Sommer, Hopper, Byrnes -- Similarity/Difference

The use of Spanglish as a known and viable language is accepted within its Hispano community, but is it considered a sort of slang, a type of codification among its ethnic participants? What about those not within the community -- Anglos who use the words “rancho,” “bronco,” “burrito,”or “incommunicado,” does this, then, represent a sort of “Anglonish?” In the essay “Language, Culture, and Society,” Donna Sommer suggests “Nuyoricans prefer to understand Spanglish as the syncopation between languages, a disruptive and risky rhythm. -- Victor Hernandez Cruz writes, “Spanish and English constantly breaking into each other like ocean waves.” The rhythm of such a language sounds exciting and fresh for those who are privy to enter the conversation. Central to Sommer’s argument is Gloria Anzaldúa’s argument of shifting perceptions -- a code switching of languages that Latinos/Latinas experience at a great price -- the feeling of acceptance in an less than accepting world. The similarity of this rationale is found equally in Chomsky’s theory of the “little black box” discussed in “Linguistics” by Paul Hopper. Hopper discusses Chomsky’s theory that that children acquire language innately (or have some prior linguistic knowledge). This theory then is debated in the essay by Heidi Byrnes “Language Acquisition and Language Learning” where she includes the subject of input/output and this affects the nature of language development. Language then is a result of the particpants involvement and is no longer innate. How one acquires a language may be controversial and experts disagree as to the ideologies toward acquisition; however, languages once acquired should not be looked upon as lowbrow -- such as the use of Spanglish.