Classroom Lessons Based on Surname Study

Tapping into the Linguistic

Connections between L1 and L2

Pasco Bilingual Mini-ConferenceRed Lion Hotel PascoFebruary 11-12, 2011

Sal Gabaldón, Presenter1

Part I: English-Spanish Connection

Nationally, 79% of ELLs are from Spanish-speaking backgrounds*

One especially powerful academic advantage for Spanish-surnamed students is the many connections between Spanish and English.

* Source: Kindler, A.L., Survey of the States’ Limited English Proficient Students (2002) 2

English & Spanish Culturally Linked

America’s top two languages are linked in many ways:

Shared origins

Similar lexicons

Geographic juxtaposition

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Linked by Birth (pg. 36)

Both born at roughly the same time: 250 to 450 C.E.

Both fathered by the collapse of the Roman Empire

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Linked by Geography

Began life in neighboring European countries: Spain & England

Today the nations holding the most speakers of those tongues: Mexico & the U.S.

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Linked by History The largest population of expatriate Americans

lives in Mexico; largest population of expatriate Mexicans lives in the U.S.

Spanish is the second language of the U.S.; English is the second language of Mexico.

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Linked by Vocabulary

Spanish was influenced by Arabic, but it predominantly derived from Latin; English is predominantly Germanic, but has been strongly influenced by Latin.

This shared Latin history has produced thousands of English-Spanish cognates.

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Our Shared Cognates

Students’ literacy in L1 boosts the development of literacy in L2

Monolingual English speakers at times can use cognates to read Spanish with nearly perfect comprehension.

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Using L1 to Read L2

En agosto Daniel y su papá visitarán al magnífico zoológico municipal de San Diego. Allí observarán varios tipos de animales, incluyendo los tigres, los elefantes, los hipopótamos, los cocodrilos y las jirafas. Daniel cargará una cámara para tomar fotos. En septiembre presentará las fotos en su clase como parte de un reporte titulado “Mi vacación en California.”

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Latinized English

Similarly, Spanish-speaking ELLs often can recognize terms written in Latinized academic English. Given each word pair shown below, which word is more likely to have a Spanish cognate?

fight / disputeget / obtainkill / exterminatetell / indicate

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False Cognates

To attend the class (asistir—not atender)

To speak with the principal (director/a—not principal)

To visit the library (biblioteca—not librería)

To submit an application (solicitud—not aplicación)

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Part II: Instructional Uses

Ways that teachers can take advantage of the characteristics shared by the English and Spanish languages:

Point out cognates (more than 300,000 such words)

Encourage surname study Teach about eponyms

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Identity

Much of education is about self-discovery:

Who am I?

Where do I come from?

How am I like others?

How am I unique?

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Government and ID

Governments, since the dawn of nations, have sought ways to identify individuals.

Surnames were invented in response to the government’s need to document individual identities, particularly for tax purposes.

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Names Reinterpreted

The process of discovering one’s place in society is especially important to immigrants

ELLs can have a particularly difficult time finding themselves, caught between

Two languages Two cultures And sometimes…two names

José o Joey?

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Students’ Initials In the Middle Ages

J was born from I Ñ was born from N W was born from U

U became V in the 18th Century

A research project for ELLs: “Discover the origins of your initials…”

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The Letter O*

“For centuries the robust O has conveyed emotion and demanded attention in verse and oratory. It is perhaps our most expressive letter, and hardest working. Among O’s features are its many shades of pronunciation in English; its uses as a word unto itself; and its beautiful written form—a circle, a ring, intriguing and satisfying to the eye. O is the only letter whose name creates its shape, however imperfectly, on the speaker’s lips.”

*Sacks, David. Letter Perfect: The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet From A to Z (2003)

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La LL, la Ñ y la RR

In classical Latin, geminate (or "double”) consonants were phonemic.  Over time, the Spanish pronunciation of double L, double N and double R slurred into unique sounds recognized as distinct letters.

English example: “announced” versus “unnamed”

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The Ñ in Spanish Surnames

Acuña

Bañuelos

Cáñez

Cariño

Garduño

Muñoz

Núñez

Oñate

Peña

Quiñónez

Treviño

Viña

Yáñez

Zúñiga19

Surname Links

The Germanic people known as Visigoths ruled Iberia for two centuries and left a linguistic influence that is still evident in Spanish surnames: Heinrich-Enríquez-Henderson Gundisalv-González-Guntherson Hrodric-Rodríguez-Rodrickson

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Names as Denotative Mirror Images

Spanish

Sr. Campos

Sra. Fuentes

Carlos Estévez

Adán Pérez

Sgt. Herrera

Dr. Molina

English

Mr. Fields

Mrs. Wells

Charles Stevenson

Adam Peterson

Sgt. Smith

Dr. Miller21

Heritage Reflected in Surnames

Adelman—German sobriquet: “nobleman”

Combs—English topographic name: “small valley”

Crawford—English topographic name: “crow’s ford”

Gabaldón—Basque topographic: “rich field”

Kleyn—German sobriquet: “small”

Krashen—Armenian place name from Shirak province: “alpha”

Vallone—Italian topographic: “great valley”

Villegas-Gutiérrez—Spanish place name/patronymic: “Egas’s village” and “Walter’s son”

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Sharing Our Own “Name Story”

As teachers, one way for students to know us as three-dimensional human beings is to share the story of our names as we help students document theirs.

Some ELLs will know a lot about their names and will be eager to share the information; some will know very little.

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Surname Study Promotes (pp. 37-40)

More personal connection between teachers and students

Student engagement through cultural relevance

Multicultural understanding

Interdisciplinary learning language + content

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Name Dictionaries

Tibón, Gutierre. Diccionario etimológico de los apellidos españoles. Mexico City, Mexico: Editorial Diana, 1988.

Woods, Richard. Hispanic First Names: A Comprehensive Dictionary of 250 Years of Mexican-American Usage. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984.

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Sample Essays (pg. 41)

Consider the sample student essays: Use of voice Word choice Variety of sentence structure

Note that plagiarism is virtually impossible

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Surnames and Content Subjects

Surnames can also play a role in the study of math, science and social studies

Consider the following: Pythagorean Theorem Álvarez Hypothesis Monroe Doctrine

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Eponyms (pg. 42)

Names of real or imaginary persons after whom something (such as an object, organism, concept, place, era or discovery) is named.

Eponyms are excellent subjects for independent study; they add a human dimension to abstract concepts.

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Example: “boycott”

The word boycott entered the English language during the Irish “Land War” in the 1880s and is derived from the name of Charles Boycott, an Irish land agent, who was ostracized by his neighbors in County Mayo, Ireland, because he was charging tenants rent that they couldn’t afford. His workers abandoned his house, fields and stables; businesses refused to sell to him, and even the postman refused to deliver his mail.

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Pasco, WA

Named after Cerro de Pasco, Perú

Pasco: Cornish nickname for someone born on Easter; Italian surname meaning Easter.

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Closure—Q & A

“In America

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English promotes unity;

English-only promotes enmity.”

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