Cuestiones de cortesía en la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera en Estados Unidos: reflexiones a partir del libro de texto Vistas: Introducción a la lengua española

Abstract

Abstract: The presence of Spanish in the United States is nearly ubiquitous nowadays, and the country is home to the second largest population of Spanish speakers in the world (Berlitz, 2023). Given this context, it should not surprise us, then, that Spanish is also the most studied foreign language in the United States (Looney & Lusin, 2018). The vast majority of U.S. textbooks used for teaching Spanish as a foreign language are written, for the most part, in English; moreover, the use of English is common in foreign language classrooms across the country. For these reasons, and operating on the supposition that students have limited opportunities to “naturally” infer (i.e., through first-hand, immersive contacts in the target language) the rules of politeness in Spanish, the current reflection sets out to analyze how Vistas: Introducción a la lengua española (7ª ed., 2024) foregrounds topics of linguistic politeness in order to foment learners’ increased sociopragmatic competencies in the foreign language. Of particular interest is how the textbook presents and provides prompts to practice (a.) the differentiation and use of the pronouns tú and usted—as well as their various corresponding forms—and (b.) formulas for ordering food. More than a book review of the selected textbook with a special focus on politeness, this article endeavors to highlight the pedagogical implementations of the text which have a solid theoretical foundation— and, at the same time, identify ways to enhance the presentation and practice of those politeness-related topics that can benefit from further development. 

Keywords: teaching Spanish as a foreign language; pedagogy; politeness; pronouns; register.