INGL 4205
Linguistic Landscape Reflection
This reflection will be about the linguistic landscape done for the class. In this project we had to choose a place and look for the use of language and write about it. For this project I chose to visit my all time favorite coffee shop Calaff Pastries located in Aguada, Puerto Rico. The reason I chose this place is because I wanted to discuss how the use of language was used. In their old location, they used to have stickers inside the business and the outside walls that were actually big crystals had many English phrases about desserts and baking. Now that they have a new building, those stickers are no where to be seen.
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What I loved the most of this project is the fact that I put in practice my thoughts about language and how it is seen and used in Puerto Rico. Since I was small I have always been curious about the street banners, menus and even business names were mostly in English and yet the people who worked on it or with them are mostly Spanish speakers. One of the things I learned through time and confirmed it with this project, is that one of the reason Spanish speaking only or bilingual people use the English language for names, menus, stickers, and even social media pages, is because it is more attractive and tends to seem professional too. I believe that many Puerto Ricans don’t give much attention to Spanish titles or sticker, and that having them in English makes others more curious about the object.
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A project like this one I would definitely give to my students if I were to teach middle or high school. But because I am specializing in elementary I would not give such project. In my opinion, it can be possible to give to elementary grades but knowing how lazy the students are and how easily frustrated and annoyed parents get, I will avoid teaching such thing. There is not much change to be done if I were to teach a project like this one, except I would add some more emotional questions. Not sure which ones, but I would be the teacher who would like to know what they feel about it in more details and exact.