Lillian Gorman (Part 1): The Old and the New in New Mexican Spanish!

What happens when varieties of Spanish spoken in northern New Mexico, still influenced by the Spanish spoken in the area 500 years ago, encounter more modernized varieties of Spanish spoken in present-day Mexico? This is a question Dr. Lillian Gorman of the University of Arizona wanted to investigate. Dr. Gorman’s own family was established in the region generations ago, so this is a question in which she also has a personal interest and investment. In her new book, Zones of Encuentro: Language and Identities in Northern New Mexico, Dr. Gorman discusses the dynamics of older and newer varieties of Spanish that meet when speakers of those varieties marry or cohabitate. In such familial relationships, how does each variety influence the other? How does the contact of the varieties affect intergenerational relationships and what does it portend for the survival of the ancient Spanish variety of northern New Mexico? Finally, what might current and future teachers need to know about the varieties of Spanish, both “old” and “new,” their students bring to school? Listen to Part 1 of our discussion with Dr. Gorman as she explains some of the surprising and paradoxical findings of her research. We also discuss the concepts of native language and heritage language.