussions of language policy in Puerto Rico mirrored the political positions, language ideology, and language orientation of US presidents, particularly President Franklin Roosevelt and President Harry S. Truman. Yet, despite public biases in favor of English, the US presidents did not inflict upon Puerto Ricans the same extreme measures experienced by Native Americans, Germans or Japanese in the policies to eradicate their languages and cultures (Valdez 2016).…”