Kelly Lowther PhD Candidate Second Language Acquisition and Teaching-GIDP XXI Conference on Spanish in the U.S. George Mason University, Arlington, VA campus March 15-18, 2007

ABSTRACT
The learning of a particular language or dialect goes beyond linguistic development alone, and rather extends to both social and cultural competence, learned through various social contexts such as the home, school and church. According to Schieffelin & Ochs (1986) and Ochs (2002), from the moment we are born and interact with other human beings in the social world around us, two integrated processes are initiated: language acquisition and language socialization. As children, we are socialized to and through language (Schieffelin & Ochs, 1986). Social values are transmitted that enable us to become socially and culturally competent members of our social worlds. The current study investigates language socialization through data collected from audio- and video-taped ethnographic-style observations of a bilingual family of Mexican heritage in Tucson, Arizona. The study examines the interaction between a mother and her 20-month-old daughter, focusing on the linguistic and social practices and the embedded social and cultural messages transmitted through them. Data is also derived from an interview with the mother about the family’s Spanish language maintenance and practices.

Two main aspects of the interaction, each found to play an integral role in the child’s language socialization, were analyzed: (1) the use of directives toward baby; and (2) the displays of affect between mother and baby. The directives, analyzed according to categories established by Mulder (1998) and Bhimji (2005), included explicit, interplicit and implicit forms and, contrary to some previous study findings, data revealed a wide variety of directive forms and sentence structures used in making requests. In addition, explicit directives were mitigated in a multitude of ways, including: soft tone of voice, displays of affect, and use of diminutives and affectionate nicknames. The study demonstrated the transmission of such social messages as thanking, sharing, and showing affection to others, and showed the importance of building affectionate ties between mother and baby through hugs, kisses, songs and facial expressions. Strong family beliefs about Spanish language maintenance in the interview were confirmed by observations.

References

• Bhimji, F. (2005). Language socialization with directives in two Mexican immigrant families in south central Los Angeles. In A. C. Zentella (Ed.), Building on strength, (pp. 60­ 76). New York: Teachers College Press.
• Mulder, G. (1998). La pragmática lingüística del español: Recientes desarrollos. In H. Haverkate & G. Mulder & C.F. Maldonado (Eds.), Diálogos hispánicos, 22, 237-275. Amsterdam: Rodopi. Ochs, E. (2002). Becoming a speaker of culture. In C. Kramsch (Ed.), Language acquisition and language socialization: Ecological perspectives, (pp. 99-120). New York: Continuum.
• Schieffelin, B. B. & Ochs, E. (1986). Language socialization. Annual Review of Anthropology, 15, 163-191.