The exclusion of vos from the Spanish as a foreign language classroom discourse: A critical examination through the lens of the language management theory

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the presence of Spanish form of address vos in the university Spanish classroom discourse from the perspective of Language Management Theory. Under this model, language management is understood as any type of activity that influences language or communication, in other words, language or language use (Nekvapil & Sherman, 2015). We observed five Spanish classes as well as interviewed their instructors with the intention of examining the presence of vos in the classroom discourse and the reasons for including or excluding this form of address. Our findings show that vos is practically nonexistent in the university classroom discourse of these instructors due to a variety of reasons that include the negative connotations associated with the form vos, its linguistic complexity, its absence in the textbook, and the unfamiliarity of some instructors with this form of address. We propose that teachers use their agency in promoting the elimination of negative traditional language ideologies toward non-standard forms such as vos, which are not only used by millions but also make part of the target community’s linguistic and cultural identity.