The use of Spanish language in public signage in Trinidad
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Language Policy
Location
MBSC Dodge Room 302A
Start Date
18-10-2024 4:00 PM
End Date
18-10-2024 4:30 PM
Abstract
Trinidad and Tobago, a twin-island country in the Southern Caribbean, has historically been a multilingual country where languages from various parts of the world are, or were spoken at a point in time. Trinidad and Tobago is a Spanish name, which is one of the multiple ways that reflects the presence of the Spanish language. The existence of the Spanish language in the history of Trinidad is evidenced in toponyms, in cultural representations such as parang (parranda) music or pastelles, both part of Christmas celebrations; as well as loan words in the Trinidadian and Tobagonian English (TTE) and Trinidadian English Creole (TrinEC). The 21st century has marked important changes for the presence of Spanish in Trinidad and Tobago. It is no longer spoken as a native language and current language policies include it, and aim to promote it as a foreign language. In 2005, an ambitious national development plan aimed to implement Spanish as the First Foreign Language (SAFFL) of the country, and, due to a recent large-scale migration from Venezuela, Spanish is now labelled as the language of migrants. These recent events have created a new linguistic landscape in Trinidad, it is common to see the Spanish language used in public signage. Some of these signs emerged as the result of a top-down language policy (SAFFL) and the others from bottom-up language policies created by the citizens to cater for the migrant population. The present study is a research proposal that aims to look into the ways in which the Spanish language is used in public signage in Trinidad, the audience for whom these signs are intended, the explicit and implicit messages, as well as the reasoning behind these signs. This study seeks to provide valuable insights about multilingualism and language contact in modern Trinidad.
The use of Spanish language in public signage in Trinidad
MBSC Dodge Room 302A
Trinidad and Tobago, a twin-island country in the Southern Caribbean, has historically been a multilingual country where languages from various parts of the world are, or were spoken at a point in time. Trinidad and Tobago is a Spanish name, which is one of the multiple ways that reflects the presence of the Spanish language. The existence of the Spanish language in the history of Trinidad is evidenced in toponyms, in cultural representations such as parang (parranda) music or pastelles, both part of Christmas celebrations; as well as loan words in the Trinidadian and Tobagonian English (TTE) and Trinidadian English Creole (TrinEC). The 21st century has marked important changes for the presence of Spanish in Trinidad and Tobago. It is no longer spoken as a native language and current language policies include it, and aim to promote it as a foreign language. In 2005, an ambitious national development plan aimed to implement Spanish as the First Foreign Language (SAFFL) of the country, and, due to a recent large-scale migration from Venezuela, Spanish is now labelled as the language of migrants. These recent events have created a new linguistic landscape in Trinidad, it is common to see the Spanish language used in public signage. Some of these signs emerged as the result of a top-down language policy (SAFFL) and the others from bottom-up language policies created by the citizens to cater for the migrant population. The present study is a research proposal that aims to look into the ways in which the Spanish language is used in public signage in Trinidad, the audience for whom these signs are intended, the explicit and implicit messages, as well as the reasoning behind these signs. This study seeks to provide valuable insights about multilingualism and language contact in modern Trinidad.