Overview

An examination of Spanglish, Portuñol, and Judeo-Spanish literatures that builds on sociolinguistic understandings of the intersections of language, nation, and identity to develop the theoretical frameworks of “linguistic labor” and “literary doulas.” Connecting the metaphor of labor to the human life cycle, Remy Attig introduces the notion of literary doulas. These doulas accompany a community as a body of literature is born (akin to the doula as midwife), or, in the case of Judeo-Spanish, writes the language as a form of linguistic palliative care for a community whose historical language is facing imminent death (the death doula). Presenting three case studies of Spanglish, Portuñol, and Judeo-Spanish, the first part of Linguistic Labor and Literary Doulas places the emergence of these languages in their respective geographies and contexts. Attig discusses the work of authors and literary doulas, including Susana Chávez-Silverman, Gloria Anzaldúa, Fabián Severo, and Matilda Koén-Sarano. The framework of linguistic labor relates the creation of a literary corpus in an undervalued or stigmatized language context to other forms of domestic or gendered labor, often the responsibility of women and queer people. In the second part of the book, Attig places these literatures and theories in discussion with emerging scholarship in translinguistics, queer theories, and translation studies. By applying the notion of translinguistics to useful case studies that challenge traditional understandings of the frontiers between languages, Linguistic Labor and Literary Doulas models productive ways that we can discuss real-world linguistic practices as valuable aspects of culture and identity.

Full Product Details

9798765111000

Table of Contents

Reviews

In this ambitious and powerfully argued study, Remy Attig marshals his extensive research to introduce revelatory ways of approaching Spanglish, Portuñol, and Judeo-Spanish history, structure, and literature. Drawing from contemporary theories such as post-structuralism and queer theory, and introducing productive concepts such as linguistic labor and literary doulas, Attig deepens our appreciation of these fascinating and much maligned language varieties. This beautifully written book is a must-read for sociolinguists, literary theorists, translation scholars, as well as anyone interested in decolonizing hierarchical understandings of language. * Lourdes Torres, Vincent de Paul Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, DePaul University, USA * When your experiences of yourself and your world involve two languages constantly flowing near and through each other, like ink colors floating in a viscous solution, capturing your ideas in written prose might be akin to producing marbled paper. With well-selected details, contagious enthusiasm, and engaging prose, Attig shows us the results of three such types of literature – written in Spanglish, Portuñol, and Judeo-Spanish – as well as why these texts are transgressive, the anticolonial nature of their publication, and the challenges involved in translating their inherent rebelliousness. A deeply enjoyable and informative read. * Kim Potowski, Professor of Spanish, The University of Illinois at Chicago, USA *

Author Information

Remy Attig is Assistant Professor of Translation Studies and Spanish at Bowling Green State University, USA.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available