Angličtina
This qualitative study asks how Yucatec Maya-speaking§immigrants §from Mexico are using their three languages, Maya,§Spanish and §English, across a variety of social contexts and§neighborhoods in San §Francisco, California. Treating language as§communicative practice, the study looks at the§relative value and §meaning of these languages in public and private§spaces across the §city. Qualitative data were collected from§interviews, participant §observation, and case studies of four individuals.§These include §recorded multilingual interactions with shopkeepers,§roommates,§coworkers and clinic staff, which are explored using§Conversation§Analysis and frameworks from linguistic anthropology and §language socialization studies. Quantitative data on§patterns of language use were collected through a§language and §literacy survey of 170 adults, which was designed§and administered §by a team Maya-speakers and the author. These data§underscore §the §considerable linguistic resources of these§Yucatecans, many of §whom have§few years of formal schooling. The study challenges§language §educators to build on these resources, rather than on §limited academic foundations.
