Mock Spanish: Essays Examples

Racism in Language

According to Jane Hill, ‘Mock Spanish’ is the use of familiar Spanish phrases in everyday language by a white majority, and its use racializes Spanish speakers by reinforcing ideologies and social institutions that support them. Although there is surely some validity to her claim, I happen to disagree with her. She does explain that the function of ‘Mock Spanish’ is to be humorous or to sound cosmopolitan, which certainly could racialize Spanish speakers. However, I don’t believe that this is always the case or even sometimes the case. People quote movies, regardless of the language, if the phrases are catchy or trendy or memorable. Hill argues that the use is not intentionally racist, which I do agree with, but I think further that it isn’t even unintentional. Quoting films or popular culture is a way to share a new diverse multicultural environment. Because those ‘Mock Spanish’ phrases are commonly used is a testament to a changing multicultural social sphere. In this way, it shouldn’t be considered ‘mock’ at all. Instead, the use of the language in everyday speech popularizes the language and reaffirms the necessity for the language in the States. Even so, I also disagree that ‘Mock Spanish’ is only used to sound cosmopolitan or to be humorous. I agree that this can be the case, but I dispute that it is usually the case. Again, in a changing multicultural sphere, its use can also be considered as interest or admiration.
There are other facetious uses of language that do seem to be racist. AAE is one particular language that can often be used facetiously. Because AAE is tied very closely to culture, the ‘mock’ use of AAE can be seen as stereotyping or ‘mocking’ the culture. Whereas the ‘mock Spanish’ argument focuses on the use of Spanish words and phrases, the use of ‘mock AAE’ focuses on inflections, tone, and even diction/syntax. This is more overtly racist, but this can also be considered in a similar way to ‘Mock Spanish.’

Work Cited

Ahearn, Laura M. Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. Oxford: Wiley-
Blackwell, 2011. Web. 08 Jan. 2015