Understanding language ideologies in Puerto Rico: From colonialism to translanguaging

Abstract

This thesis provides an historical analysis of the evolution of the monolingual paradigm in Puerto Rico. It traces the origins of the monolingual paradigm from the rise of the modern European nation-state, through US colonization of Puerto Rico, until present day Puerto Rican society. Critical discourse analysis is used to analyze a selection of excerpts which are representative of the language ideologies in their respective time period, and through this analysis, the common threads of the monolingual paradigm are highlighted. The purpose of this identification is to reveal the incongruities between language ideologies found in Puerto Rican classroom, and society as a whole, versus the language practices in Puerto Rican classrooms. Instead of the adhering to the language ideologies reflecting the monolingual paradigm, the thesis suggests a translanguaging paradigm to view language, one which is more reflecting of the Puerto Rican language reality.