A new framework for understanding how language and identity intersect in ever-evolving America
In the 1980s, Washington, DC—a predominantly African American, racially and economically segregated city with a strong local Black culture—became a hub of Latin American immigration. As the city's communities interacted, an identity both unique to DC and reflective of diverse Latin American cultures was born.
Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side is the first linguistics book to explore how the Latinx community forged a new sense of home and identity in Washington. Using original ethnographic research—including interviews, narratives, and surveys—Tseng develops a new framework for understanding the relationship between race, identity, language, and culture, and she explains what happens when communities interact.
Readers interested in the cultural history of Washington, Latinx history, and language and society will enjoy this rich study of language as a cross-cultural current in ever-evolving America.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Transcription Conventions
Introduction
1 Languaging Identity in the Nation's Capital: Raciomultilingual Dynamics in Washington, DC
2 "Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side": DC Latinidad
3 "En la viña de Dios hay de todo": Spanish and Identity
4 "Blacks and Latinos sort of roll in the same circles": Sociolinguistic Socialization
5 "¿Qué pasó vos?" Voicing the Raciomultilingual Self and Other
6 "We're Washingtonians": Constructing Local Identity and Authenticity
Conclusion: "We're so rich with different types of culture"
Bibliography
About the Author
Index
Reviews
"Drawing on rich ethnographic and sociolinguistic research, Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side is an essential contribution to scholarship on Latinx linguistic practices and identities. Tseng's raciomultilingual approach forges exciting new paths in the study of everyday negotiations and transformations of ethnoracial, linguistic, and national borders."—Jonathan Rosa, associate professor in the Departments of Anthropology, Linguistics, and Comparative Literature, Stanford University
"Tseng's work offers a nuanced treatment of how languages, dialects, and discourse shape multilayered Latino identities in the Washington, DC, region. The author deftly combines technical analysis, theoretical exploration, and sensitive portrayals of the people who make up the study population to provide an astute and engaging examination of an important yet often overlooked DC-area cultural group."—Natalie Schilling, professor emerita of linguistics, Georgetown University
"Engaging with broader debates around discrimination, immigration, and urban gentrification, Tseng takes a nuanced approach to exploring language ideologies among Washington's diverse Latinx communities. Her intimate knowledge of the neighborhoods of our nation's capital shines through in the pages of this book, as does her spirit of sociolinguistic advocacy."—Andrew Lynch, professor of Spanish and Latin American studies, University of Miami
"Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side provides a comprehensive exploration of DC Latinx language experiences in a US region that stands out for its long-term majority Salvadoran population and has been understudied and undertheorized. Tseng captures detailed ethnographic portraits and draws from diverse data sets and cultural texts. The result is an innovative, intersectional, and interdisciplinary analysis of gentrification, language, place, and identity. This book redefines what it means to be Washingtonian and paints a nuanced picture around DC belonging."—Lillian Gorman, director, Spanish as a Heritage Language Program, associate professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Arizona
About the Author
Amelia Tseng is assistant professor of linguistics and Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Spanish at American University, where she is also and an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Anthropology and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. She coedited Bilingualism for All? Raciolinguistic Perspectives on Dual Language Education in the United States, with Nelson Flores and Nicholas Subtirelu (2020).
