Carmen Fought June Hurt ENG 525 Fall 2013 Introductory Video

What it ain’t is Spanglish, or ‘messed up’ English OR Spanish! Photo by Reed Saxon/AP

Chicano English is a contact dialect that arose from the linguistic settings in which there is contact between Mexican Spanish and American English.  It is not simply English influenced by Spanish.  Speakers of Chicano English are native English speakers who speak a variety of English found in their community.  It is a variety of English spoken by fluent English speakers who are not English learners.

Some Chicano English speakers have ancestors that have been in America longer than many ethnicities in the eastern U.S.

 Fastest growing minority in the United States  Distinctive demographic profile  Native born outnumber immigrants historically by wide margin

Near the intersection of two major freeways Fairly stable population size Above LA County median income

Westside Park High School  An alternative school for students with ‘issues’  Has a small student body and small staff  Tight-knit community  Students treated with dignity  About 55% Latino

 Majority of young adults live at home until married  Parents have strict rule systems  Role of siblings part of the role of family  Positive value placed on family relationships  Opposite end of spectrum would be gang members

 Middle class  Lower middle class  Working class  Lower working class  Low income

 Born in the community -Immigrant -Recent immigrant  Racial tensions  Degree of assimilation  Gang membership  Social class tensions

 Gang members  Wanna-bes/back-up: may one day be members  Wanna-bes/hangers-on: will NEVER be members  Straights/nobodies

 The moms  Mexican nationals  Speakers from outside of the high school

Molina Speaks comes from a Mexicano-Chicano background and is a first generation college graduate. He teaches college-level courses in Chicano Studies, Hip-Hop Studies, and Media Justice.