- Rank: Associate Professor
- Education: Ph.D. University of Arizona 2009
- Research Areas: Language Policy and Planning, Language use among Puerto Ricans, and Critical Pedagogy
- Office: Please Email
- Email: kevin.carroll@upr.edu
Dr. Kevin S. Carroll joined the Department of English at UPR in July 2009. He is from Detroit, Michigan. He studied his B.A. in Inter American University of Puerto Rico at San Germán, the M.A. in The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and the Ph.D in Language, Reading and Culture, at the University of Arizona. Dr. Carroll regularly teaches Public Speaking, University Teacher Development, History of English, Thesis and Independent Research. His teaching interests range from research methods to policy related courses on pedagogy and language. Throughout the 2014-2015 academic year, he is on a leave of absence in The United Arab Emirates where he will be working on a number of research projects related to language policy and planning. His primary project will be to document language policies at institutions of higher education within the Arabian Gulf.
World Englishes at UPRM 
1) The term language maintenance explains how a language stays permanent to a group of people even though there is a presence of a more powerful language surrounding them. The term language threat is used when talking about the fear of having another language invade the national official language spoken in that country.
2)In the lecture Dr. Kevin Carroll talked about both the island of Puerto Rico and also Aruba and how they have and are facing language threat and how they currently are actively working to maintain a elevated status on their preferred official language. In the lecture He talks about how the people in Aruba are going through a process of language maintenance the Arubian people do not want to lose their Papiamento to other languages specially Spanish he even cited a bartender from Aruba where she had mentioned that everywhere you went in the island there were Spanish speakers he also talks about how English has been a concurring fear to the Spanish speaking people in Puerto Rico and how Puerto Rico has been able to maintain their Spanish.
3) A fairly interesting point about Dr. Kevin Carroll’s presentation was that language maintenance with Papiamento is important in Aruba and children born in Aruba know this so early on they learn Papiamento as a way to keep their cultural identity and not lose their Papiamento to Spanish even though most likely Spanish speakers will have to adapt to the Papiamento mostly due to the fact that it is being so well kept culturally by the Aruabian born people.
4) I find it hard to grasp how people actually fear a language coming to their country and completely taking over. While a language might start spreading through a country through immigration or social situations identity wouldn’t let those born in that country just completely wipe out their own national language in any case those who don’t speak the national language have to adapt and learn that language that is spoken in that country.
5) A language is a big chunk of who you are losing your identifying language means losing a big chunk of you and who you identify as your national identity will shift towards identifying factors of that new language’s national identity and that is where the fear comes from if a language completely disappears off of a group of people they will feel forced to assimilate to the language that consumed them.
6) The Navajo people are a fairly small group of people in the United States and they are in a constant tug of war to not lose their Navajo language to English which has been difficult throughout the years as more of them travel farther away from their community where they speak Navajo their children don’t learn their Navajo language and instead they learn English to integrate better to the society surrounding them and that’s where language maintenance is proving difficult with that particular group of people.
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1. Language maintenance is the resistance to changing a language y a population in the presence of a more dominant language around them. This entails maintaining the language shift and not allowing language death. Language threat is the threat a dominant language poses on a minority language.
2. The lecture was about language maintenance in Aruba and Puerto Rico and how the people from each island resist the language change proposed by their respective dominant languages. It also presented the understanding of the perception of language threat within those languages by using Ruiz’ 2006 diagram explaining the typology of language threat which takes into account perceived threats in 8 contexts. The context in which Puerto Rico best fits in is where the majority minoritized languages in stable states in contact with LWCs but not in significant danger of either extinction or significant shift.
3. What I found most interesting was the concept of the psychological barrier people experience when speaking a foreign language. In our case, it is a result of a colonized mentality resulting in linguistic anxiety when speaking English.
4. What I found most challenging about the lecture is the persistence of dominant languages over minority languages. The constant insistence of dominant language to take over and the resistance of local languages to those languages.
5. The concept of national identity relates directly to the language we use. Language shapes the personal identity and, subsequently, the national one as well. National identity is, thus, threatened along with the language. Therefore, the resistance to adopt a foreign language goes hand in hand with a desire to maintain their national identify.
6. In the United States, there are constant struggles between the native American languages and English. In Spain, they have Catalan versus Spanish.
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Language maintenance is the use of a language while competing with a stronger one. Language threat is the fear of having a stronger or dominant language intimidate or invade a minority language. Dr Kevin Carroll’s lecture was about the situation that Puerto Rico and Aruba are facing about language maintenance and threat about language. Puerto Rico and Aruba fear about it and are trying to maintain their mother tongue language, which are Papiamiento and Spanish. He talked about the typologies of language threat, methodology, factors of language maintenance etc. I think that the most challenging and interesting issue about the lecture is the way people feel about losing part of their culture by losing their language. It relates to national identity because every country has its own tradition and culture which includes a specific language. No language is higher than other or gives people more opportunities than others. (English over Spanish). In Puerto Rico, we are being Americanized for that reason. We can find a problem between language of minority and dominant population when latinos visit for example a restaurant where is mandatory to speak English, where the owners are 100% American and also racist. They think that as we are in US we MUST speak English. I have seen a lot of people going through this problem in the US, being discriminated just because the place of region where they live is racist and the people don’t tolerate latino people. Also, people get kicked out of these places where people think it should be illegal having latinos all over US.
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1. Language maintenance: Refers to the constant use of a language in efforts to maintain that language despite coming in contact with another. It is often the case for minority languages struggling against socially/politically dominant languages.
Language threat: Either [falsely] perceived or not, it is a sense of threat felt by those in places with an ongoing language debate. When languages come in contact and begin to be instilled either in gov functions, daily life, education etc… some groups perceive a sense of threat to their native language. Sometimes there’s a false perception of threat (i.e. Puerto Rico); where many language ideologies are linked to national identity and fear English will become a dominant language.
2. Dr. Caroll’s lecture focused on the ongoing language debates in Puerto Rico and Aruba. Aruba’s Papiamento language maintenance has been able to survive the imposition of other languages whereas in Puerto Rico, there is a perceived sense of threat towards the influence of English on the island. Many Puerto Ricans fear English as a “dominant” language because of where their ethno-linguistic loyalties lie. Language (in this case Spanish) is interrelated with a profound sense of national identity that can be affected by the influence of English due to PR’s colonial status.
3.
I used Dr. Caroll’s study Understanding Perceptions of Language Threat: The Case of Puerto Rico for my Sociolinguistic research because it focuses on the perceived sense of threat in Puerto Rico; which is my main interest. Although my study took place within the UPRM and social media, many of the people outside of the academic system to perceive a sense of threat to their national identity. My main focus is trying to approach language policies from a sociolinguistic/linguistic method rather than having them be strictly politically related. The importance is addressing the fact that bilingualism/multilingualism/language contact does not have to account in language loss/death. We can aim for having a fully bilingual/multilingual society without having to suffer language death nor have nationalistic identities feel threated.
4. One of the most challenging concepts about the case in Puerto Rico is the sense of perceived threat because there is no sign evidencing the decline of Spanish as the “imposition” of English continues to evolve in relation to Spanish. Being bilingual/multilingual adds prestige and privilege (socially) and those who do not have access to affordable education are deprived from certain privileges. Whether these privileges result in social mobility, there is obviously a class of people who suffer as a result. This is why it is completely necessary to have linguists deal with language policies.
5.
Language has always been tied to identity however in PR throughout the years, with the socio-political turmoil, Spanish has become a tool for nationalism and nationalistic pride; whereas the imposition of English has resulted in being ‘American’. Losing your language means losing your identity; however the key is allowing bilingualism/multilingualism to occur without threatening native languages.
6.
There is a Chilean language called “yagan” that has one remaining fluent speaker. There are other members who have knowledge of the language but are not fluent enough. Many indigenous languages die down because many of its speakers are elderly and as the dominant language continues to grow, they begin to die.
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1. Language maintenance is the continuing use of a language in the face of competition from a language regionally and socially more powerful. Language threat is the fear of having another language invade the national language of a certain region or country.
2. Dr. Kevin Carroll’s lecture was about the language maintenance In Aruba and Puerto Rico understanding perceptions of language threat. He talked about the typologies of language threat, methodology, language use in Aruba and factors of language maintenance, immigration and historical highlights of Puerto Rico and its nationalism.
3. I find interesting about Dr. Carroll’s lecture is the effort people in Aruba and Puerto Rico put to not lose their official language as the result of dominant languages taking over their places and cultures.
4. What I find challenging about the lecture is the persistence of languages taking over other languages because minorities are thought to be less clever or useful than dominant languages.
5. The lecture relates to the concept of national identity in the way Dr. Carroll presented United States trying to “americanize” our island because English is viewed as a higher language for better opportunities. These efforts ignited a counter nationalist movement that rejected everything “American”. Spanish is a fundamental requirement for life in Puerto Rico.
6. Another example of tug-of-war dynamic between dominant and minority language populations is minority language speakers being discriminated for use their own language in a dominant language country. For example, many people in the US act racist and unfair with people speaking a language other than English, when US is supposed to be a multicultural country, full of people from many different countries and continents.
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1. Language maintenance is the ability of a group of speakers to continue to use their language even though there are multiple languages in the same areas that may displace the current linguistic norm. Language threat, on another note, is when a language has lost so many speakers that that very few are left due to the presence of a stronger language or for political reason.
2. The lecture is the analysis of a case study regarding Aruba and Puerto Rico and how the most prominent language in these places is being maintained and how immigration has in fact not threatened the language but has helped strengthen the language and its role in society.
3. I found it interesting how in Aruba they were threatened by Spanish speakers and have categorized Spanish as a low prestige language, and how this has helped with the maintenance of Papiamento. Also, I find it quite interesting how in both Aruba and Puerto Rico, people who do not speak the language from the place see others as outsiders and this helps carry a sense of identity within those who speak the language.
4. Something that was challenging at first was how a political relation with colonial power can influence language. Considering only the present-day Puerto Rico and how it was allowed to keep Spanish as a first language it was hard to comprehend how politics could influence language. Only when pointing out the history of the Spanish language in the island the doubt was able to be relieved. Having power over a colony gives one the authority to do anything with it, including changing the language and customs of a territory.
5. This relates to the concept of identity because, in both Aruba and Puerto Rico, language is part of their identity. And as it was expressed in the lecture, in the case of Aruba, those who speak Papiamento and those who don’t are seen as either locals or outsiders. In a way, for both Aruba and Puerto Rico the inability to speak their language is looked down upon, especially when the foreigners don’t seem to have the interest to learn the language. Those who do are then in a way solidarizing with the speakers of Spanish or Papiamento.
6. In Brazil, this situation has been seen with the numerous indigenous tribes, where their language is threatened as a result of isolation in the Amazon rainforest. This is due to an attempt of preserving their practices. Meanwhile, the rest of Brazil speaks mostly Portuguese. This lost contact with the outer world as well as being a minority makes it hard to communicate among others. Also, the language they speak is slowly disappearing as a result of fewer and fewer speakers with passing generations.
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1. The term language maintenance refers to the resistance of a language to shift from one another or when facing extinction. Similarly, a language is considered to be threatened when it is surrounded by more dominant languages that are aimed to dissolve it.
2. The lecture offered by Dr. Carroll consisted on giving an overview of the basis of the term language maintenance and what it means for a language to be threatened. Also, how these may interact and relate to one another when targeting a certain language. During his lecture, he focused on the linguistic backgrounds of Aruba and Puerto Rico and compared them. Dr. Carroll explained how both islands are undergoing language maintenance efforts to preserve their respective official languages as part of their cultures. In the case of Aruba, they identify with Papiamento and this language is being threatened by the Dutch that has been imposed on them by the government. One of his key arguments was how language is used to define national identity and how some languages might be seen as a resource while others are viewed as a problem.
3. The thing that I found most interesting about Dr. Carroll’s lecture is the many similarities that there are between Aruba and Puerto Rico in terms of how they identify with their first language. In Aruba, the language with which they identify nationally is Papiamento. In Puerto Rico’s case, the first official language is Spanish. Both of these languages have been threatened by the language of their colonizers, for which the locals have fought to uphold their national identity by defending the use of Spanish and Papiamento respectively.
4. Something I found challenging about Dr. Carroll’s lecture is the methodologies used in order to successfully carry out language maintenance efforts. He mentioned case studies of language planning, some of which consisted of interviewing multiple people. However, I believe that in order to sustain a minority language in a country where is surrounded by other dominant languages, there must be a great responsibility on the people as well.
5. The language that is spoken in a country greatly influences and defines the national identity of the people. The specific dialect or accent that people speak has always been tied to a distinct history and background, which is in turn tied with the country’s history.
6. An example for another country that faces tug-of-war between dominant and minority language populations is Spain. This type of dynamic is observed between Catalan and Castilian Spanish, with the latter being the more dominant language. In this case, the antagonism between these populations have been so passionate that the region of Catalonia has attempted to become independent from Spain in the past.
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1) Language maintenance I would say is a group of people try to keep the language they have always used, speaking their native tongue in a society where its imposing for some reason another (maybe a more powerful/influential) language. And that of imposing a more dominant language is what I consider a language threat.
2) The lecture was about the language that in both Islands Puerto Rico and Aruba while the situation between countries varies, the problem of language threat is the same. Aruba for having so many languages the island, and Puerto Rico having such an awkward ‘identity’ of half State have country has the fear English as a some type of weapon for dominance if you will from the US. making it hard for both countries to maintain their language.
3) The the part I found most interesting was the contrast between the two countries Puerto Rico and Aruba in retrospect they’re very very different but they have very similar problems when it comes with our language like for example the language threat and all that.
4) I would go to the question number 3 because the reason I found it interesting was that I couldn’t wrap my head around it, because as I mentioned earlier from what I saw both islands I have very different backgrounds and so it’s quite peculiar to see such similar problems.
5) Language is a great part of what makes your national identity, because it also next part of your heritage and taking that away from you it takes away your history your culture and a sense of belonging, away from your home, your country.
6) The Native American Indigenous people are probably an example of this, since throughout history they’ve been subjugated and discriminated by the European settlers, for which many issues still exist today. And another example I would think would be China,and I don’t really know much about it but I do know Mandarin is the dominant language there and considering it has so many there are probably a lot in danger.
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1. Language maintenance is a language usually spoken by the minority of the people in a place that competes or has contact with a dominant language regularly. Language threat is when a dominant language, sometimes spoken by a minority, threatens another language.
2. The lecture was mostly about language maintenance in Aruba and Puerto Rico throughout the years. Dr. Carroll also said the reaction reaction Aruba had towards the events and how these countries dealt with it and ended up today.
3. What I found interesting from the lecture was the process in which Aruba or any place could acquire a language. In other words, it is interesting how a language develops and goes through a process for many years to end up the way it is today.
4. I found language maintenance challenging to follow because I didn’t quite get why a language would be more dominant than the native or local language in the first place.
5. It relates to the concept of identity because the process in which a language changes, may change a place’s culture. Some people may even feel that they have become a different person and go through a process of choosing an identity that they don’t desire.
6. An example of tug-of-war dynamics could Miami with Cuban immigrants. Many of these immigrants are Cuban and therefore, are L1 Spanish speakers. Some people may feel threatened by the immigrant’s language so they tend to be marginalized.
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1) From what I was able to gather from the lecture, “language maintenance” refers to whenever a language remains in use in a particular country, even when it is not necessarily the language that is being imposed on it, or it is expected to have in its current sociopolitical context. Meanwhile, the term “language threat” refers to a sense of imminent threat felt by users of a language whenever a new, or more powerful language, is being instilled into aspects that affect their livelihoods in one way or another.
2) The lecture was about how Aruba and Puerto Rico, while quite different in most aspects, do have a relationship with language that is surprisingly similar in regard to how Papiamento and Spanish, respectively, is seen and portrayed within their distinct sociocultural contexts. Particularly, in both countries, their native language is perceived as an integral part of the people’s identity and as a source of patriotic and nationalistic pride; in spite of the perceived threat of a different, more prominent, language being already established to a certain extent.
3) What I found most peculiar about Dr. Carroll’s lecture was how, despite those languages not being threatened to any point nearing danger or extinction, the people he interviewed seemed particularly defensive about them. Even going as far as to call them a “requirement” for living in those places when it is not entirely uncommon for people to live in a country where they do not speak or understand the language very well.
4) What I found most challenging about Dr. Carroll’s lecture was identifying with the sentiments of fellow Puerto Ricans and believing that English was at all a threat to their livelihoods or national identity. Not only because I disagree with the sentiment myself, but also because that mindset seems to devalue the identity of Puerto Ricans that are born elsewhere and cannot speak Spanish, for example.
5) Language is arguably the most prominent way of experiencing any culture, whether it be in written or spoken form. As such, for people in these countries, their native language is intrinsically tied to every aspect of their culture that they have experienced in the entirety of their lives. Taking this into account, and the already high nationalistic feelings found in these countries, it is no wonder certain people are extremely defensive about how the language they speak is used and portrayed.
6) I think that this issue affects most, if not all, places where there is, or was, an indigenous population with their own language and culture that then got conquered or colonized and thus had another language imposed onto them; such as the Native American populations of the United States for example. That being said, I struggle to think of a more specific, and current example.
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1) language maintenance is using a language even though its use by a minority, not changing to the one a mayority talk and to resist changes from the dominant language. language threat is when a dominant language causes conflicts with a minor language.
2)The presentation was about the languages use on Puerto Rico and Auruba, which both are under the influences and threat of the dominant language as well as the resistance and changes they have cause on the minority language. Dr. Carroll explained how both places are undergoing language maintenance efforts to preserve identity. Puerto rico having a odd identity because of the United States influence of english and Aruba having many languages on it.
3) I found interesting the similarities of the problems that Puerto Rico and Auruba had, though they have different causes, they are going about the same way as well as the dominants language users call the minors users as basically primitive.
4) I found the why of the many languages Auruba use challenging to understand as well as the language maintenance, having though first it was simply making sure the language was “up to date”.
5) This all relates to the identity because in some ways, a person will be perceive by their dominant language and not their own, while in another way, people will be seen as inferiors and primitive bu using a minor language. It also relates to identity because a language has a history and culture, showing their struggles and ups, someone’s heritage.
6) another example of a tug of war would be then indigenous people of the United states as the minority while the main and vast majority are the dominant language users, constant influence and push from the dominants towards the minor language.
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1. When the members of a community continues using their language despite the presence of a more powerful language. Language Threat refers when there’s fear of losing the oficial language by another one.
2. Dr. Carrol talks about nationalism, language maintenance, historical highlights. More interesting he explain the language threat in PR and Aruba and how the people from Aruba and Puerto Rico are keeping their language. The people from Aruba are trying to keep their language (Papiamiento) despite the increase of the use of Spanish on the island . He also explains how Puerto ricans preserve their culture, national identity, and with that their language, despite the Americanization process on the island.
3. I find very interesting how different cultures and countries very close from Puerto Rico are trying to maintain their language Fighting (hypothetically speaking) against completely different languages such as Spanish and English.
4. Something I found challenging was how the mind can influence into a sector of the society. What I mean about this is what Dr. Carrol mentioned about the physiological wall that the society has built against a new language. In this case he mentioned how Puerto ricans have built this physiological wall against english.
5. The concept of National identity and language are connected. Language is part of the culture and your culture is what shapes your identity.Identity is one of the things that are keeping this language alive.
6. A perfect example of tug-of- war dynamics that’s very common in the actuality takes place in the United States with the Mexican immigrants. These immigrants speak Spanish as their First language(L1). A huge sector of North America think that immigrants threaten their language and their national identity. This also happens with Puerto Ricans, Cubans and tons of different cultures that move to North America.
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1. Language maintenance is when you continue to use the language and resist the change to another (more powerful language) from becoming the official one. Language threat is when a big and dominant language acts as a minority one to take over the other language present in the country.
2. This lecture is based on the impact of language threats in Aruba and Puerto Rico. He focuses on how natives from Puerto Rico and Aruba are working against this ever happening. In Aruba the language that us being protected is Papiamento and in Puerto Rico, Spanish. He also spoke about the impact made by their respective colonizers when they took over the territories initially and how they have been able to prevail in maintaining similar circumstances as of this very moment.
3. What I found interesting about the lecture was when he spoke about how Papiamento is used in Aruba. I had no knowledge from that topic before this lecture and it was interesting to see them going through a similar situation to Puerto Rico with a different language and governing country. I was also interested in the language diversity present in Aruba and how they continue to fight to keep Papiamento and their leading language.
4. What I found challenging in his lecture (at first) was to keep up with why it is necessary to do language maintenance in countries. As the lecture continued I got a better understanding of why it is necessary and how it doesn’t allow these other languages from pushing the native language and making its way to the top of the hierarchy as easily.
5. Language is very important when determining your national identity. If you were to lose a mother tongue such as Spanish in Puerto Rico, it will significantly affect our culture and tradition. This will cause a significant shift in our national identity as most of the things we know and love will completely change.
6. An example of a tug-of-war battle could be the native Americans who still live in the United States to this day. One examples could be the Apache Indian Language from the Apache Tripe in Texas. This language has decreased to a total of a measly 15,000 speakers as of a recent calculation. Due to the taking of their lands and separations this language has been on a downward spiral for years. This language is already on the losing side because as generations pass it will become more and more forgotten. This is not a great result as we are losing tons of amazing and diverse languages due to the inability of people accepting others for their culture and way of living.
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1) Language maintenance is when a language keeps being used, even when it appears to live threatened in the shadow of a bigger, dominant language. Language threat is when a language appears to be nearly extinct due to lack of speakers, especially when there is no effort to preserve it as people shift to other languages or simply pass away.
2) Dr. Carroll’s lecture focused on language being threatened and what it means as identity in the islands of Aruba and Puerto Rico. While focused on Aruba, he explained that its people do not want to lose Papiamento, their native language, to the Dutch language, as they feel it represents who they are, which is why it’s still the most used language, even when Dutch is the official language of the education system. When it comes to Puerto Rico, he explains that Spanish in the island has no real threat of being replaced. Puerto Ricans, just like Arubans, have clinged to their language, as they feel it represents who they are. Dr. Carroll reached these conclusions by visiting these islands and analyzing the language profiles and data of their communities by applying a threat perception diagram by Ruiz (2006).
3) I knew very little about Aruba, so learning more about their history and relationship with the Dutch, how it has affected their native culture, and how it surfaces in their linguistic profile was very interesting to me.
4) In general, it was a pretty intriguing and well-explained lecture, so no problems there. The most challenging thing to swallow about Dr. Carroll’s lecture in an ideological sense, though, was hearing about how the foreign languages invading these islands are still positioned in important roles. In Aruba, for example, Dutch is the language used for education, even though, like Dr. Carroll mentioned, the dropout and failure rates are worryingly high, and they still want to maintain the language in its position, for some reason.
5) The data clearly presents that both islands perceive the threat of losing their identity through their language, which is why they cling to their native ones. They feel like it’s a part of them, and by losing it, that they are accepting defeat.
6) I know that Catalonia has a very strong resistance against Spain in many aspects, including language. Its people hold their language very dearly, sometimes refusing to speak Spanish at all, even when they’re very proficient at it!
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1. Language maintenance is when a group of speakers maintain or continue to use their language even when there is a more dominant language used in their surroundings. Language threat is the fear of another more dominant language invading a smaller or local language.
2. Dr. Carroll’s lecture was to teach us of these phenomenons, such as language maintenance and language threat that occur when various languages come into contact within a community. He presented these ideas by providing first hand examples of this occurring within Aruba and Puerto Rico. In Aruba and Puerto Rico the 1st languages are Papiamento, and Spanish, respectively, and Dr. Carroll shows us how these communities maintain these languages and the data to support it.
3. One thing I found interesting was the psychological barrier of English in Puerto Rico, where people think if you don’t speak English “well” or like a native speaker, or if you speak with an accent, you’re considered a “bad” speaker or not fluent.
4. Something I found challenging from the lecture was how smaller territories like Aruba and Puerto Rico, are treated and taken advantage of. In 1900 to 1948, public education in Puerto Rico transitioned from being taught entirely in Spanish to entirely in English. This was a very drastic change, and students struggled tremendously, so it was eventually switched back to Spanish. This is only one of many examples of how places like Puerto Rico and Aruba fight for language maintenance.
5. Language plays a huge role in national identity. In a country like Puerto Rico, that is very patriotic and proud of its culture, language is a part of that culture and that patriotism. This occurs to the point that if you don’t speak Spanish people will consider you to be a “gring@” and say you aren’t Puerto rican. Another example, that is associated with the independence movement, would be, someone who speaks Spanish and English as well, who is judged for knowing English, because that is the language of America, of the rich and educated, and it would be considered betrayal and supporting a union of P.R. and the U.S.
6. I believe these tug-of-war dynamics of dominant and minority languages occur throughout the entire world but some examples would be indigenous languages in the United States or in South America, that are fighting to stay alive because languages like English, Spanish or Portuguese are overpowering them.
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1. Language maintenance occurs when a group of speakers maintains the use of a language even when they are in competition with a dominant regional language. Now language threat is the possibility of a dominant language to overcome another language.
2. The lecture was mostly about the history of the language in places like Puerto Rico and Aruba. In the lecture, it was also explained how some of the events that occur in their society led these places to develop their language in the present.
3. In Dr. Carroll’s lecture what I found interesting was when he explained how bilingualism is increasing in Puerto Rico. And how does this increase not eliminate the use of the Spanish language, still leaving it to be dominant.
4. Something I found difficult in the lecture, was understanding how two very different places can be so similar in the language department. Like how two different dominant languages are in such a clash with the English language.
5. Well, a language forms a big part in the development of a population’s culture, many people can relate that the way they speak or the language they know, forms a big part in their cultural identity. Since they may feel that the language is what gives them their identity. For example, Puerto Ricans are very proud of the way their Spanish is spoken, giving them a sense of uniqueness.
6. Another place where there’s a language tug of wars could be in Finland. Were nowadays there’s a “war” between the Finnish and Swedish languages, being Finnish the dominant language. This something similar to what Dr. Carroll’s lecture show with Puerto Rico and the English language.
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1) Language threat is descriptor for what occurs when a dominant language and a minority language collide. Often speakers of the dominant language, despite being spoken by a minority, tries to replace the minority language as the official language. Language maintenance is when that threat is being successfully warded off.
2) The lecture was about comparing the linguistic environment for Puerto Rico and Aruba. The method consisted of interviews with key persons and observation of the culture. An important aspect was to acknowledge the differences in the colonial history between the two islands. Comparing how national identity is related on both islands was very important as well.
3) Admittedly, I knew nothing of Aruba other than the fact it existed, so it was a pretty interesting lecture overall. Learning about Papiamento, and how it is proof of being Aruban was interesting, especially comparing that to second or third generation immigrants in the States who don’t know their ancestors’ language, yet still identify with their culture.
4) I don’t understand why he picked that methodology, or why he picked such a small sample size. I think that even in Puerto Rico he could have ventured to different areas of the island, but it seems to have given him some pretty good results so I don’t think it’s an issue.
5) I can certainly understand why language is so important to national identity. Even as a fluent speaker of English, and having lived my whole life here, I don’t quite consider that because I’m Puerto Rican, I know English. It’s more of a because Puerto Rico is an American colony, I know English. In that sense Spanish is connected to Puerto Rico and English is connected to the existential threat that is the United States of America.
6) The only other example I can think of is Manila. If I remember correctly, they also have a similar history to Puerto Rico and Aruba.
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1) Language maintenance is the effort to continue using a language in a context where another language more powerful is being impose. Language threat refers to the fear of a dominant language taking over minority languages.
2) Dr. Caroll’s lecture was about the language context of Puerto Rico and Aruba. It discussed some of the factors of language maintenance in both island such as immigration in Aruba where immigrants learn Papiamento and it become a powerful tool for social groups as a sense of belonging. Meanwhile, for Puerto Rico some of the factors for maintenance are that Spanish is consider a Language of Wider Communication, the relative isolation of an island and the high population density, little immigration which led to a historically monolingual country, and the successful movement against the teaching of English as the only and official language of Puerto Rico. He also explains the typologies of language thread using Ruiz (2006) diagram.
3) I find interesting the similarities between Puerto Rico and Aruba in their efforts to maintain their language as a sense of keeping their national identity.
4) In contrast, I find challenging the ideology that to teach a new language another language has to be threatened.
5) Historically language has been considered as a way of national identity expression. The language is really tied to the culture and historic background of a country. In the case of Puerto Rico and Aruba, both islands colonized, being able to maintain the language represent the opposition of its habitants to ‘bow the knee’ to colonizers.
6) I consider The Basque Country in Spain an example of a threaten minority language. Spanish is the official and dominant language of Spain even though there are other 3 languages spoken by a vast population.
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1) Language maintenance: continuing to use a language despite the competition that might exist with the language that is already dominating the population.
a. Language threat: when a language is downsized from their position due to an incoming language that attempts to dismiss it.
2) Dr. Kevin Carroll’s lecture was based off the concern with Puerto Rico and Aruba’s linguistic profiles and how these are similar with the intent to save their languages. Puerto Rico and Aruba share a common enemy with a different disguise which is another language being imposed and serving as a threat to the cultural backgrounds of these destinations.
3) The most interesting point of the lecture given by Dr. Carroll was sharing the contrasts and comparisons existing between Puerto Rico and Aruba. This is because Aruba is a country that I feel is underrated and sometimes not mentioned or cared for. By presenting smaller zones with similar situations, society can be alerted with present situations and propose ways to resolve them.
4) To me, a challenge was, in a way, accepting that our Puerto Rican population feels threatened by a dominant country that tries to impose on us its own cultural ideologies. I found it complicated because being a person used to having English as a day to day communicative system, I am blinded by the fact that some of my people only have Spanish to get by and by pressuring an idiom that not all feel comfortable accepting, may result in separation from our own kind.
5) Language being one of the key gadgets to understanding human beings, it also serves as a flag to represent who we are and the society that formed us. With this said, language is an extreme component to identity, speaking Spanish the way only us Puerto Ricans do, permits us to feel that we have something unique that unifies us in a way other countries or nations have with their native language. We have words in our “jíbaro” vocabulary that no matter where we find ourselves, if we hear the accent, we feel like we’re home. National identity is feeling like we are a part of a whole, and we represent a nation, its language, and culture.
6) I believe that wherever there once was a native language wiped off by colonizers, there is a tug of war. The best example I can project is how the English language has pressured itself into other minority countries with the belief that the language IS a synonym of respect and high ranking in society because the people who spoke it first were the highest in the rich and famous pyramid.
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1. To me language maintenance means that people still use the language even though there are others more commonly known or more used. Language threat means that a language can lose its “popularity” or dominance in a way or that its in danger that another language will take that language’s “popularity spot” and become more of a minority.
2. The lecture from Dr. Kevin Carroll was about the differences of the English language in Aruba and Puerto Rico. Both has very different histories and different official languages. Also how in both people speak more another language than English, in both it is considered that if a person does not speak a specific language that person is not from the place. He also discussed how in both places people had trouble accepting a language that was forced onto them by the government and how they came to peace with them.
3. The most that I found interesting from Dr. Carrol’s lecture was the different languages in Aruba. I did not know that in Aruba people spoke Dutch or Papiamento.I also found interesting that if one doesn’t speak Papiamento in Aruba the person is considered a foreigner.
4. One thing I found challenging from the lecture was the topic of language threat. How does a language get threatened when people learn other languages when we should be encouraged to learn more languages?
5. Language threat relates to the concept of national identity because it has a historic aspect. People feel that speaking the language is a way of showing one’s pride in their nationality. As an example, when the people in the United States shout and threaten Hispanics for speaking Spanish in public places, saying that they are in another country, the people feel offended because they feel that that person is offending where they come from or their nationality.
6. Another place where their might be a tug of war with languages might be Canada. In some cities in Canada people speak French and in others people speak English.
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