Spanish Sociolinguistics and Dialectal Variation Flashcards
6 cards from real BTLPT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Spanish Sociolinguistics and Dialectal Variation flashcards as text
What is 'diglossia' in the context of Spanish language use in US bilingual communities?
Answer: A situation where two languages or language varieties serve different social functions
Diglossia describes how communities use two language varieties for different purposes — Spanish at home, English for formal institutions — which bilingual teachers must understand.
A bilingual teacher in Texas notices that some students use 'Tex-Mex' or 'Spanglish.' The most appropriate pedagogical response is:
Answer: Acknowledge the home variety as valid while teaching academic standard Spanish as an additional register
Validating students' home language variety while teaching standard academic Spanish as an additional register supports bilingual identity and academic achievement.
Which term describes the gradual shift from Spanish to English across generations in US Latino communities?
Answer: Language shift (desplazamiento lingüístico)
Language shift describes the process by which immigrant communities gradually transition to using the dominant language (English) across generations.
The Spanish spoken by heritage speakers in the US often shows influence from English. What is this phenomenon called?
Answer: Lexical borrowing and contact-induced change
Lexical borrowing (e.g., 'carpeta' used to mean carpet) and contact-induced grammatical changes are natural features of heritage Spanish in the US.
For the BTLPT, which variety of Spanish is used as the standard for the written and oral assessments?
Answer: Standard academic Spanish, with no single regional variety strictly required
The BTLPT uses standard academic Spanish as its reference; no single regional accent is required, but formal register and intelligibility are expected.
What is the term for words that have been borrowed from English and adapted to Spanish phonology and morphology (e.g., 'lonche' from 'lunch')?
Answer: Anglicismos / préstamos del inglés
Anglicismos are English borrowings adapted into Spanish, and while common in spoken US Spanish, BTLPT candidates should use standard academic vocabulary in formal written tasks.