Jamie A. Thomas
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Video & perspectives on communication, intercultural learning & the impact of anthropological research.

At a Pharmacy Near You: Language and Literacy During COVID-19

1/30/2022

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by Jamie A. Thomas
Picture

Can You Help Me?

"¿Ustedes están aquí por la vacuna de covid?" (Are you here for the COVID vaccine?)
"Sí, pues claro. ¿Támbien usted?" (Yes, of course. You, too?)
This past week, I was standing in my local pharmacy in the Los Angeles area, chatting in English with my Mom, when a gentleman, also wearing a face-mask, urgently approached us in Spanish. Because this never really happens to us as African American women, my Mom and I were pleasantly surprised. In fact, it's more common that we're assumed to be non-Spanish-speaking. By the time we left the pharmacy, circumstances had made it clear that the man--let me refer to him as Miguel (a pseudonym)--had approached us out of necessity. He was having trouble filling out the health consent form required for getting the vaccine, and needed help. Still, we wondered if anything about our appearance or demeanor had encouraged him to seek our assistance, particularly because there were others in the area that he might have consulted instead. Maybe we just seemed friendly and least likely to judge or reject him?  

Miguel wore a baseball cap, and had a clipboard and pen in hand. He appeared kind. Walking toward us, he said: "¿Ustedes están aquí por la vacuna de covid?" (Are you here for the COVID vaccine?)

The area between us was separated by a cordon that roped off a few chairs to maintain social distancing. The chairs marked the casual perimeter of the vaccine waiting and observation area, just beyond the pharmacy's main counter and cashier desk. 

My Mom and I looked at each other, and she deferred to me. And that was when the conversational Spanish skills I learned during the year I lived in Mexico City (and which I rarely get the chance to use nowadays), kicked in. I coaxed my brain into action. "Sí, pues claro," (Yes, of course) I replied. "¿Támbien usted?" (You, too?)

Miguel was very friendly, and seemed happy to be responded to in Spanish! So, we moved closer to take in more of what he was saying. Once we were within a more audible range, he began to speak more excitedly, gesturing to the page affixed to the clipboard in his hands. My Mom and I were close enough to see he was pointing to the pharmacy's standard COVID-19 Immunization Consent Form, with questions like, "Are you sick today?" and "Have you ever fainted or felt dizzy after receiving an immunization?"

The consent form was just like the one we had completed 15 minutes earlier, except his page was printed in Spanish. Likely because we had entered the pharmacy speaking English, my Mom and I were not offered this alternative language option. Truthfully, we didn't even know that the pharmacy had Spanish-language consent forms, but the fact that they were available was a good thing. 

Miguel pointed to the Spanish-language health form on his clipboard, and continued speaking Spanish. He explained that when the pharmacist had originally given him the health form in English, he had told them he was unable to read it. And so he had been given the Spanish version. But he was having trouble understanding this form, as well. Miguel asked: 
¿Me pueden ayudar? (Can you help me?)

As our conversation unfolded, there were more clues that although Miguel was able to speak Spanish, he had difficulty reading the language on the consent form. He also appeared to have difficulty with writing. 


Immediately, it struck me, based on my experience with speakers of languages other than English, that Miguel was probably multilingual in other languages, possibly Indigenous languages that he could navigate without difficulty. It was important to me to relate to him with respect for our multilingual world. But at the moment, I was faced with the challenge of figuring out how best to help him. So, what should we do when language and literacy form practical barriers to public health measures? Let me share what I was able to do...

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25% of Spanish Originates with Other Languages: What Are They?

1/11/2022

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by Diego Guillermo Diaz
"In this blog post, I describe how languages like Basque, Nahuatl, Quechua, Guarani, and Fang have contributed to the development and expansion of Spanish(es)."
Do you speak Spanish? ¿Tu hablas español?
Speak in a “Neutral” Accent, Please!

With more than 543 million speakers in so many places, it’s no surprise that there’s more than one way to speak Spanish. My sister and I grew up in Los Angeles with parents who taught us Spanish words such as ¡che! (hey!), morfi (food), remera (t-shirt), quilombo (mess), and piba/e (girl, boy). Truly, Spanish has always been a part of my life but it took me till about the age of 11 or so to realize that I don’t just speak Spanish, I speak Argentinian Spanish. 
The word
Learning to speak Spanish this way has kept me in touch with friends and extended family in Buenos Aires. Middle school was where I took my very first Spanish language class.

​
One day, it was my turn to read aloud from the textbook. Afterward, my teacher came to me and asked that I use a “neutral” accent when reading, since some of the students weren’t familiar with the “different accents in Spanish.”

It was the first time anyone told me my Spanish was different. I couldn’t understand why I had to change the way I spoke.

​​Ever since then, that interaction inspired me to pay closer attention to all things language-related. I have become motivated to learn new languages and explore linguistic diversity. 

Map of the principle Indigenous languages of Latin America.
For the better part of the last 15 years, I’ve dabbled in a number of languages, and listened to and watched hours of language-related podcasts and YouTube videos. More recently, I even completed an introductory linguistics course at my local community college (with Prof. Thomas) – I just can’t get enough of languages!

​And it has amazed me to learn that, while Spanish’s historical link to Latin is well noted, its ongoing relationship with numerous Indigenous languages on different continents remains under-appreciated.


An official language in at least 21 countries, Spanish has developed numerous, unique varieties (dialects) across several parts of the globe. This wide diversity results from Spanish’s historical and ongoing contact with many other languages.
  • So, if words of Latin origin only make up about 75% of all Spanish vocabulary, where do the rest of the words come from? 
  • And what are some of the languages that have influenced Spanish? 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and Native American Heritage Month, as well as Indigenous Peoples’ Day–and basically our collective survival of Pandemic Year 2021–I want to take you on a journey through a few of the languages that have, and continue to, transform Spanish. In this blog post, I describe how languages like Basque, Nahuatl, Quechua, Guaraní, and Fang have contributed to the development and expansion of Spanish(es).


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    Main Author

    Jamie A. Thomas is a linguistic anthropologist and digital media producer. Her forthcoming book Zombies Speak Swahili is all about the undead, videogames, and viral Black language. She teaches at Santa Monica College.

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