ABSTRACT
In a 2014 article in the journal Latino Studies, Ana Celia Zentella calls on Latino studies scholars to conduct research on Latinos and language. She states:
Latino studies scholars have a leading role to play in opening the nation’s linguistic and cultural borders. Instead of ignoring the role of language in the varied topics we study, or viewing languages as finite essences that define particular identities, we must encourage an expanded view of the linguistic repertoire of “America” in general. Our work should enable our fellow citizens to view the nation’s languages as a tapestry that weaves together the rich colors of transculturation with the creative breaks of code-switching and the powerful threads of hybridity. We must discourage the negative connotations of bilingualism and bidialectalism as impure mixes, as inappropriate or as indicative of inauthenticity, and view them as strengths instead. Our goal is nothing less than the end of linguistic discrimination as essential for the preservation of democracy, following in the footsteps of African American efforts, and counting on their support.
2014, p. 632