Growing up Bilingual Puerto Rican Children in New York [Paperback]

This book provides an inside view of the social construction of bilingualism in one of the largest and most disadvantaged Spanish-speaking groups in the United States.1. Hablamos Los Dos. We Speak Both: Studying Bilingualism in the Community Context.

2. The Community: El Bloque.

3. The Bilingual/Multidialectal Repertoire of El Bloque.

4. Bilingualism En Casa.

5. The Hows and Whys of Spanglish .

6. The Grammar of Spanglish .

7. Life and Language in Young Adulthood.

8. Isabel: A Special Case.

9. Spanish Competence.

10. Raising the Next Generation of New York Puerto Ricans.

11. Maria: Learning to Defenderse.

12. Expanding Repertoires: Linking Language, Education, and the New Diversity.

References.

Tables.

Figures.

Growing up Bilingual is a profoundly compelling account of what it means to come of age in an economically impoverished but linguistically rich cultural environment.Without romanticising an often grim situation, Zentella tells a story that has long needed to be told. It should be read by every teacher and social worker who deals with Puerto Rican children. It should also occupy a prominent spot on the bookshelf of anyone seriously interested in language policy, ethnolinguistics, applied linguistics, bilingual education, ethnic identity or Hispanic studies. Alicia Pousada, University of Puerto Rico

Along with her splendid sense of the need to portray memory and history, she brings wit, grace, and intelligence to her intimate and detailed portrayals of the life and language of Puerto Rican children and their families in New York. Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University