Building on Strength

This book offers an exciting new perspective on language socialization in Latino families. Tackling mainstream views of childhood and the role and nature of language socialization, leading researchers and teacher trainers provide a historical, political, and cultural context for the language attitudes and socialization practices that help determine what and how Latino children speak, read, and write. Representing a radical departure from the ways in which most educators have been taught to think about first language acquisition and second language learning, this timely volume:

• Introduces the theories and methods of language socialization with memorable case studies of children and their families.
• Highlights the diversity of Latino communities, covering children and caretakers of Mexican, Caribbean, and Central American origin living in Chicago, San Antonio, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, Tucson, and New York City.
• Offers important insights into the ways in which children learn to speak and read by negotiating overlapping and/or conflicting cultural models.
• Suggests universal practices to facilitate language socialization in multilingual communities, including applications for teachers.

Ana Celia Zentella is a Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, San Diego.

“Who could doubt the importance of this book? No other volume so thoroughly lays out essential issues on oral and written language acquisition, use, and change among Latino families.”
Shirley Brice Heath, Professor at Large, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University

“A must-read for researchers and practitioners who focus on language and literacy in general, as well as for those who specialize in the education of young Latinos.”
Guadalupe Valdés, Stanford University

“Zentella and the distinguished roster of contributors to this book are out to break a multitude of stereotypes and make clear the complexity of U.S. Latinos’ linguistic assets as well as the dangers of cultural and pedagogical generalizations.”
Úrsula Casanova, Arizona State University