Thirty-three million people in the United States speak some variety of
Spanish, making it the second most used language in the country. Some of
these people are recent immigrants from many different countries who
have brought with them the linguistic traits of their homelands, while
others come from families who have lived in this country for hundreds of
years. John M. Lipski traces the importance of the Spanish language in
the United States and presents an overview of the major varieties of
Spanish that are spoken there.
Varieties of Spanish in the United States provides--in a single
volume--useful descriptions of the distinguishing characteristics of the
major varieties, from Cuban and Puerto Rican, through Mexican and
various Central American strains, to the traditional varieties dating
back to the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries found in New Mexico and
Louisiana. Each profile includes a concise sketch of the historical
background of each Spanish-speaking group; current demographic
information; its sociolinguistic configurations; and information about
the phonetics, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and each group's
interactions with English and other varieties of Spanish. Lipski also
outlines the scholarship that documents the variation and richness of
these varieties, and he probes the phenomenon popularly known as
"Spanglish."
The distillation of an entire academic career spent investigating and
promoting the Spanish language in the United States, this valuable
reference for teachers, scholars, students, and interested bystanders
serves as a testimony to the vitality and legitimacy of the Spanish
language in the United States. It is recommended for courses on Spanish
in the United States, Spanish dialectology and sociolinguistics, and
teaching Spanish to heritage speakers.
