Showing papers in "Hispania in 2010"

The Acquisition and Teaching of the Spanish Subjunctive: An Update on Current Findings

Abstract: I provide an update on the state of the art of the research—the last one being Col- lentine (2003)—on the acquisition of the function of the subjunctive and mood selection, as well as the research's implications for pedagogy. The article considers what we currently know about the role of universal grammar, psycholinguistic perspectives on the acquisition of the subjunctive—with special attention given to the second language context—as well as the impact of study abroad. I conclude with recommendations for curriculum and materials designers and directions for future research.

Teacher Efficacy and Attrition: Helping Students at Introductory Levels of Language Instruction Appears Critical

Abstract: Nationally, there is a shortage of foreign language educators, and the rate of attrition in certain areas of the southeastern part of the United States is startling. The researcher investigated foreign language teachers' ( N = 463) perceived efficacy teaching languages in Georgia, and findings suggest there is a link between perceived efficacy and Spanish teachers leaving the profession. Specifically, teacher perception of abilities to help students learn at the introductory levels of language study appears to be a predictor of teacher attrition. This research has implications for teacher preparation and induction into the profession.

Some Verbs Are More Perfect than Others: Why Learners Have Difficulty with ser and estar and What It Means for Instruction

Abstract: In this essay, I apply current linguistic theory to reanalyze earlier research on the acquisition of ser and estar (e.g., VanPatten 1985, 1987). Using insights from Roby and Schmitt ("Semi-Copulas"), for example, I argue that the acquisition of the copular verbs is an issue of the acquisition of their aspectual properties (see also Bruhn de Garavito and Valenzuela 2008, as well as Montrul 2004); that is, the difficulty in the acquisition of the Spanish copular verbs is akin to the acquisition of aspect. In addition, I reconceptualize the traditional notion of the acquisition problem being ser versus estar and instead posit that the problem comes down to the acquisition of estar and its perfective nature. I conclude by describing some possible implications for instruction based on this research.

Forms of Address in Chilean Spanish.

Abstract: The present investigation examines possible social and linguistic factors that influence forms of address used in Chilean Spanish with various interlocutors. A characteristic of the Spanish of Chile is the use of a variety of forms of address for the second person singular, tu, vos , and usted , with corresponding verb conjugations (Lipski 1994). Previous studies have posited that whereas the pronominal voseo is still stigmatized by Chile's middle and upper classes, the mixed verbal voseo is gaining ground among the educated sectors of the population (Torrejon 1986, 1991). The current study uses linguistic survey results taken from eighty-one residents of Santiago, Chile, to test these predictions quantitatively. The results show a V-shaped distribution of verbal voseo in terms of age and social class. Young professional-class speakers are those who report using verbal voseo most frequently. Survey data are compared to recorded and observed interactions among speakers. Interactional data suggest that the frequency of vos is underreported in the survey but that the essential pattern reported by speakers is accurate.

Teaching Portuguese to Spanish Speakers A Case for Trilingualism

Abstract: Portuguese is the sixth-most-spoken native language in the world, with approximately 240,000,000 speakers. It serves as one of the communication languages used by twelve international organizations (United Nations, Organization of American States, and Latin American Free Trade Association, for example), is a mandatory language in member countries of Mercosul, and is one of the official languages of the South African Development Community (Stock 3-4). Within the United States, there is a growing demand for K-12 language programs to engage the community of Portuguese heritage speakers. According to the 2000 U.S. census, 85,000 school-age children speak Portuguese at home. As a result, more than 100 public schools currently offer Portuguese courses (Vicente and Pimenta). In postsecondary education, the 2006 Modern Language Association (MLA) report indicated that the offering of Portuguese increased 22.4% between 2002 and 2006 (Furman, Goldberg, and Lusin 20). Currently offered in 226 postsecondary institutions, it now ranks thirteenth on the list of the most-taught languages. Moreover, the National Security Education Program (NSEP) deems Portuguese a preferred language, and it is currently taught at U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force military academies. Given the increasing prominence of Portuguese in the United States, we argue that insti tutions should promote the learning of Portuguese among Spanish-speaking students on their campuses. In addition, we claim that the Spanish-speaking population presents specific advantages and challenges in terms of their acquisition of Portuguese and, therefore, institutions ought to offer specific courses for these learners. Finally, we suggest that pedagogical approaches for this population should emphasize authentic readings and metalinguistic awareness. We believe that the teaching of Portuguese to Spanish speakers presents an extraordinary opportunity to help broaden our students' linguistic repertoire and form trilingual individuals, in tune with the MLA recommendations that higher education promote "speakers who have deep translingual and transcultural competence" ("New Structures" 2) and strengthen "the demand for language competence within the university" (7). Enrollment in Portuguese classes has increased substantially since higher education institu tions began offering Portuguese courses specifically geared for Spanish speakers. For example, the University of Arizona, which is attended by a large contingent of heritage speakers of Spanish, has witnessed a rapid increase in Portuguese enrollment since it started to offer and advertise Portuguese for Spanish speakers. We urge Portuguese language programs to capitalize on the linguistic similarities between Spanish and Portuguese by expanding Portuguese offerings for this population. Teaching Portuguese to Spanish speakers responds to the recent increase in the demand to teach Portuguese while maximizing the educational opportunities for the broad

Developing an Electronic Placement Examination for Heritage Learners of Spanish: Challenges and Payoffs

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to briefly describe the design and piloting of a branched, online placement and credit examination that measures receptive as well as productive and creative language abilities in the heritage language of college students entering the Spanish for Heritage Learners Program at the University of Houston, a major metropolitan university in the Southwestern United States. Special emphasis is given to the linguistics tasks included in the examination's blueprint and the results obtained in its pilot implementation. The analysis of the results from each section of the test not only helps distinguish among different ability levels (and consequently achieve a more accurate class placement), but it also contributes to the consolidation of a typology of Hispanic heritage students, thus generating a better understanding of their learning needs.

Variation in Miami Cuban Spanish Interrogative Intonation

Abstract: The interrogative intonation of Cubans and Cuban Americans living in Miami is investigated Two different intonation patterns are used in this variety of Spanish to convey absolute interrogative meaning: one with a falling final contour, as has been observed in Cuban Spanish, and one with a rising final contour, as is used in American English and most varieties of Spanish A variable rule analysis ex- ploring the use of these two intonation patterns was carried out It was discovered that immigrant group is a significant factor in the variation and that there is an intonational change occurring in subsequent generations The social relationships of individual speakers are also a significant factor influencing the absolute interrogative intonation pattern used

Dual Role Interpreters: Spanish Teachers in New Latino Communities

Abstract: This article is based on a qualitative study documenting how Spanish teachers, as some of the few Spanish-speaking educators in new Latino diaspora communities, bear an especially heavy burden as dual role interpreters and unofficial school representatives. Drawing from the semistructured interview data of twenty-six north Georgia educators, I show how some Spanish teachers struggle to understand and interpret both the variety of Spanish spoken by Spanish-dominant parents and the technical language of the academic domain. Furthermore, I explore how meaning is not always conveyed, how teachers employ strategies to prevent "communication breakdowns," and how they distinguish their skills from those of professional interpreters. Finally, I consider the implications for world language teacher education curricula and education policy.

A Quantitative Approach to Investigating Spanish HL Speakers' Characteristics and Motivation: A Preliminary Study.

Abstract: The present preliminary study empirically investigated Spanish heritage language (HL) speakers in Spanish for native speakers (SNS) college courses It focused on their attitudes and motivation to improve their HL and on their varying linguistic competences in that language A well-established second language acquisition (SLA) motivational model was used as a theoretical framework so that these affective variables could be assessed and discussed in this context In addition, differences in Spanish competence within the sample were explored in relation to certain socioeducational factors Three research questions centered on participants' motivational and attitudinal variables whereas the fourth research question investigated differences in Spanish language performance Results of correlation, regression, and independent t test analyses showed: first, a significant linear relationship between integrativeness, which is defined as a general positive attitude toward the people who speak the language, and motivation to improve Spanish; second, integrativeness was shown to be a significant predictor of motivation; finally, a significant difference in performance on the Spanish test was found for use of Spanish at home and place of schooling Results from this study and their important theoretical and pedagogical implications for the field of Spanish as a heritage language in the United States are discussed Furthermore, a future research agenda is provided

On the L1 Attrition of the Spanish Present Tense

Abstract: This study examines the potential native language (L1) attrition of the ongoing value of the Spanish present tense among long-term Spanish immigrants. Based on the assumption of second-language (L2) transfer and proposals on the permeability of interface-conditioned structures, it is hypothesized that long-term Spanish immigrants will show difficulty with the interpretation and use of the ongoing value of the Spanish simple present due to transfer from divergent semantic values in English (L2). Results from an acceptability judgment task, a truth value judgment task, and an elicited production task show low levels of acceptance and use of present-tense forms with an ongoing meaning by the immigrant group, as well as significantly higher use of the progressive form. It is argued that transfer from English selectional properties has reduced the range of lexical selection of the Spanish present, leading to a convergence toward the most restrictive L2 configuration.

El español para fines específicos: La proliferación de programas creados para satisfacer las necesidades del siglo XXI

Abstract: La Asociación de Lenguas Modernas (Modern Language Association o MLA a partir de aquí) ha publicado recientemente dos informes (“Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World”, 2007 y “Report to the Teagle Foundation on the Undergraduate Major in Language and Literature”, 2009) que describen las modificaciones que se están produciendo en los campos de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras a consecuencia de los actuales cambios que afectan al mundo entero. Ambos informes (“New Structures” y “Undergraduate Major”, de aquí en adelante) recogen una serie de recomendaciones para mejorar los diseños curriculares que integran las titulaciones en lenguas extranjeras e inglés en el nivel universitario, pero con implicaciones en todos los niveles de educación primaria y secundaria. El presente artículo pretende reflexionar sobre estos informes, y además ofrecer otras recomendaciones curriculares basadas en el aprendizaje de Lenguas para Fines Específicos, en particular el Español para Fines Específicos (EFE), recomendaciones que servirían para reforzar las propuestas planteadas por los dos informes de la MLA arriba citados. El primer informe al que nos vamos a referir es “New Structures”. A raíz de los sucesos del 11 de septiembre de 2001 en Nueva York y en Washington D.C., la MLA solicitó en 2004 a un comité compuesto por expertos en lenguas extranjeras que reflexionara sobre cómo estos trágicos acontecimientos estaban afectando a la educación universitaria, en particular a los programas de lenguas extranjeras. La aceptación de que había una necesidad imperante de comunicación en otras lenguas además del inglés, sobre todo lenguas hasta entonces poco comunes en las universidades estadounidenses, cayó como un jarro de agua fría para el gobierno, los medios de comunicación, y muchos sectores profesionales (1). De repente, las lenguas extranjeras se convirtieron en una necesidad, no un lujo, y pasaron de ser una disciplina opcional a una troncal. El debate pasó entonces a centrarse en torno a cuáles deberían ser los objetivos de la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras y los medios para llevarla a cabo (1). Tradicionalmente, en un extremo del espectro está el punto de vista instrumentalista, es decir, la lengua es una destreza necesaria para transmitir información y pensamientos; por otro, está el punto de vista constitutivo, es decir, la lengua es el elemento esencial para procesar pensamientos, percepciones y expresiones, siendo un complejo fenómeno multifuncional que nos conecta a otros individuos y a otras culturas (1–2).Estos dos puntos de vista opuestos se reflejan en la mayoría de los departamentos de lenguas extranjeras del país, donde los primeros cursos se centran en el aprendizaje de la lengua, y son impartidos por profesores o instructores de lengua, principalmente, y los cursos avanzados se centran en cursos de literatura, impartidos generalmente por profesores permanentes y catedráticos. “New Structures” advierte que esta separación tan acusada entre niveles no sólo perjudica el aprendizaje

Theoretical Linguistics Meets Pedagogical Practice: Pronominal Subject Use in Spanish as a Second Language

Abstract: This article attempts to highlight the importance of theoretical linguistics and empirical cognitive linguistics studies for the practical teaching of Spanish as a second language. Look- ing at the domain of subject pronominal use as an example, I endeavor to show how formal linguistics can be useful to language instructors. This is a significant enterprise since language instructors could benefit from both a better understanding of the linguistic properties of the languages they teach and what psycholinguistic studies have revealed about the nature of adult language learning in general.

A Responsive, Integrative Spanish Curriculum at UNC Charlotte

Abstract: Key documents in recent decades have been pointing the way toward a significant re engineering of the national foreign language curriculum in the United States. Considered in concert, they suggest a renewed relevance and centrality?an evolving toponymic identity?for the study of foreign languages and cultures. This reconceptualization has been increasingly evidenced via the learner-centered forging of nontraditional, interdisciplinary partnerships in which content and methodology have been evolving distinctive architectures for what an undergraduate or graduate program in foreign languages, in this case, Spanish, might be today and in the future. In addition to language acquisition and the traditional study of lit erature, civilization and culture, and linguistics, how do we enhance our preparation of today's students of Spanish for fuller participation in the global village and economy into which they will graduate? How might they become better prepared to put their study of other languages and cultures to use, which increasingly factors in their real-world needs and inclinations, once they begin to seek gainful employment? Two recent reports and a recruitment brochure issued by the Modern Language Association of America (MLA), the 2008-2009 edition of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, and the 1988 U.S. congressional legislation for the creation of federally funded centers for international business education and research (CIBERs; see CIBERWEE) provide us with examples of a roadmap for responsive curricular development, the ongoing paradigm shift in language for specific purposes (LSP, which has always subsumed all forms of curricular design, including literary studies) that is more fully accountable to the needs of both the learner and society. Such curricular development, of course, does not occur in a vacuum. Rather, it responds to external pressures that influence change. For example, in his 1980 book, The Tongue-Tied American, Congressman Paul Simon had exhorted the institution of American higher education to engage in a broad self-analysis: "Each college should examine its own program to see if it is meeting today's and tomorrow's needs, or if it is still focused on yesterday's needs" (180) because "[ujnless complemented by academic training in the history, culture, economics and politics of a given society, the knowledge of its language alone becomes a dull instrument" (59). In 1990, Dereck Bok, former president of Harvard University, wrote in Universities and the Future of America that "[s]o long as universities depend on society for their existence and so long as society requires the education and experience that these institutions can uniquely supply, the academy has no choice but to do its part to meet the nation's legitimate needs" (104), a prescription echoed by another educational leader, J. Wade Gilley (former president of the University of Tennessee), in Thinking about American Higher Education: The 1990s and Beyond: "College and university leaders must work to include societal needs on the agenda as they go about developing their institutions" (106). And in 1994, Judith Melton (then head

L1 Allophones in L2 Speech Production: The Case of English Learners of Spanish

Abstract: Although it is broadly accepted that adult second-language (L2) learners focus attention only on those aspects of sounds needed for phonemic contrast, the role that allophony plays in the process of L2 speech learning is less well understood. It is widely assumed that speakers do not have conscious awareness of and access to first-language (L1) allophones. This study experimentally tested whether L2 learners have access to their L1 allophonic inventories and whether they can access this phonological knowledge to employ it in L2 speech production in order to reach relatively native-like L2 pronunciation. The study analyzed the ability of twelve adult native English speakers acquiring Spanish to produce phonetically similar sounds that have different phonological relations and distributional properties in their respective L1 and L2. Data collection consisted of the participants reading aloud a list of stimuli containing target sounds [ð] and [ɾ] in four sets of repetitions. A perceptual, spectrographic, and statistical analysis of the data was performed. The results suggest that access to L1 allophones is perhaps limited and dependent on some other variables (e.g., L1 orthography, the stage of L2 phonological acquisition, functional load of the target sound, motivation), but it is not impossible.

Where's the Community?

Abstract: It is gratifying to see that the two Modern Language Association (MLA) reports, "Foreign Language and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World" and "Report to the Teagle Foundation on the Undergraduate Major in Language and Literature," address important issues regarding the improvement of language teaching in the increasingly inter dependent world in which we live. The MLA's controversial recommendations, particularly regarding transforming two-tier foreign language departments, have generated several reactions (for example, Geisler; Levine et al.). However, though the suggestions might be far-reaching for many institutions, I believe they do not go far enough for a small liberal arts college such as Pitzer College. In many ways the collaborative statement in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages et al.'s "Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century" was more visionary because of its recommendation to include student interactions with communities of native speakers in the "integrative approach... to the major" that the MLA ad hoc committee endorses. At the time, the "Standards" provided the impetus (and continues to do so) for many foreign language educators across the country to advance pedagogies of community engagement and, particularly, service learning in Spanish. In fact, along with others, this document assisted Pitzer's development of a community-based Spanish program in 1999. And although our program is still a work in progress, the college has steadily been forging a creative twenty-first-century Spanish major along the lines suggested in the MLA reports. Although our institution is small and in many ways unique, it provides a useful example of what a state-of-the-art "broad, intellectually driven approach to teaching language and culture in higher education" (MLA, "Undergraduate Major" 234) should look like. For many reasons, Pitzer's institutional context is particularly favorable for a creative experimental approach to language teaching. First, it is consistent with the college's mission to "produce engaged, socially responsible citizens of the world through an academically rigorous, interdisciplinary liberal arts education emphasizing social justice, intercultural understanding, and environmental sensitivity." (Board of Trustees) Second, it fits easily within a curriculum emphasizing the social and behavioral sciences and educational objectives for interdisciplinary perspective, intercultural understanding, and concern with social responsibility and the ethical implications of knowledge and action. Third, it reinforces generally agreed upon institutional values to promote ethical practices in a diverse community through a commitment to social responsibility; the quest for equity, access, and justice; dedication to civic involvement and environmental sustainability; and respect for diversity, pluralism, and freedom of expression. Fourth, since Pitzer is part of the Claremont Colleges consortium, there has been broad sup port to develop a completely new approach that is complementary to the other colleges' more traditional programs. And fifth, the college's location in Southern California ensures that Spanish-speaking communities are accessible.

Acquiring Cultural Perceptions during Study Abroad: The Influence of Youthful Associates

Abstract: The interdependence of language and culture highlights the need to find methods for second language students to acquire cultural information and practices. This article reviews definitions of culture posited by anthropologists and language educators and discusses problems related to the recent paradigm shift from "small 'c' and big 'C'" as classifications for culture to the three 'P's of products, practices, and perspectives proposed by the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21 st Century (National Standards 2006). Drawing from Kramsch's (1993) postulate of real culture (C1) versus perceived culture (C1'), the current study solicited responses to a questionnaire regarding the practices of Spaniards from two age groups (young and mature) and American students involved in a study abroad program in Spain. Data analyses reveal that perceptions of American Students most closely align with those of Young Spaniards. Implications point to the need for intervention and instruction to provide students with a broader perspective of Spain's cultural practices.

Maintaining the Momentum of Students of Spanish from High School to College

Abstract: This article is part of a large-scale project on the study of Spanish in high school that reports on an investigation of the low college enrollments in Spanish courses of students who study Spanish in high school. An online survey was administered to 631 high school students studying Spanish and 19 Spanish teachers, and the results revealed that only 39% of the students intended to continue studying Spanish in college. A comparison of ranks was utilized to determine the strongest factors influencing their decision whether or not to study Spanish in college, and the data indicated that the most influential factors were extrinsic and instrumental: the possibility of obtaining good grades, being able to use Spanish in their everyday life, and career benefits. A descriptive analysis from SPSS also showed that there were differences based on gender, graduation plan, year of study, grade level, and ethnicity. Additionally, there were significant differences between the students' responses and teachers' perceptions, which suggests that there could be a difference between instructional goals and student motives. The article concludes with recommendations for maintaining the momentum for studying Spanish in order to produce more lifelong learners of Spanish.

José Enrique Rodó: "Iberoamérica," the Magna Patria, and the Question of Brazil

Abstract: This paper analyzes the place of Brazil in Jose Enrique Rodo's vision of Latin America as a magna patria, a supranational unity defined by commonality of language, colonial history, and culture. I pay close attention to Rodo's tendency in his essayistic texts to generalize terms such as America Latina and nuestra America in rhetorically extending the boundaries of Spanish America so as to encompass the whole of Latin America—including Brazil. In looking to texts in which Rodo addresses Brazil directly, such as "Iberoamerica" (1910), I demonstrate how the imperative to rhetorically incorporate Brazil into the magna patria challenges Rodo's preferred terminology and arguments, forcing him into logical con- tradictions and textual misinterpretations that include a telling misreading of Portuguese writer Almeida Garrett. I also explore Rodo's view of Portuguese and Spanish as "two tones of the same language," and his relative influence in Spanish America versus Brazil.

Sin pelos en la lengua: La adquisición de modismos en una clase de español como lengua extranjera

Abstract: Este articulo presenta un estudio sobre el aprendizaje de modismos verbales como hacer la vista gorda . La investigacion se centra en la organizacion de los modismos con el fin de determinar si los conjuntos tematicos son beneficiosos desde el punto de vista pedagogico. Con tal proposito, se crearon materiales didacticos para promover el aprendizaje de 38 modismos siguiendo los principios de Nation (2001) para la ensenaza de vocabulario. Los modismos fueron agrupados de dos maneras distintas: en conjuntos tematicos (por ejemplo: mala conducta ) y segun el verbo principal (por ejemplo: dar, hacer, poner ). Los participantes, estudiantes avanzados de espanol como segunda lengua, completaron pruebas de reconocimiento y de produccion escrita para medir la incidencia de la ensenanza. Los resultados indican que ambos grupos experimentales mejoraron notablemente su conocimiento de los modismos y que los logros se destacan mejor en la prueba de reconocimiento.

Swallowed: Political Ecology and Environmentalism in the Spanish American Novela de la Selva

Abstract: In this paper, I begin with the identification of a moment of intertextuality between Un viejo que leia novelas de amor (1989) by Chilean Luis Sepulveda and La voragine (1924) by Colombian Jose Eustasio Rivera as an analytical motif for a reevaluation of the environmentalism and political ecologies in the Spanish American novela de la selva tradition. I find that many of the well-established titles from the genre utilize a discourse of political ecology that can be characterized by its appeals to agents of the state. However, I propose a countertradition in the novela de la selva genre that expresses aspects of environmentalism such as the principles of "deep ecology," the role of emotion in nature protectionism, conservationism, the rights of nonhuman nature, etc. These works are precursors to the literary environmentalism of Sepulveda's novel and deserve a place in the canon of the novela de la selva . Furthermore, they anticipate and inform the environmentalism of Spanish American literature in particular and, as such, ought to be considered an essential element of environmentalist discourse in general, especially if that movement wishes to include local perspectives on such a globally important ecological asset as the Amazonian selva .

Señora, donde hay música no puede haber cosa mala : Music, Poetry, and Orality in Don Quijote

Abstract: In Cervantes's Spain, music was considered one of the foremost arts, and cultural elites aspired to learn to sing different genres and to play fashionable instruments. Music's special status was most visible at the Universities of Salamanca and Alcala, both having chairs of music charged with the instruction of trendy polyphonic styles. However, Miguel de Cervantes never attended these universities and he was not a professionally trained musician. Yet, throughout Don Quijote he includes a considerable number and variety of lyrical poems set to an abundance and diversity of period instruments. Entire episodes in the novel turn upon the fusion of song, dance, and instrumentalism. Placed against Cervantes's biography, the commonality of these instances challenges assumptions about his life and suggests his particular affinity for music. In particular, this essay is concerned with demonstrating Cervantes's agility with musical forms through an examination of the romance and the sonnet, the two lyrical poems that appear most regularly in the novel. Textual cues indicate that Cervantes meant for these poems to be performed orally, not just by the characters within the text but also by the seventeenth-century implied reader who likely read the novel aloud to a group of listeners. n Cervantes's Spain music was considered one of the foremost arts, and cultural elites aspired to learn to sing diverse genres and to play fashionable instruments. Music's special status was most visible in academic study: the two major universities in the peninsula, Sala- manca and Alcala, both had chairs of music who instructed society's upper echelons in trendy polyphonic styles (Istel and Baker 435). Miguel de Cervantes never attended these universities, nor was he a professionally trained musician, although Mariano Soriano Fuertes believed the author was a guitarist (153), and Charles Haywood wrote that, as a captive in Algiers, the writer became a "fairly accomplished performer of the guitar" and sang old ballads to pass the time (144-45). Although no historical records exist to validate Soriano Fuertes's and Haywood's claims, Cervantes likely had some very good musical training at a young age, first as a student of the Jesuit musician and priest Alonso de Vieras, chapel master of Cordoba's Cathedral 1 and continuing with the Jesuits in Cordoba and Seville. Several historians believe that Cervantes, while in the service of the Count of Lemos, may have met the most esteemed musician and composer of the period, Tomas Luis de Victoria, and the eminent musical theorist Pedro Cerone (Pastor Comin 386; Avello 86). However, Cervantes never mentions either of these maestros or any other celebrated musician or composer from the epoch. 2 If the author acquired musical training, there is no way to know how advanced it was. In short, nothing in the biographical record sheds light on Cervantes's attraction to particular musical forms; nor do these sources explain his insightful and vast knowledge of music as evidenced in the novel. Throughout Don Quijote a rather considerable number and variety of lyrical poems ap- pear frequently, and they are regularly accompanied by an abundance and diversity of period instruments. Moreover, the novel also boasts references to pieces and instruments that appear as contextual information, and entire themes or episodes in the novel often turn upon the fusion of song, dance, and instrumentalism.

Crónicas de arroz, mosquitos y paludismo en España: el caso de la provincia de Valencia (s. XVIII-XX)

Abstract: This study analyzes the situation of the rice fields in the Valencia province (Eastern Spain) during the centuries XVIII-XX. This area, together with the region of Campo Aranuelo (Western Spain), is one of the territories with highest malaria prevalence during the Spain's Modern History. Medical, demographic, social, economic and legal issues related with the problematic of the rice during this epoch are also discussed. Furthermore, this article provides information about the supposed transmission mechanisms of the disease, as well as the fight against it through chemotherapeutic and environmental sanitation techniques.

Domestic Violence and Social Responsibility in Contemporary Spanish Cinema: A Portfolio View of Behavioral Dynamics

Abstract: Domestic abuse continues to claim many lives in Spain despite a series of new laws to protect women and to punish abusers. This essay explores the cultural influences of contemporary Spanish cinema on domestic violence. Four films are assessed against a Portfolio Model of social responsibility that uses two basic dimensions: realism and human rights. Realism in each film is determined by the behavioral components of the internationally recognized Duluth Model and the Wheel of Power and Control. The human rights dimension addresses equality, power and agency for women. This study focuses on Iciar Bollain's "Te doy mis ojos" (2003), Javier Balaguer's "Solo mia" (2001), Benito Zambrano's "Solas" (1999), and Pedro Almodovar's "Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton" (1980). The results demonstrate significant variations in the measure of social responsibility indicating that contemporary Spanish cinema may play a role in perpetuating gender-based violence.

Devil, Converso, Duende: Anamorphosis and the View of Spain in Luis Vélez de Guevara's El diablo cojuelo

Abstract: This essay examines Luis Velez de Guevara's El diablo cojuelo through the lens of a scene that other scholars have neglected, in which the title character jumps into a writer's yawning mouth and is regurgitated. I extend previous approaches to the novel that focus on satire and perspectivism to theorize that Cojuelo's body and language exemplify and enact anamorphosis, the hidden perspective. This rep- resentational tool challenges readers to readjust their spatial, sensory, and cognitive engagement with the text and, by extension, the extrafictional world. Applying this procedure, Velez also draws on and reorients baroque Spain's obsession with scrutiny, including experiences familiar to him such as converso heritage, court patronage, and literary academies. Using theories of vision, perspective, and demonic influence con- temporary to Velez, as well as Federico Garcia Lorca's "Juego y teoria del duende," I posit a connection between Cojuelo and duende to investigate the role of supernatural inspiration in the creative process. Through anamorphosis, the text creates an image of Spain that is fragmented socially (in the civitas) and spatially, and the writer's ingestion and expulsion of Cojuelo is an enactment of Lorca's duende in liberat- ing the creative force as it purges the demons haunting Velez and the nation.

Los artífices del Plus Ultra : pilotos, cartógrafos y cosmógrafos en la Casa de la Contratación de Sevilla durante el siglo XVI

Abstract: This article demonstrates how the institutionalization of cosmography and navigation ended with the slogan Non Terrae Plus Ultra , and led to the emergence of imperial heading Plus Ultra helped by the navigation of a Mare Tenebrosum (the Atlantic Ocean), and the delineation of the contours of a new world that began beyond the Columns of Hercules. This process was made possible by the establishment in Seville of the House of Trade in 1503 and the creation of scientific offices such as Pilot Major, master of making nautical charts or cosmographer. The ship appears on the cover of the Regimiento de navegacion (1606) by Andres Garcia de Cespedes across the pillars of the hero of Greek mythology highlights the Baconian premise of man's dominion over nature, the knowledge gained through the conquest of the West Indies, and also the wishes of the Spanish monarchy by taking advantage of the usefulness of scientific knowledge by joining the nautical experience and cosmographical theory.

Promise (Un)fulfilled: Reframing Languages for the Twenty-First Century

Abstract: Change. How often in the past few years we have heard the mantra?change. Yet as multiple entities, including institutions of higher education, contemplate change, it is significant to note how difficult, slow, and ineffectual change may both seem and actu ally be. Change in higher education, as manifested in curriculum reform, can be particularly difficult as the structures of academia, such as rank and tradition, retard the process. Nonethe less, as educators and professionals we must rise to societal and professional concerns/demands, particularly in response to crises such as 9/11, globalization, and other international conflicts. Two recent reports from the Modern Language Association (MLA) strive to address needed curricular adaptations and offer a roadmap of considerations for modifications. Although the reports from the MLA primarily focus on foreign languages in higher education, implications for language learning in K-12 and nontraditional language instruction are also addressed. More significantly, the reports offer a springboard from which to consider where we have been, our situation today, and where we must go if we are to remain relevant in the future. But even with these documents, the profession would be remiss in not considering in part the as yet unful filled potential of the national standards as a unifying element in our conversation and practice. Rather than acquiescing our pedagogical and professional responsibilities to the most current trend or always operating in a crisis management mode, institutions would gain by anchoring their practices in twenty-first-century literacies, focusing on what our students should know and be able to do. The 2007 MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages report, "Foreign Language and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World," posits that "the language major should be structured to produce a specific outcome: educated speakers who have deep translingual and transcultural competence" (3). The ideal model, then, would be an integrative, interdisciplinary major with accountability for language competence and study abroad opportunities. The afore mentioned report does acknowledge that the "language deficiency that is prevalent in the United States cannot be solved at the college level alone. While learning another language is possible at any age, learning languages other than English must be included in the earliest years of the K-12 system if the United States is to have a citizenry capable of communicating with educated native speakers in their language" (8). Thus, it encourages "alliances between K-12 educators and college and university faculty members to strengthen language learning at all levels and to foster collaboration" (8). This is an admirable goal but one that must be accompanied by an attitude shift that does not minimize the contribution of the PK-12 partners. Although the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Teachers for a New Era (TNE) project is not a focus here1 it is worthy to note that such efforts are designed to increase the quality of teaching in K-12 classrooms by improving the quality of teacher education programs and do have a definite focus on the importance of content area. This cross-disciplinary relationship,

La Galatea: The Embryonic Manifestation of Cervantes's Narrative Genius

Abstract: Narratological studies of Cervantes's work up to this moment in time concentrate solely on Don Quixote . Markedly absent from the critical arena are studies that focus on narrative voices in Cervantes's other lengthy narratives, La Galatea and Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda . Editorial voices and the inherent narrative complexity that they bring to a text are not limited to the confines of the Quixote . This article will provide a narratological perspective on Cervantes's La Galatea , focusing on the continuity and change in the narrative discourse. Specifically, it will trace the development of an editorial voice, or a supernarrator, in the Galatea .

La enseñanza de lenguas en España y el reto del multilingüismo europeo

Abstract: Apartir de la lectura de los dos informes de la MLA que sirven de punto de partida para el debate sobre la ensenanza de lenguas extranjeras en las universidades estadouniden ses, este articulo presenta el estado actual de la ensenanza de lenguas extranjeras en las universidades espanolas tomando en cuenta la reciente implementacion del Espacio Europeo de Ensenanza Superior (EEES, tambien llamado Proceso de Bolonia).1 Antes de empezar con la exposition, proporciono un resumen de los dos informes de la MLA como anclaje para las reflexiones al final del articulo. El informe "Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World" ("New Structures", de aqui en adelante) parte de lo que se denomina "crisis linguistica actual" y propone un cambio de los programas academicos para superar la dicotomia entre la perspectiva instrumentalista (lengua como instrumento para la comunicacion) y la constitutiva (lengua como aspecto inherente de la experiencia humana). Se propone crear programas con un objetivo claro?la competencia translinguistica y transcultural?y con una organizacion nueva a partir de la creation de especialidades con contenidos interdisciplinarios. Se recomienda asi mismo modificar la organizacion del sistema departamental norteamericano (con las conocidas descompensaciones entre profesores de distintas disciplinas y anos de antigiiedad). El otro informe, "Report to the Teagle Foundation on the Undergraduate Major in Langua ge and Literature" tambien muestra la necesidad imperante de reformar los estudios llamados liberales {LiberalArts) para hacerlos mas atractivos a los estudiantes actuales y mas congruentes con las necesidades profesionales de los alumnos norteamericanos. En concreto, aboga por un mayor enfasis en el papel de la literatura y en el diseno de una especialidad integrada en la que no haya una simple lista de asignaturas y requisitos que cumplir, sino un diseno curricular bien articulado entre materias y profesorado.

El cuento periodístico y la entrevista literaria de Rosa Montero: "Paulo Pumilio" y "Javier Marías: En estado de gracia"

Abstract: En el presente trabajo se analizan "Paulo Pumilio", cuento hermanado con la cronica, y "Javier Marias: en estado de gracia", entrevista emparentada con el cuento, con el fin de destacar la originalidad y maestria de Rosa Montero tanto en su obra periodistica como en la ficcion. Se estudia el uso que la autora hace de las mismas tecnicas en uno y otro genero, lo que nos permite afirmar que su periodismo es literario. Ademas se ahonda en el vibrante debate historico entre periodismo y literatura dentro de las letras hispanicas, tradicion a la que sin duda pertenece la escritora.