Actitudes e ideologías de la lengua en textos recuperados y periódicos históricos publicados en el Suroeste estadounidense a principios del siglo XX

The concepts of linguistic ideologies and attitudes have been crucial for explaining the linguistic behaviors of individuals and social groups. This study will analyze the role of language in power relations and the importance of ideologies on discourse, focusing on two novels about Mexican immigration and three Spanish-language newspapers published in Texas during the first half of the 20th century. Through these printed publications, I will examine how the linguistic ideologies that emerged in southwestern communities at the beginning of the last century are reflected in the literary and journalistic production of the time. The analysis reveals that bilingual speech is depicted negatively in the printed discourse and evokes, since the early 20th century, ideas about “what is correct” and “what is pure”, alongside notions concerning the role of language in shaping national, cultural and linguistic identities.