Language Attitudes of Speakers of a Critically Endangered Philippine Creole Spanish

A talk by Dr. Sheryl Bernardo-Hinesley

According to Grenoble and Whaley (1998), the attitude of a speech community towards the languages spoken by its individuals is vital for predicting language shift. To be precise, the value assigned by the speakers of a given community to the languages spoken within it is a fundamental factor that promotes the displacement of a language. Thus, people’s attitudes towards a language are fundamental for its preservation. Accordingly, Bernardo-Hinesley examines the language attitudes of Cavite Chabacano speakers in the Manila bay region of the Philippines, which is one of the six Spanish-based creole varieties spoken in the country. Following the UNESCO framework for assessing language vitality, Lesho and Sippola (2013) indicate that the creole variety is critically endangered. Bernardo-Hinesley (2018) states that there are approximately 2,000 speakers remaining. In analyzing language endangerment and loss through language shift, the study challenges the notion that language attitude is a fundamental factor that promotes displacement. In terms of endangerment, Bernardo-Hinesley proposes consideration of language support, in particular, in the educational system.

Sheryl Bernardo-Hinesley is an assistant professor of Spanish linguistics at Western Washington University. Her research interests include contact linguistics, sociolinguistics, linguistic attitudes, second language acquisition, and bilingualism. At Western, she teaches courses in Spanish linguistics, world language teaching methodology, and language and society.

WHEN

Thursday, May 13

4:00 p.m.

QUESTIONS

Contact Sara Helms at helmss@wwu.edu with any questions or comments.