Event Title
Community-Based Businesses Allow for Spanish Language Perseverance
Location
Center for Library Instruction, Joseph P. Healey Library (4th Floor), University of Massachusetts Boston
Start Date
29-4-2015 1:45 PM
End Date
29-4-2015 2:10 PM
Description
The community of East Boston can be a good example of the perseverance of the Spanish language in a broader English-only society, the United States. We will map the language differences through informal interviews in three types of businesses: restaurants/bars, stores and hair salons/barber shops. These three types of business tend to be community-based and the places where we can interact with residing community members and the business operators, each offering a wealth of information.
Through these types of business we are hoping to gain insight on the daily lives of the community members, the cultural diversity and traditions of the community, the structure of the local businesses and the language dynamics within this community. In this paper we will analyze the ways in which the Spanish language has persevered through a close tight-knit community that actively uses Spanish as a means to keep their community closed, be it through the celebration of cultural traditions, the structures in which businesses operate and/or an avoidance/acceptance of English in their community. This research will be a small sample of the greater community as we will only be gathering information from one of the main streets, Meridian Street, starting at Maverick Station to Liberty Plaza.
Community-Based Businesses Allow for Spanish Language Perseverance
Center for Library Instruction, Joseph P. Healey Library (4th Floor), University of Massachusetts Boston
The community of East Boston can be a good example of the perseverance of the Spanish language in a broader English-only society, the United States. We will map the language differences through informal interviews in three types of businesses: restaurants/bars, stores and hair salons/barber shops. These three types of business tend to be community-based and the places where we can interact with residing community members and the business operators, each offering a wealth of information.
Through these types of business we are hoping to gain insight on the daily lives of the community members, the cultural diversity and traditions of the community, the structure of the local businesses and the language dynamics within this community. In this paper we will analyze the ways in which the Spanish language has persevered through a close tight-knit community that actively uses Spanish as a means to keep their community closed, be it through the celebration of cultural traditions, the structures in which businesses operate and/or an avoidance/acceptance of English in their community. This research will be a small sample of the greater community as we will only be gathering information from one of the main streets, Meridian Street, starting at Maverick Station to Liberty Plaza.
Comments
Tyler McCloud (Honors College & Latin American and Iberian Studies), Iris Portillo (College of Management), and Esteban Tula (Latin American and Iberian Studies).