I'm an assistant professor at Brooklyn College in the Department of Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies. I'm the founder of "The Social Life of Language", a YouTube channel all about language and race in the United States. Address: Brooklyn, NY
This is an audio-centric, READ ALOUD of Mena's (2017) article on the language of Donald Trump whe... more This is an audio-centric, READ ALOUD of Mena's (2017) article on the language of Donald Trump wherein purportedly "objective" news media organizations help to legitimize "shifty information." The concept is inspired by the notion of "shifters" (Silverstein 1976). Shifty information refers to the indexicality of language often ignored in favor of a referentialist language ideology.
Follow Mike Mena's YouTube channel "The Social Life of Language" for more video content of language and critical race theory.
Abstract: The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border le... more Abstract: The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border leads us to propose a theory of ‘converse racialization’ through which the local Spanish is being progressively ‘unmarked’ and disassociated from the language practice of Mexican Americans. Converse racialization, as the equal and opposite co-constituting underside of racialization, shifts the directionality of semiotic indexes away from a particular ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ (including whiteness) and produces an apparent state of ‘unmarkedness’. We argue that the process of ‘unmarking’ Spanish has social, economic, and racializing consequences. Specifically, the language-as-resource discourse obscures and rearticulates the ‘deficiency perspective’ that continues to perpetuate structural inequalities that Latinxs in the border face. (Racialization, higher education, critical race theory, bilingualism, neoliberalism)*
Abstract: The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border le... more Abstract: The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border leads us to propose a theory of ‘converse racialization’ through which the local Spanish is being progressively ‘unmarked’ and disassociated from the language practice of Mexican Americans. Converse racialization, as the equal and opposite co-constituting underside of racialization, shifts the directionality of semiotic indexes away from a particular ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ (including whiteness) and produces an apparent state of ‘unmarkedness’. We argue that the process of ‘unmarking’ Spanish has social, economic, and racializing consequences. Specifically, the language-as-resource discourse obscures and rearticulates the ‘deficiency perspective’ that continues to perpetuate structural inequalities that Latinxs in the border face. (Racialization, higher education, critical race theory, bilingualism, neoliberalism)*
This is a walk-thru video explanation of Mena's (2017) article on the language of Donald Trump wh... more This is a walk-thru video explanation of Mena's (2017) article on the language of Donald Trump wherein purportedly "objective" news media organizations help to legitimize "shifty information." The concept is inspired by the notion of "shifters" (Silverstein 1976). Shifty information refers to the indexicality of language often ignored in favor of a referentialist language ideology.
This lecture, and many other lectures, are available on Mike Mena's YouTube channel "The Social Life of Language." You can also find this channel by searching for "Mike Mena."
In the borderlands of south Texas, the Mexican and Mexican American social practice of naming inc... more In the borderlands of south Texas, the Mexican and Mexican American social practice of naming includes the use of English-language names and nicknames, anglicized pronunciations, and English-language spellings and “misspellings,” all of which potentially index at least two historically informed perspectives: (1) the hegemonic “white gaze”; and (2) a localized, interrogating gaze. In this article, I focus on local naming practices to advance an approach to what I call semiotic whitening—the indexical linking of any phenomenon to the idealized norms of whiteness— to better understand how whiteness works from the perspective of Mexicans and Mexican Americans liv- ing in a geographic region (informed by colonial and white supremacist histories) where few white folks reside.
Over three decades ago, Gloria Anzaldúa identified ideologies of linguistic standardization as an... more Over three decades ago, Gloria Anzaldúa identified ideologies of linguistic standardization as an oppressive force in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas as well as the local university. Such ideologies were used to delegitimize Chicanos via "linguistic terrorism," or, routine forms of psychological and physical punishment meant to enforce idealized white, middle-class, monolingual social norms. However, times have changed. To account for more recent conditions, I qualify contemporary manifestations as SOFT LINGUISTIC TERRORISM, which relies more so on incentivization (reward as opposed to punishment) and ideological recruitment (enforcement based on the appearance of consent), yet continue to reproduce the near identical racializing ideologies Anzaldúa identified decades ago. Using a linguistic anthropological approach to discourse analysis, this article focuses on ethnographic interviews with students and faculty to illustrate how forms of linguistic terrorism have been rearticulated via raciolinguistic ideologies in the same region and at the same university that inspired Anzaldúa's formulation of linguistic terrorism in the 1980s.
(Additional Resources: Two theoretical walk-through videos above.) The discourse on the opening o... more (Additional Resources: Two theoretical walk-through videos above.) The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border leads us to propose a theory of ‘converse racialization’ through which the local Spanish is being progressively ‘unmarked’ and disassociated from the language practice of Mexican Americans. Converse racialization, as the equal and opposite co-constituting underside of racialization, shifts the direc- tionality of semiotic indexes away from a particular ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ (including whiteness) and produces an apparent state of ‘unmarkedness’. We argue that the process of ‘unmarking’ Spanish has social, economic, and racial- izing consequences. Specifically, the language-as-resource discourse obscures and rearticulates the ‘deficiency perspective’ that continues to perpetuate structural inequalities that Latinxs in the border face. (Racialization, higher education, critical race theory, bilingualism, neoliberalism)*
This chapter argues that the "deficiency perspective" is being rearticulated through the proposit... more This chapter argues that the "deficiency perspective" is being rearticulated through the proposition that linguistic practices can be legitimated as economic “skills” and “resources” (Urciuoli, 2008). Such an economic framing rearticulates a racializing hierarchy—between “standard” language and “substandard” language—under the political cover of economics and competition, where, in theory, all individuals have equal access to the marketplace. A new way to imagine "standard language" in the 2020's is offered.
Sociolinguist Rusty Barrett returns with a deeply engaging, highly analytical publication: From D... more Sociolinguist Rusty Barrett returns with a deeply engaging, highly analytical publication: From Drag Queens to Leathermen: Language, Gender, and Gay Male Subcultures.
This is an audio-centric, READ ALOUD of Mena's (2017) article on the language of Donald Trump whe... more This is an audio-centric, READ ALOUD of Mena's (2017) article on the language of Donald Trump wherein purportedly "objective" news media organizations help to legitimize "shifty information." The concept is inspired by the notion of "shifters" (Silverstein 1976). Shifty information refers to the indexicality of language often ignored in favor of a referentialist language ideology.
Follow Mike Mena's YouTube channel "The Social Life of Language" for more video content of language and critical race theory.
Abstract: The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border le... more Abstract: The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border leads us to propose a theory of ‘converse racialization’ through which the local Spanish is being progressively ‘unmarked’ and disassociated from the language practice of Mexican Americans. Converse racialization, as the equal and opposite co-constituting underside of racialization, shifts the directionality of semiotic indexes away from a particular ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ (including whiteness) and produces an apparent state of ‘unmarkedness’. We argue that the process of ‘unmarking’ Spanish has social, economic, and racializing consequences. Specifically, the language-as-resource discourse obscures and rearticulates the ‘deficiency perspective’ that continues to perpetuate structural inequalities that Latinxs in the border face. (Racialization, higher education, critical race theory, bilingualism, neoliberalism)*
Abstract: The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border le... more Abstract: The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border leads us to propose a theory of ‘converse racialization’ through which the local Spanish is being progressively ‘unmarked’ and disassociated from the language practice of Mexican Americans. Converse racialization, as the equal and opposite co-constituting underside of racialization, shifts the directionality of semiotic indexes away from a particular ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ (including whiteness) and produces an apparent state of ‘unmarkedness’. We argue that the process of ‘unmarking’ Spanish has social, economic, and racializing consequences. Specifically, the language-as-resource discourse obscures and rearticulates the ‘deficiency perspective’ that continues to perpetuate structural inequalities that Latinxs in the border face. (Racialization, higher education, critical race theory, bilingualism, neoliberalism)*
This is a walk-thru video explanation of Mena's (2017) article on the language of Donald Trump wh... more This is a walk-thru video explanation of Mena's (2017) article on the language of Donald Trump wherein purportedly "objective" news media organizations help to legitimize "shifty information." The concept is inspired by the notion of "shifters" (Silverstein 1976). Shifty information refers to the indexicality of language often ignored in favor of a referentialist language ideology.
This lecture, and many other lectures, are available on Mike Mena's YouTube channel "The Social Life of Language." You can also find this channel by searching for "Mike Mena."
In the borderlands of south Texas, the Mexican and Mexican American social practice of naming inc... more In the borderlands of south Texas, the Mexican and Mexican American social practice of naming includes the use of English-language names and nicknames, anglicized pronunciations, and English-language spellings and “misspellings,” all of which potentially index at least two historically informed perspectives: (1) the hegemonic “white gaze”; and (2) a localized, interrogating gaze. In this article, I focus on local naming practices to advance an approach to what I call semiotic whitening—the indexical linking of any phenomenon to the idealized norms of whiteness— to better understand how whiteness works from the perspective of Mexicans and Mexican Americans liv- ing in a geographic region (informed by colonial and white supremacist histories) where few white folks reside.
Over three decades ago, Gloria Anzaldúa identified ideologies of linguistic standardization as an... more Over three decades ago, Gloria Anzaldúa identified ideologies of linguistic standardization as an oppressive force in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas as well as the local university. Such ideologies were used to delegitimize Chicanos via "linguistic terrorism," or, routine forms of psychological and physical punishment meant to enforce idealized white, middle-class, monolingual social norms. However, times have changed. To account for more recent conditions, I qualify contemporary manifestations as SOFT LINGUISTIC TERRORISM, which relies more so on incentivization (reward as opposed to punishment) and ideological recruitment (enforcement based on the appearance of consent), yet continue to reproduce the near identical racializing ideologies Anzaldúa identified decades ago. Using a linguistic anthropological approach to discourse analysis, this article focuses on ethnographic interviews with students and faculty to illustrate how forms of linguistic terrorism have been rearticulated via raciolinguistic ideologies in the same region and at the same university that inspired Anzaldúa's formulation of linguistic terrorism in the 1980s.
(Additional Resources: Two theoretical walk-through videos above.) The discourse on the opening o... more (Additional Resources: Two theoretical walk-through videos above.) The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border leads us to propose a theory of ‘converse racialization’ through which the local Spanish is being progressively ‘unmarked’ and disassociated from the language practice of Mexican Americans. Converse racialization, as the equal and opposite co-constituting underside of racialization, shifts the direc- tionality of semiotic indexes away from a particular ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ (including whiteness) and produces an apparent state of ‘unmarkedness’. We argue that the process of ‘unmarking’ Spanish has social, economic, and racial- izing consequences. Specifically, the language-as-resource discourse obscures and rearticulates the ‘deficiency perspective’ that continues to perpetuate structural inequalities that Latinxs in the border face. (Racialization, higher education, critical race theory, bilingualism, neoliberalism)*
This chapter argues that the "deficiency perspective" is being rearticulated through the proposit... more This chapter argues that the "deficiency perspective" is being rearticulated through the proposition that linguistic practices can be legitimated as economic “skills” and “resources” (Urciuoli, 2008). Such an economic framing rearticulates a racializing hierarchy—between “standard” language and “substandard” language—under the political cover of economics and competition, where, in theory, all individuals have equal access to the marketplace. A new way to imagine "standard language" in the 2020's is offered.
Sociolinguist Rusty Barrett returns with a deeply engaging, highly analytical publication: From D... more Sociolinguist Rusty Barrett returns with a deeply engaging, highly analytical publication: From Drag Queens to Leathermen: Language, Gender, and Gay Male Subcultures.
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Follow Mike Mena's YouTube channel "The Social Life of Language" for more video content of language and critical race theory.
This lecture, and many other lectures, are available on Mike Mena's YouTube channel "The Social Life of Language." You can also find this channel by searching for "Mike Mena."
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Follow Mike Mena's YouTube channel "The Social Life of Language" for more video content of language and critical race theory.
This lecture, and many other lectures, are available on Mike Mena's YouTube channel "The Social Life of Language." You can also find this channel by searching for "Mike Mena."