The National Science Foundation will support the seventh Hispanic Linguistics Symposium and the associated Sixth Conference on the Acquisition of Spanish and Portuguese as First and Second Languages, to be held at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, October 16-18, 2003. The conference will provide a forum for scholarly exchange on issues related to Spanish linguistics, bilingualism and the teaching of Spanish as a heritage language. People of Hispanic origin now constitute the largest ethnic minority in the United States. Many of these are English-dominant speakers who wish to improve their Spanish speaking skills. For this reason two special sessions will focus on the use of Spanish in the United States and on teaching Spanish to heritage speakers. Another session will focus on quantitative approaches to Spanish and Portuguese linguistics.
The Hispanic Linguistics Symposium is a major forum for the interchange of current research on the Spanish and Portuguese languages. Published resources associated with the symposium will make the latest research widely accessible. The symposium will not only advance the scientific study of Spanish and Portuguese but it will also promote the teaching of these languages through special sessions devoted to teaching methodology as it relates to second language speakers. The symposium will broaden the participation of an underrepresented group, Hispanics, through sessions oriented to their concerns and through outreach to attract them to the conference. Secondary school Spanish teachers from the State of New Mexico will be invited to attend. The larger society will benefit from the transmission of sociolinguistic knowledge that will inform the practice of teachers in the public schools, facilitating a more positive engagement with culturally and linguistically diverse students.
