Contribution to Book
Reviving the Unicorn: Linguistic Reconsiderations for the Existence of Spanglish
Questioning Theoretical Primitives in Linguistic Inquiry: Papers in honor of Ricardo Otheguy
(2018)
Abstract
This chapter engages the debate on the term Spanglish. Ricardo Otheguy asserts that the term Spanglish has no real-world referent and is “technically flawed.” In response, it is argued that the term Spanglish is neither objectively inaccurate nor technically flawed because the term Spanglish refers to a ‘real’ linguistic phenomenon. Furthermore, the necessary conditions for labeling linguistic varieties as varieties are theoretically untenable or practically unimplementable. The chapter also highlights that linguistic systems are mental objects whose existence is inferred from behavioral epiphenomena and that such a set of behavioral epiphenomena is in evidence for Spanglish. The chapter concludes that sufficient linguistic and sociolinguistic evidence exists to posit the existence of, and thereby justify the use of, the term Spanglish.
Disciplines
Publication Date
December, 2018
Editor
Naomi Shin and Daniel Erker
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Series
Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics
ISBN
9789027201676
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1075/sfsl.76.10var
Citation Information
Rachel Varra. "Reviving the Unicorn: Linguistic Reconsiderations for the Existence of Spanglish" Questioning Theoretical Primitives in Linguistic Inquiry: Papers in honor of Ricardo Otheguy Vol. 76 (2018) p. 209 - 244 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rachel-varra/14/