Spanish and Empire

Sixteen international academics contribute 11 essays exploring the related issues of "empire" and "imperialism," and the role that language plays with regard to them. The authors explore the historical, linguistic, and ideological legacy of the Spanish Empire and its language in the New World. Contrasting the Spanish example to that of English, particularly in the U.S., the text offers clarification about how the divergent language policies of the two powers with regard to their colonies brought about markedly different situations for the two languages. The text also considers prevailing notions about the role of language in creating national and personal identities, in both the Spanish and English cases, and how today's advanced communications technologies and increasingly globalized economy have made new forms of "imperialism" possible in which the relationship between language and hegemony has been further complicated. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)