PUREPECHA HERITAGE SPEAKERS’ LINGUISTIC BIOGRAPHIES. A CONTRASTIVE CASE STUDY OF PUREPECHA HERITAGE SPEAKERS BORN IN THE U.S. VERSUS BORN IN MEXICO.

Valeria Valencia

Applied LinguisticsUniversity of California, Los AngelesSeventh Heritage Language Institute

THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH IS:

To explore the language ideologies of Purepecha heritage speakers around Purepecha, Spanish and English

To examine how these speakers’ language ideologies have an impact on their linguistic choices: everyday language use, language acquisition and/or maintenance.

To analyze how these language ideologies influence their Purepecha, Mexican, Latino and/or American identities.

CURRENT LINGUISTIC SITUATION OF THE PUREPECHA COMMUNITY IN MEXICO AND THE U.S.

The 2010 Mexican Census points out that there are around 100, 000 Purepecha speakers in Mexico settled mainly in the state of Michoacán.

The Mexican census only accounts for language proficiency, there is no way of knowing how many individuals of Purepecha origin are mainly heritage speakers and have shifted to Spanish.

The 2010 U.S. Census points out the existence of 2,397 people of Purepecha origin in the U.S.

Only 470 acknowledge being Purepecha speakers. 60% Purepecha heritage speakers

Almost half of them are settled in different parts of California, alone.

Other U.S. states are Illinois, Oregon, Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, Nuevo Mexico, Arizona and Washington

PUREPECHA HERITAGE SPEAKERS BORN IN MEXICO

Flor(52 yeas old)

Rosendo(55 years old)

Justino(45 years old)

Came to U.S. 17 years old 20 years old 21 years old

Purepecha proficiency

Higher listening comprehension

Higher listening comprehension

Higher listening comprehension

Spanish Native proficiency

Native proficiency

Native proficiency

English Basic comprehension and fluency

60% Basic comprehension and fluency

While growing up parents addressed interviewee in

Spanish Spanish Spanish

EducationLanguage

6th grade Spanish

High schoolSpanish

High schoolSpanish

Spouse’s ethnicity

PurepechaHeritage

PurepechaHeritage

Mexican Mestizo

Purepecha Flor Rosendo JustinoOral proficiency

Basic greetings and goodbyesPurepecha songs

Basic conversationPurepecha songs

Basic greetings and goodbyesFlirting phrases, poems

Listening Comprehension

50% 60% 50%

Literacy None None SomeEnglish Flor Rosendo JustinoEducation Training for immigration

examHigh school Adult school

High schoolAdult school

Language Parents Addressed each other

Purepecha Purepecha Purepecha

LANGUAGE THAT INTERVIEWEES’ CHILDREN SPEAK

Flor Rosendo Justino1st language Spanish Spanish Spanish2nd language English English EnglishPurepecha None Some NoneLanguage mainly used among children

English and Spanish

English and Spanish

English

Shift to Spanish in Mexico

Some exposure to English in Mexico. Acquisition of English in the U.S.

Incidental Purepecha acquisition in hometown and at home.

In the U.S. little additional efforts to acquire Purepecha

PUREPECHA HERITAGE SPEAKERS BORN AND RAISED IN U.S.

Omar(31 yeas old)

Jessica(20 years old)

Ireri(30 years old)

Came to U.S. Born in CaliforniaWent to Cherán when he was 2

Born in California Born in Michoacan. Came to the U.S. at age of 5

Purepecha proficiency

Higher listening comprehensionCommon phrases for pragmatic purposes. Such as greetings, goodbyes, etc.

High listening comprehension.Mid-high oral proficiency

Basic listening comprehensionBasic oral proficiency

Spanish Native proficiency High proficiency High proficiency

English High proficiency Native proficiency Native proficiency

While growing up parents addressed interviewee in

Spanish Spanish Spanish

EducationLanguage

6th grade SpanishEnglish middle school and up

English English

Spouse’s ethnicity PurepechaHeritage

NA Native American

Purepecha Omar Jessica IreriOral proficiency

Basic greetings and goodbyesPurepecha songs

Intermediate conversation

Basic greetings and goodbyes

Listening Comprehension

50% 60% 50%

Literacy Some None None

Language Parents Addressed each other

Spanish Spanish and Purepecha

Spanish

Shift to Spanish at home

Acquisition of English in the U.S. at school.

Some efforts to acquire Purepecha

LANGUAGE IDEOLOGIES AROUND INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES IN MÉXICO Originally colonial language ideologies, mark

a sharp opposition between:

Spanish as a language associated with civilization and education

Versus

Mexican Indigenous Languages generally associated with savagery, primitiveness and ignorance (Van Dijk, 2005, p. 84).

IDEOLOGIES ABOUT PUREPECHA

JUSTINO AND LUCIOJustino: Purepecha is a dialect not a language.

Spanish is a language, English, French are languages. The difference is that certain ethnic groups speak it [...] like now in Michoacan.

Lucio: In my understanding dialects are, for example... In Mexico different dialects are spoken. The country was divided into several languages.

Justino: No, dialects.Lucio: Yes, dialects! ...and with the Spanish

conquest the dialects started to disappear.

RACIALIZATION OF INDIGENOUS SPEECH AND SPEAKERSRosendo: “There are people who are my same age (me

included) that are ashamed of our origin. There are people that say, uhm, for example, who try to pretend to be from the largest city in the state. [and for example]-‘Where are you from?’ -‘I am from Morelia or Uruapan’. No. I always say: -‘I am from Cherán’. You know, they used to tell me: -‘Oh, so you are ‘Indio’?’ -‘No, I am not Indio. I am from an indigenous community, which is different, all right?’

LANGUAGE IDEOLOGIES OF PUREPECHA BORN IN THE U.S.

IRERI “Well my dad says that my grandfather tried to

teach him words in Purepecha, but never showed much interest. Especially because he started migrating here (the U.S.) when he was nineteen years old, when they were young, my dad and his brothers. So they were more interested in learning English and never paid much attention to their parents or to try to understand [Purepecha]. My paternal grandfather [...] never wanted to teach their children much either because he had come to work here in California since the Bracero Program… And he felt ashamed. He felt like they [other non-Purepecha Mexican] would make fun of him and his children for speaking a language that other Mexican, who were also peasants, did not understand”

TO SUMMARIZE: Interviewees distance themselves from racialized ideologies

about their heritage language

Because of language policies interviewees had no education in their heritage language. Spanish had a higher value both in school and at home as parents did not speak Purepecha with them.

The added physical distance after immigrating to the U.S. leaves little opportunities to link Purepecha to a Purepecha community identity. Interviewees’ children opt for Spanish and English primarily and not Purepecha.

THANK YOU! SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS WELCOMEContact info: valenciavz@ucla.edu