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Albuquerque, New Mexico 87120 - 2135903798
- Latino Studies, Communication, Latina/o Studies, Humor, Storytelling, Rhetoric and Public Culture, and 41 moreEducation, Work And Politics, Mass-Media Ethics, Visual Rhetoric, Critical Theory, Sociolinguistics, Cognitive Science, Critical Discourse Analysis, Chicano Studies, Theory of Metaphor and Rhetorics, Race and Ethnicity, Discourse Analysis, Journalism, Cognitive Linguistics, Minority Studies, Hispanic Studies, Conceptual Metaphor, Multi- & Bilingualism & Biliteracy, Television Studies, Latino/A Studies, Humor Studies, Political Socialization, Ethnic Minority Pupils in Mainstream Education, Inclusion of Children from Diverse Cultures Into Mainstream Education, Forensic Linguistics, Media Studies, Immigration, Immigration Status & Nationality, Applied Linguistics, Language Ideologies, Immigration Studies, Linguistic Anthropology, Citizenship, Discourse-Historical Approach, Critical Discourse Studies, Migration Studies, Racism, Chicana/o Studies, Language and Identity, Bilingualism, Rhetoric and Social Theory, and Genre Theoryedit
- I work in three areas. First, I study how social inequity is constructed and legitimated by mass media. The Amer... moreI work in three areas. First, I study how social inequity is constructed and legitimated by mass media. The American Political Science Association recognized my first book, "Brown Tide Rising: Metaphoric Representations of Latinos in Contemporary American Public Discourse" the 2002 Best Book on Ethnic and Racial Politics (2002, University of Texas Press).
My latest book is on television network news imaging of Latinos. It focuses on immigration as a national policy issue. It is called "Juan in a 100: Representation of Latinos on the Evening News." (2013, University of Texas Press). It was awarded the Ralph J. Bunche Award of the American Political Science Association.
I co-edited an anthology on anti-immigrant political legislation and actions in Arizona: "Arizona Firestorm: Global Immigration Realities, National Media & Provincial Politics." (2012, Rowman & Littlefield). See the link: https://www.facebook.com/arizonafirestorm
I was trained as an empirical sociolinguist. My work in this second strand have led to an edited book and a dozen articles about the languages of Latinos. See my anthology, "Tongue-Tied: The Lives of Multilingual Children in Public Schools" (2004, Rowman & Littlefield).
I give talks in this second research strand: For example, in November 2010 I gave a keynote at the National Council of Teachers of English on public sphere misunderstandings of the nature U.S. public education.
These days, I am exploring the social power of humor as a feature of human nature. See my paper on the racial politics of Jay Leno's humor (on this website). Mass mediated political humor will be the topic of my next monograph. I am calling it "Humor of the Species, Laughter of the Clan: Foundations for the study of an aspect of Human Nature."
For citations of my work by other scholars, see: http://scholar.google.comedit
We analyze Trump’s public discourse to characterize the narrative he consistently articulated about unauthorized immigrants. We did this analysis on behalf of the legal defense of DACA grantees, to provide scientifically rigorous and... more
We analyze Trump’s public discourse to characterize the narrative he consistently articulated about unauthorized immigrants. We did this analysis on behalf of the legal defense of DACA grantees, to provide scientifically rigorous and replicable evidence that the president's executive action to rescind the DACA program was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause (EPC).
We conduct a critical discourse analysis of a large sample of his public discourse about immigration (13 speeches and 6,963 tweets), from his first day as a presidential candidate to the day that he attempted to rescind DACA.
Our first goal was to definitively demonstrate that he articulated racist statements about immigrants and Latinos, hence expressing constitutionally impermissible racial animus.
Additionally:
• We compare his presidential speeches to the discourse of other presidents.
• We trace Trump's discourse to the language and logic used in 19th c. eugenics.
• We discuss Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent in Trump v. Hawaii to consider whether the US Supreme Court would use EPC considerations in this case. As expected, it did not.
• We offer an explanation based on cognitive science and US history as to why his discourse resonates so well with a third of the US electorate.
We conduct a critical discourse analysis of a large sample of his public discourse about immigration (13 speeches and 6,963 tweets), from his first day as a presidential candidate to the day that he attempted to rescind DACA.
Our first goal was to definitively demonstrate that he articulated racist statements about immigrants and Latinos, hence expressing constitutionally impermissible racial animus.
Additionally:
• We compare his presidential speeches to the discourse of other presidents.
• We trace Trump's discourse to the language and logic used in 19th c. eugenics.
• We discuss Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent in Trump v. Hawaii to consider whether the US Supreme Court would use EPC considerations in this case. As expected, it did not.
• We offer an explanation based on cognitive science and US history as to why his discourse resonates so well with a third of the US electorate.
Research Interests:
This is a critical analysis of the discourse of an elected state official in the years leading up to the passage of arguably racist legislation. It was submitted to a U.S. court of law to support the plaintiffs' claim that since the... more
This is a critical analysis of the discourse of an elected state official in the years leading up to the passage of arguably racist legislation. It was submitted to a U.S. court of law to support the plaintiffs' claim that since the legislator publicly expressed racial bias against the groups of people affected by the law, then his legislation should be voided because the United States Constitution requires that laws treat citizens equally. The fact that critical discourse analytic findings have been entered into the U.S. courts leads to the question whether such analyses of public pronouncements will be permitted to serve as legally probative evidence.
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To our great shame as a nation and at enormous personal loss for hundreds of thousands of families, we suffer the actions of the 45th President. He is a master of mass media manipulation who grabbed and holds the nation’s attention. His... more
To our great shame as a nation and at enormous personal loss for hundreds of thousands of families, we suffer the actions of the 45th President. He is a master of mass media manipulation who grabbed and holds the nation’s attention. His very real actions against immigrants are immoral and destructive. In this chapter we will describe the discourse the President uses to villainize immigrants in order to seize and maintain political power.
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As a candidate, the 45th president's speech and behavior was unlike that of other national politicians. He discharged a daily deluge of petty insults, and vile, xenophobic, misogynistic, and racist speech. His demeanor was vulgar, not... more
As a candidate, the 45th president's speech and behavior was unlike that of other national politicians. He discharged a daily deluge of petty insults, and vile, xenophobic, misogynistic, and racist speech. His demeanor was vulgar, not presidential, and yet he won. I offer an explanation why his behavior contributed to his victory. I also describe his only seemingly erratic language, and offer a warning about the rhetorical power of his speech. During the 2016 campaign for president, the winner gave voice to citizens who harbor resentment toward women and citizens of color who have won a hard-fought place in US society. He articulated the nativist fears about a demographically changing citizenry that stirred up both racist sentiments, and gave expression to aggrieved citizens who have become less competitive in the global marketplace. He stoked the anxiety of Americans who felt that today's young people would grow up less well-off than their parents. To Americans who presumed their superiority to the rest of the world, of course he did not speak about globalization. Instead he pointed to immigrants and "crooked" politicians who had gotten "bad deals" in multilateral trade agreements. And he accused President Obama of "losing the war on terrorism," assuring Americans that with him at the helm, they would no longer have to live in fear, because he would "quickly and decisively bomb the hell out of ISIS." These claims were not much different from those of other illiberal politicians, but his speeches were. He did not speak in measured terms. He demeaned women, assailed Muslims, launched petty assaults against his rivals, and demonized the Press. His global politics were not the standard pieties, but were attacks on traditional US allies while speaking glowingly about the autocrat of Russia. He epitomized the Ugly American.
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I provide a Bakhtin-based explanation of why the US electorate allowed a "Lord of Misrule" to become our 45th president. I also provide a list of the rhetorical devises that Trump uses, and explain why these worked. I warn the readers... more
I provide a Bakhtin-based explanation of why the US electorate allowed a "Lord of Misrule" to become our 45th president. I also provide a list of the rhetorical devises that Trump uses, and explain why these worked. I warn the readers what the nation needs to do to protect itself from its mistake.
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A faculty member of color sued UCLA in 2012 over flagrant racial discrimination over a period of years that his department leader condoned and which the administration dismissed. Other UCLA faculty members were unaware of this incident.... more
A faculty member of color sued UCLA in 2012 over flagrant racial discrimination over a period of years that his department leader condoned and which the administration dismissed. Other UCLA faculty members were unaware of this incident. Only after the incident appeared on the Internet did it create a scandal, and in 2012 a blue-ribbon committee was set up to investigate the racial climate among UCLA faculty. This essay reviews the recent history of racial discrimination against UCLA faculty of color, the findings of the blue-ribbon committee on this topic, and the administration’s response. The committee found no UCLA officer had ever been authorized to investigate or punish UCLA faculty who practiced racial discrimination against faculty members of color. The committee proposed two types of changes to address. One was subsequently implemented; the other has not. The history of one of the top universities of this country should be a cautionary tale for scholars of color and a morality tale for university administrators.
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The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution grants citizenship to every child born on US soil. While most Americans think this 150 year old formulation is permanent, it is actually open to change. We explore the legal debate over the... more
The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution grants citizenship to every child born on US soil. While most Americans think this 150 year old formulation is permanent, it is actually open to change. We explore the legal debate over the current formulation of US citizenship. Using the research design of the ex-emplar case study, we undertake a conceptual metaphor-based critical discourse analysis of three contending contemporary legal stances regarding US citizenship. In the light of four current court cases, some legal theorists argue that the formulation is both undemocratic and inadequate, and should be amended to address 21st century national concerns. Others argue to retain the current formulation in spite of these concerns. Our study reveals that the rival stances are argued in terms of irreconcilable conceptual metaphors, and each legal stance in itself is deficient to address these current concerns.
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Preface to "Seen but Not Heard: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Child Migrants," edited by Mary Grace Antony & Ryan J. Thomas. The plight of the youngest migrants, whether Latino, Middle Eastern or Asian, is a topic that demands lasting... more
Preface to "Seen but Not Heard: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Child Migrants," edited by Mary Grace Antony & Ryan J. Thomas. The plight of the youngest migrants, whether Latino, Middle Eastern or Asian, is a topic that demands lasting scholarly attention, for unaccompanied children did not only begin to migrate in 2014, as Sonia Nazario’s amazing book, "Enrique’s Journey," details. Child migration is a perennial and global phenomenon that demands unwavering scholarly and public consideration. This comprehensive anthology considers the challenges facing young migrants and refugees through richly varied academic perspectives that integrate communication, media studies, journalism, sociology, criminology, cultural studies, international relations, and public policy. Employing diverse theoretical and methodological lenses, this collection addresses the sociopolitical and cultural exigencies prompted by child migrants and refugees.
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This is an empirical analysis informed by myth and film genre studies of contemporary US network television news stories about immigrants. In a comprehensive one-year review of news programs I determine that two story-types were the basis... more
This is an empirical analysis informed by myth and film genre studies of contemporary US network television news stories about immigrants. In a comprehensive one-year review of news programs I determine that two story-types were the basis of all the news reports about apprehending immigrants. One story-type, the American Western, occurs when the border patrol agent is the news story protagonist. Its archetype is the cowboy. A US foundational myth is based on this story-type. The second story-type derives from a Sumerian goddess journey myth. These two millennia old story-types accounted for all the network evening news stories immigrant reports. Western news stories rearticulate nationalism while the Inanna news story contests the nation’s foundational myth. Thus, I demonstrate that journalists write about immigration to entertain and to indoctrinate, as much as to edify.
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Este es un análisis narrativo empírico de las noticias contemporáneas de televisión de la red estadounidense sobre inmigrantes. El análisis está fundamentado en los estudios los mitos y los géneros cinematográficos. El principal argumento... more
Este es un análisis narrativo empírico de las noticias contemporáneas de televisión de la red estadounidense sobre inmigrantes. El análisis está fundamentado en los estudios los mitos y los géneros cinematográficos. El principal argumento es que en el año 2004, los ABC, NBC, CBS y CNN redactaron todos sus reportes sobre inmigrantes que cruzaban la frontera entre EEUU y México usando sólo dos de lo que Northrup Frye llamó tipos de cuentos (story-types), cada uno asociado con su arquetipo.
El primer tipo de cuento ocurre cuando el protagonista del reporte de la noticia es agente de la patrulla fronteriza. Como ‘Vaquero Norteamericano’, él confrenta a los inmigrantes noautorizados en los EEUU. En el reporte basado en este tipo de cuento articula el mito nacional fundacional de los EEUU.
El segundo tipo de cuento es el ‘Viajero Femenino’. Los participantes del Congreso quizá estaran más familiarizados con este tipo de cuento con la Dorotea del Mago de Oz (Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz). El tipo de cuento contemporaneo se deriva de un mito de 5000 años de edad. Entre las leyendas sumarias de la diosa audaz sumaria, Inanna, es su descenso en el inframundo (netherworld). Ella emprende el viaje a pesar de la verdad cósmica, que sólo los muertos pueden viajar allí. Su viaje, en última instancia, la mata. En su resurrección, Inanna no gana un empirio nuevo o poderes, sino profundo conocimiento de sí mismo. Hay paralelos entre este mito de viajero y las representaciones sobre el viaje de inmigrantes en noticias estadounidenses. Los imigrantes también rinde autonomía y libertad para llegar a los EEUU.
En mi estudio, estos dos tipos de cuentos son presentes en todas las noticias de la noche de la red de 2004 acerca de las aprensiones de la inmigración. Funcionan en tándem: mientras las noticias occidentales (un género altamente convencionalizado) sirven al nacionalismo; los reportes con tipo de cuento de Inanna en última instancia, contestan el mito fundacional de los EEUU. La afirmación final es que las noticias de la noche de la red sobre la inmigración usan el tipo de historia del arquetipo para entretener, tanto como edificar. Los periodistas, al igual que los guionistas de películas, a menudo emplean un arquetipo de vaquero como una diversión heroica de nuestro mundo complejo y vidas banales.
El primer tipo de cuento ocurre cuando el protagonista del reporte de la noticia es agente de la patrulla fronteriza. Como ‘Vaquero Norteamericano’, él confrenta a los inmigrantes noautorizados en los EEUU. En el reporte basado en este tipo de cuento articula el mito nacional fundacional de los EEUU.
El segundo tipo de cuento es el ‘Viajero Femenino’. Los participantes del Congreso quizá estaran más familiarizados con este tipo de cuento con la Dorotea del Mago de Oz (Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz). El tipo de cuento contemporaneo se deriva de un mito de 5000 años de edad. Entre las leyendas sumarias de la diosa audaz sumaria, Inanna, es su descenso en el inframundo (netherworld). Ella emprende el viaje a pesar de la verdad cósmica, que sólo los muertos pueden viajar allí. Su viaje, en última instancia, la mata. En su resurrección, Inanna no gana un empirio nuevo o poderes, sino profundo conocimiento de sí mismo. Hay paralelos entre este mito de viajero y las representaciones sobre el viaje de inmigrantes en noticias estadounidenses. Los imigrantes también rinde autonomía y libertad para llegar a los EEUU.
En mi estudio, estos dos tipos de cuentos son presentes en todas las noticias de la noche de la red de 2004 acerca de las aprensiones de la inmigración. Funcionan en tándem: mientras las noticias occidentales (un género altamente convencionalizado) sirven al nacionalismo; los reportes con tipo de cuento de Inanna en última instancia, contestan el mito fundacional de los EEUU. La afirmación final es que las noticias de la noche de la red sobre la inmigración usan el tipo de historia del arquetipo para entretener, tanto como edificar. Los periodistas, al igual que los guionistas de películas, a menudo emplean un arquetipo de vaquero como una diversión heroica de nuestro mundo complejo y vidas banales.
Research Interests:
"This article analyzes a set of anti-immigrant jokes with which Jay Leno entertained his national television audience in 2006, when the U.S. public was focused on unprecedented demonstrations urging justice for immigrants. Leno adroitly... more
"This article analyzes a set of anti-immigrant jokes with which Jay Leno entertained his national television audience in 2006, when the U.S. public was focused on unprecedented demonstrations urging justice for immigrants. Leno adroitly mocks immigrants and their cause to give his audience emotional release by distancing them from immigrants. It is argued that political comedy can be an insidious discursive practice that reduces its audience’s critical judgment as it signifies social boundaries. It should be carefully scrutinized because, with a few laughs, Leno can steer sentiment about public policy and instantiate divisiveness for an audience of 6 million who, in the words of Leno’s official website, “are drifting off to dreamland.”
Keywords: Humor, political comedy, late-night television, immigrant rights marches."
Keywords: Humor, political comedy, late-night television, immigrant rights marches."
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We examine mainstream U.S. print news depictions of the 2006 immigration policy debate. Using critical discourse analysis informed by cognitive metaphor theory, we analyze a substantial sample of mainstream U.S. print news reports in May... more
We examine mainstream U.S. print news depictions of the 2006 immigration policy debate. Using critical discourse analysis informed by cognitive metaphor theory, we analyze a substantial sample of mainstream U.S. print news reports in May 2006, at the height of national attention on the “Great May Day” demonstrations across the country. We compare it to a second sample of print news media articles from October 2006, at the time of the passage of the 2006 Secure Fence Act. Mainstream print media represented immigrants with a noteworthy balance between human and nonhuman language during the time of the Great May Day marches. However, the media did not sustain a balanced representation of immigrants in the ensuing months. The conceptual metaphor IMMIGRANT AS CRIMINAL is predominant during both periods. We explore the implication of the language used to frame the immigration policy debate.
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This study examines two successive days of U.S. television news coverage of the May 1, 2007, immigration rights rally in Los Angeles. As thousands of demonstrators appealed peacefully for comprehensive immigration policy reform, they were... more
This study examines two successive days of U.S. television news coverage of the May 1, 2007, immigration rights rally in Los Angeles. As thousands of demonstrators appealed peacefully for comprehensive immigration policy reform, they were assailed by 450 police officers firing munitions and using truncheons. We evaluated fifty-one televi- sion news reports from three networks and five local stations using three complementary analyses (framing, visual coding, and critical spoken discourse analysis). News reporters on the ground at the time framed the events as a police attack. On the following day, however, news media blamed the victims by reframing the event as a violent provocation. We argue that the television news seized political agency and manipulated public opinion about domestic immigration policy.
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Este estudio examina dos días consecutivos de la cobertura de las agrupaciones por los derechos de los inmigrantes en Los Ángeles, California transmitidos por noticieros de la televisión americana el 1o de mayo de 2007. Cuando seis o... more
Este estudio examina dos días consecutivos de la cobertura de las agrupaciones por los derechos de los inmigrantes en Los Ángeles, California transmitidos por noticieros de la televisión americana el 1o de mayo de 2007. Cuando seis o siete mil personas se manifestaban pacíficamente apelando por una reforma exhaustiva de las políticas de inmigración, fueron atacados por 450 oficiales de la policía disparando municiones y golpeando con macanas. Evaluamos 51 informes de noticias de tres cadenas de televisión y cinco estaciones locales usando tres análisis complementarios (encuadrado, imágenes codificadas y discurso crítico oral). Los reporteros que estuvieron en el sitio al mismo tiempo consideraron los acontecimientos como ataques por parte de la policía. Sin embargo, el día siguiente los medios de prensa les culparon a las víctimas y les acusó de haber provocado el incidente con violencia. Exponemos que una postura de agencia política fue asumido por los noticieros de televisión, que manipularon la opinión pública en torno a la política interior de inmigración.
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The passage of Proposition 187, the first anti-Latino referendum offered to California voters in the mid-l990s, sparked many policy, economic, sociological, and political analyses. We would like to offer a discourse analysis into how... more
The passage of Proposition 187, the first anti-Latino referendum offered to California voters in the mid-l990s, sparked many policy, economic, sociological, and political analyses. We would like to offer a discourse analysis into how language participates in the political debate on immigration and partly establishes the basis for electoral decision-making. To do so, we analyze the prose metaphors about immigration that were published in a key California newspaper, the Los AngeZes Times. We additionally study the argumentation structure of ...
Abstract The contemporary framing in American public discourse on immigrants is examined through a data-driven metaphor analysis. The print media texts of the 1994 political debate and campaign in California over an anti-immigrant... more
Abstract The contemporary framing in American public discourse on immigrants is examined through a data-driven metaphor analysis. The print media texts of the 1994 political debate and campaign in California over an anti-immigrant referendum, Proposition 187, is analyzed. An ongoing cataloguing of metaphors from hundreds of Los Angeles Times articles displays the discourse that reflects and informs California public opinion. The metaphors discerned includeIMMIGRANTS ARE ANIMALS'.
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Chicano English displays a remarkable range of language contact phenomena. Speakers of this ethnic dialect enact their social practices with Chicano English, in conjunction with Chicano Spanish and in some cases other varieties of Spanish... more
Chicano English displays a remarkable range of language contact phenomena. Speakers of this ethnic dialect enact their social practices with Chicano English, in conjunction with Chicano Spanish and in some cases other varieties of Spanish and English as well. In dynamic urban multicultural and binational settings, these social practices include surprisingly complex identities and roles (Mendoza-Denton 1997; Fought 2003). Sadly, the general public's awareness of Chicano English (ChcE) commonly involves stigma, a ...
ABSTRACT This article proposes a comprehensive model of the SPEECH COMMUNITY in sociolinguistics that reworks Labov's model, which has been criticized as being restrictive. Fieldwork in non-metropolitan Mexico demonstrates the utility of... more
ABSTRACT This article proposes a comprehensive model of the SPEECH COMMUNITY in sociolinguistics that reworks Labov's model, which has been criticized as being restrictive. Fieldwork in non-metropolitan Mexico demonstrates the utility of our model, which can be applied across both urban and non-urban domains. It is compatible with the Milroys' central mechanism for the description of individual speech usage and group cohesion or susceptibility to change in terms of the social network.
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This University of KY Transnational Lives podcast focuses upon social theory, language, and society and the roles they play in diversity. In this podcast, Sheryl Means, a graduate student within the College of Education, Anna Stone, a... more
This University of KY Transnational Lives podcast focuses upon social theory, language, and society and the roles they play in diversity. In this podcast, Sheryl Means, a graduate student within the College of Education, Anna Stone, a graduate student in English, and Jonathan Tinnin, a graduate student in English, speak with Otto Santa Ana about his work within sociolinguistics, his focus on English and Spanish, and how his interest in this field began. Otto Santa Ana is Professor at the César Chávez Department of Chicana & Chicano Studies, University of California, Los Angeles and his work, spanning across many platforms, focuses on the interplay between language, society, and immigration.
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Applying the insights of cognitive metaphor theory to an extensive natural language data set drawn from hundreds of articles in the Los Angeles Times and other media, Santa Ana reveals how metaphorical language portrays Latinos as... more
Applying the insights of cognitive metaphor theory to an extensive natural language data set drawn from hundreds of articles in the Los Angeles Times and other media, Santa Ana reveals how metaphorical language portrays Latinos as invaders, outsiders, burdens, parasites, diseases, animals, and weeds. He demonstrates that three anti-Latino referenda passed in California because of such imagery, particularly the infamous anti-immigrant measure, Proposition 187. Santa Ana illustrates how Proposition 209 organizers broadcast compelling new metaphors about racism that persuaded an electorate who had previously supported affirmative action to ban it. He also shows how Proposition 227 supporters used antiquated metaphors for learning, school, and language to blame the Latino child's speech—rather than gross structural inequity—for his school's failure to educate him. Santa Ana concludes by calling for the creation of insurgent metaphors to contest oppressive U.S. public discourse about minority communities.
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Tongue-Tied is an anthology that gives voice to millions of people who, on a daily basis, are denied the opportunity to speak in their own language. First-person accounts by Amy Tan, Sherman Alexie, Bell Hooks, Richard Rodriguez, Maxine... more
Tongue-Tied is an anthology that gives voice to millions of people who, on a daily basis, are denied the opportunity to speak in their own language. First-person accounts by Amy Tan, Sherman Alexie, Bell Hooks, Richard Rodriguez, Maxine Hong Kingston, and many other authors open windows into the lives of linguistic minority students and their experience in coping in school and beyond. Selections from these writers are presented along with accessible, abridged scholarly articles that assess the impact of language policies on the experiences and life opportunities of minority-language students. Vivid and unforgettable, the readings in Tongue-Tied are ideal for teaching and learning about American education and for spurring informed debate about the many factors that affect students and their lives.
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In 2010, the governor of Arizona signed a controversial immigration bill (SB 1070) that led to a news media frenzy, copycat bills in twenty-two states, and a U.S. Supreme Court battle that put Arizona at the cross-hairs of the immigration... more
In 2010, the governor of Arizona signed a controversial immigration bill (SB 1070) that led to a news media frenzy, copycat bills in twenty-two states, and a U.S. Supreme Court battle that put Arizona at the cross-hairs of the immigration debate. Arizona Firestorm brings together well-respected experts from across the political spectrum to examine and contextualize the political, economic, historical, and legal issues prompted by this and other anti-Latino and anti-immigrant legislation and state actions. It also addresses the news media’s role in shaping immigration discourse in Arizona and around the globe. Arizona is a case study of the roots and impact of the 21st century immigration challenge. Arizona Firestorm will be of interest to scholars and students in communication, public policy, state politics, federalism, and anyone interested in immigration policy or Latino politics.
Research Interests: Communication, Media Studies, Journalism, Globalization, Human Rights, and 21 moreImmigration, Development communication, Media Education, Securitization, Culture, Media Literacy, Racism, Media, Creative City, Mass media, Media Research, Transmigration, Social Communication, Xenophobia, Social Conflict, Cultural Industry, Media Impact and Effects and Usages, Democracy and Citizenship Education, Citizenship identities, Alternate Media, and Public Communication. Political Communication
This is a critical analysis of the discourse of an elected state official in the years leading up to the passage of arguably racist legislation. It was submitted to a U.S. court of law to support the plaintiffs’ claim that since the... more
This is a critical analysis of the discourse of an elected state official in the years leading up to the passage of arguably racist legislation. It was submitted to a U.S. court of law to support the plaintiffs’ claim that since the legislator publicly expressed racial bias against the groups of people affected by the law, then his legislation should be voided because the United States Constitution requires that laws treat citizens equally. The fact that critical discourse analytic findings have been entered into the U.S. courts leads to the question whether such analyses of public pronouncements are permitted to serve as legally probative evidence.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
SUMMARY: On the basis of a scientific study of over 300 speeches and 5000 tweets, we offer a report on Trump's public discourse about immigrants. The plotline of his immigration discourse is the classic america as fortress trope. Trump... more
SUMMARY: On the basis of a scientific study of over 300 speeches and 5000 tweets, we offer a report on Trump's public discourse about immigrants. The plotline of his immigration discourse is the classic america as fortress trope. Trump asserts that Fortress America is under attack; many of its cities and towns have been overrun by ruthless aggressors. Trump characterizes Mexico as the enemy that sent unauthorized immigrants as invaders. Trump represents himself as the hero, and Hillary Clinton represents the corrupt and sniveling politicians that let the nation come to this state of affairs. In this preliminary1 report we exemplify the major metaphors Trump uses to articulate his narrative. We find code-words that he uses to make his narrative more forceful and misleading: he associates MS-13, the notorious gang, with all Latino gangs and even all young Latinos who wear certain urban gear as a fashion statement. He extends the term criminal alien, namely immigrants who commit felonious crimes, to all unauthorized immigrants. He also refers by name to about twelve Americans who were the victims of major crimes, as representative of the imminent danger to all Americans and their family that immigrants pose. Finally, he expresses utter disdain toward US-born children of Latino immigrants, saying their increase should be halted, that they are not " our children, " and that they are not entitled to US citizenship. LINGUISTIC FINDINGS Metonymy and Metaphor: All speakers use metaphor and metonymy to convey the intended message.
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We systematically gather and analyze the 45th president’s public discourse to formally describe his narrative about unauthorized immigrants. We definitely demonstrate that he publicly articulates racist statements about immigrants and... more
We systematically gather and analyze the 45th president’s public discourse to formally describe his narrative about unauthorized immigrants. We definitely demonstrate that he publicly articulates racist statements about immigrants and Latinos in general. Beyond a formal statement, we offer partial explanations based on cognitive science and history why his public discourse resonates so well with a sizeable portion of the US electorate. We developed this report to resist his administration’s efforts to rescind DACA, because we believe his executive action is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution, even though we believe that the Supreme Court is likely to ignore the public discourse of the nation’s highest elected official, thus separating his public discourse as president from his presidential actions.
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I offer a new synthesis of a key feature of human nature: laughter and humor. Laughter and humor have been discussed by all the major figures in the Western philosophical tradition, and have been the subject of scores of humanist accounts... more
I offer a new synthesis of a key feature of human nature: laughter and humor. Laughter and humor have been discussed by all the major figures in the Western philosophical tradition, and have been the subject of scores of humanist accounts across two millennia. Some of the most satisfying studies intricately describe unique expressions of laughter and humor in historically situated cultures, but some humanists dismiss philosophical and scientific accounts as useless. Meanwhile for 100 years social scientists have explored features of laughter and humor, as have biologists and cognitive scientists over the past 20 years, all seemingly indifferent to the considered discussions of humanists and philosophers.
Still, today’s scholars pursue this topic with increasing insistence. For hundreds of millennia humans laughed together only in small circles of acquaintances. Today we ask: What are the consequences of technology that allows laughter to be instantly shared by millions of strangers? And: When commercial humor producers stimulate a child’s laughter for financial gain, what are the consequences for the child? Still, humor scholars coming from different epistemological realms rarely converse, even when they have lots to share. Scholarly practice today discourages consilience across these knowledge realms regarding topics involving human nature.
Toward a partial remedy, I offer a detailed model of the origin of human laughter and humor based on a well-developed evolutionary narrative that begins before humans walked on Earth. The story goes that laughter and humor were established and ritualized among our forebears long before human language emerged. Thus I argue that human laughter and humor are not governed by linguistic principles, as almost all scholars presume, even when purely verbal humor sparks laughter today. This model warrants further exploration, since a non-language foundation addresses a number of old chestnuts about laughter. It is sufficiently supple to encompass the illuminating subtleties of the best historical accounts, integrates philosophy’s previously rival explanations, and captures many of the observations of social science and more recently findings of the biological and cognitive sciences.
This model distinguishes the types of laughter found across cultures, and automatically produces a seemingly natural classification of humor: from broad physical humor, through knock-knock jokes, to the wit of Erasmus and the satire of Swift and Carlin. It offers solutions to some perennial debates about humor, and addresses the issues generated by a range of disciplines: from history and philosophy through social psychology, and neuroscience. I hope to provide a demonstration that consilience can offer insight into our nature.
The book is designed in three sections: The first describes the perennial queries of the humanist and philosophical traditions. The second presents the model. In the third section I set the model into the larger sphere of ludic studies to explore the model’s implications for human creativity, agency and choice in a world increasingly dominated by media multinationals that commoditizes our laughter.
I hope to finish this book manuscript in 2015-2016, when I am at the University of Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Research.
Still, today’s scholars pursue this topic with increasing insistence. For hundreds of millennia humans laughed together only in small circles of acquaintances. Today we ask: What are the consequences of technology that allows laughter to be instantly shared by millions of strangers? And: When commercial humor producers stimulate a child’s laughter for financial gain, what are the consequences for the child? Still, humor scholars coming from different epistemological realms rarely converse, even when they have lots to share. Scholarly practice today discourages consilience across these knowledge realms regarding topics involving human nature.
Toward a partial remedy, I offer a detailed model of the origin of human laughter and humor based on a well-developed evolutionary narrative that begins before humans walked on Earth. The story goes that laughter and humor were established and ritualized among our forebears long before human language emerged. Thus I argue that human laughter and humor are not governed by linguistic principles, as almost all scholars presume, even when purely verbal humor sparks laughter today. This model warrants further exploration, since a non-language foundation addresses a number of old chestnuts about laughter. It is sufficiently supple to encompass the illuminating subtleties of the best historical accounts, integrates philosophy’s previously rival explanations, and captures many of the observations of social science and more recently findings of the biological and cognitive sciences.
This model distinguishes the types of laughter found across cultures, and automatically produces a seemingly natural classification of humor: from broad physical humor, through knock-knock jokes, to the wit of Erasmus and the satire of Swift and Carlin. It offers solutions to some perennial debates about humor, and addresses the issues generated by a range of disciplines: from history and philosophy through social psychology, and neuroscience. I hope to provide a demonstration that consilience can offer insight into our nature.
The book is designed in three sections: The first describes the perennial queries of the humanist and philosophical traditions. The second presents the model. In the third section I set the model into the larger sphere of ludic studies to explore the model’s implications for human creativity, agency and choice in a world increasingly dominated by media multinationals that commoditizes our laughter.
I hope to finish this book manuscript in 2015-2016, when I am at the University of Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Research.
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"Latinos constitute the fastest-growing and largest ethnic minority in the United States, yet less than 1 percent of network news coverage deals with Latinos as the focus of a story. Out of that 1 percent, even fewer stories are positive... more
"Latinos constitute the fastest-growing and largest ethnic minority in the United States, yet less than 1 percent of network news coverage deals with Latinos as the focus of a story. Out of that 1 percent, even fewer stories are positive in either content or tone. Author of the acclaimed Brown Tide Rising: Metaphors of Latinos in Contemporary American Public Discourse, Otto Santa Ana has completed a comprehensive analysis of this situation, blending quantitative research with semiotic readings and ultimately applying cognitive science and humanist theory to explain the repercussions of this marginal, negative coverage.
Santa Ana's choice of network evening news as the foundation for Juan in a Hundred is significant because that medium is currently the single most authoritative and influential source of opinion-generating content. In his 2004 research, Santa Ana calculated that among approximately 12,000 stories airing across four networks (ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC), only 118 dealt with Latinos, a ratio that has remained stagnant over the past fifteen years. Examining the content of the stories, from briefs to features, reveals that Latino-tagged events are apparently only broadcast when national politics or human calamity are involved, and even then, the Latino issue is often tangential to a news story as a whole. On global events involving Latin America, U.S. networks often remain silent while BBC correspondents prepare fully developed, humanizing coverage.
The book concludes by demonstrating how this obscurity and misinformation perpetuate maligned perceptions about Latinos. Santa Ana's inspiring calls for reform are poised to change the face of network news in America.
"
Santa Ana's choice of network evening news as the foundation for Juan in a Hundred is significant because that medium is currently the single most authoritative and influential source of opinion-generating content. In his 2004 research, Santa Ana calculated that among approximately 12,000 stories airing across four networks (ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC), only 118 dealt with Latinos, a ratio that has remained stagnant over the past fifteen years. Examining the content of the stories, from briefs to features, reveals that Latino-tagged events are apparently only broadcast when national politics or human calamity are involved, and even then, the Latino issue is often tangential to a news story as a whole. On global events involving Latin America, U.S. networks often remain silent while BBC correspondents prepare fully developed, humanizing coverage.
The book concludes by demonstrating how this obscurity and misinformation perpetuate maligned perceptions about Latinos. Santa Ana's inspiring calls for reform are poised to change the face of network news in America.
"
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In 2010, the governor of Arizona signed a controversial immigration bill (SB 1070) that led to a news media frenzy, copycat bills in twenty-two states, and a U.S. Supreme Court battle that put Arizona at the cross-hairs of the immigration... more
In 2010, the governor of Arizona signed a controversial immigration bill (SB 1070) that led to a news media frenzy, copycat bills in twenty-two states, and a U.S. Supreme Court battle that put Arizona at the cross-hairs of the immigration debate. Arizona Firestorm brings together well-respected experts from across the political spectrum to examine and contextualize the political, economic, historical, and legal issues prompted by this and other anti-Latino and anti-immigrant legislation and state actions. It also addresses the news media’s role in shaping immigration discourse in Arizona and across the globe. Arizona is a case study of the roots and impact of the 21st century immigration challenge. Arizona Firestorm will be of interest to scholars and students in communication, public policy, state politics, federalism, and anyone interested in immigration policy or Latino politics.
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"Juan in a 100" is a set of 3 studies designed in concentric circles to home in on the character and consequence of network evening news reporting on the nation’s fastest growing and largest ethnic-minority group. In spite of recent... more
"Juan in a 100" is a set of 3 studies designed in concentric circles to home in on the character and consequence of network evening news reporting on the nation’s fastest growing and largest ethnic-minority group. In spite of recent inroads, the network evening news programs remain the nation's most important and authoritative daily accounting of America's unfolding reality. Thus remains important to study this vital source of information about Latinos.
I first study the distribution of news stories topics, comparing the total 12,000 individual stories that four networks broadcast in 2004 to the subset of those stories (totaling 118) that pertain to Latinos. The fact that less than one-percent of network news stories deal with Latinos as subjects of the story, led to the word-play of the book title. The 1:100 ratio and topic distribution has not changed in the past 15 years. Because there is no discernable change in the network patterns, a study of the 2004 broadcast year will remain relevant in the foreseeable future.
The second study focuses on content. I select 46 stories that encompass the range of news types (from briefs to features) as well as the major Latino news topics that the networks offer viewers. I conduct deep semiotic readings on each of them to provide an in-depth examination of the content of network news about Latinos that are broadcast to the American viewing public. The breadth and depth of this second study allow me to illustrate the techniques that the networks use to render their authoritative portrait of today's Latinos. The picture is not pretty. It is incomplete and often flawed.
In the final study, I move from description to explanation. I map out an explicit procedure by which news consumers build their understandings out of the multimodal stimuli of television news stories. This poses two challenges: how to incorporate into one interpretive framework different modes of lower-order semiotic sign (visual, non-spoken audio, graphic, spoken, etc.), as well as dealing with higher-order semantics. For the first challenge, I start with recent cognitive science scholarship (Lakoff, Fauconnier). To deal with the second, I enlist the aid of venerable humanist theories (Foucault, Calvin McGee, Barthes, Hayden White, Northrup Frye) that offer insight into the nature of complex higher-order meanings. I exemplify my model with immigration news stories that I described in earlier chapters. Thus I combine humanist theory and cognitive science to explain how American news viewers can construct their (albeit limited) understanding of Latinos from the news stories they watch.""
I first study the distribution of news stories topics, comparing the total 12,000 individual stories that four networks broadcast in 2004 to the subset of those stories (totaling 118) that pertain to Latinos. The fact that less than one-percent of network news stories deal with Latinos as subjects of the story, led to the word-play of the book title. The 1:100 ratio and topic distribution has not changed in the past 15 years. Because there is no discernable change in the network patterns, a study of the 2004 broadcast year will remain relevant in the foreseeable future.
The second study focuses on content. I select 46 stories that encompass the range of news types (from briefs to features) as well as the major Latino news topics that the networks offer viewers. I conduct deep semiotic readings on each of them to provide an in-depth examination of the content of network news about Latinos that are broadcast to the American viewing public. The breadth and depth of this second study allow me to illustrate the techniques that the networks use to render their authoritative portrait of today's Latinos. The picture is not pretty. It is incomplete and often flawed.
In the final study, I move from description to explanation. I map out an explicit procedure by which news consumers build their understandings out of the multimodal stimuli of television news stories. This poses two challenges: how to incorporate into one interpretive framework different modes of lower-order semiotic sign (visual, non-spoken audio, graphic, spoken, etc.), as well as dealing with higher-order semantics. For the first challenge, I start with recent cognitive science scholarship (Lakoff, Fauconnier). To deal with the second, I enlist the aid of venerable humanist theories (Foucault, Calvin McGee, Barthes, Hayden White, Northrup Frye) that offer insight into the nature of complex higher-order meanings. I exemplify my model with immigration news stories that I described in earlier chapters. Thus I combine humanist theory and cognitive science to explain how American news viewers can construct their (albeit limited) understanding of Latinos from the news stories they watch.""
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ABSTRAK Amaliah, Ana. 2019. Implementasi Media Pembelajaran Berbasis Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip Untuk Meningkatkan Pengetahuan dan Keterampilan Mengarsip Dokumen Kantor Pada Peserta Didik Kelas X APK SMK Muhammadiyah 7 Gondanglegi... more
ABSTRAK Amaliah, Ana. 2019. Implementasi Media Pembelajaran Berbasis Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip Untuk Meningkatkan Pengetahuan dan Keterampilan Mengarsip Dokumen Kantor Pada Peserta Didik Kelas X APK SMK Muhammadiyah 7 Gondanglegi Kabupaten Malang. Skripsi. Jurusan Manajemen. Fakultas Ekonomi. Universitas Negeri Malang. Pembimbing: Dr. Agus Hermawan, M.Si, GradDipMgt., M.Bus. Kata Kunci : Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip, Pengetahuan, Keterampilan. Berdasarkan hasil wawancara dengan Guru Mata Pelajaran Kearsipan diperoleh informasi bahwa kegiatan pembelajaran masih bersifat monoton dan belum memiliki media pembelajaran yang tepat untuk diterapkan kepada peserta didik kelas X APK di SMK Muhammadiyah 7 Gondanglegi mengenai materi arsip elektronik. Sehingga kurangnya pengetahuan dan keterampilan peserta didik mengenai arsip elektronik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui: (1) Implementasi media pembelajaran berbasis Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip, (2) Pengaruh implementasi media pembelajaran berbasis Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip terhadap pengetahuan peserta didik, dan (3) Pengaruh implementasi media pembelajaran berbasis Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip terhadap keterampilan peserta didik. Jenis penelitian ini merupakan penelitian tindakan kelas dengan subyek penelitian adalah seluruh peserta didik kelas X Administrasi Perkantoran di SMK Muhammadiyah 7 Gondanglegi. Pengumpulan data melalui: (1) Wawancara, (2) Observasi, (3) Tes Tertulis, (4) Catatan Lapangan, dan (5) Dokumentasi. Analisis data melalui tiga tahapan yaitu: reduksi data, penyajian data, dan penarikan kesimpulan. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan dalam dua siklus, setiap siklus terdiri dari 2 kali pertemuan dan mencakup 4 tahapan utama yaitu: (1) Perencanaan, (2) Pelaksanaan, (3) Pengamatan, dan (4) Refleksi. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah (1) Implementasi media pembelajaran berbasis Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan peserta didik mengenai materi arsip elektronik (2) Implementasi media pembelajaran berbasis Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip pada ranah kognitif (pengetahuan) mengalami peningkatan dari siklus I ke siklus II sebesar 11,85%. Dimana hasil posttest siklus I sebanyak 73,80% dan siklus II sebanyak85,38%. (3) Sedangkan implementasi media pembelajaran berbasis Aplikasi Pengolahan Data Arsip pada ranah psikomotorik (keterampilan) dari siklus I ke siklus II mengalami peningkatan dari posttest siklus I ke siklus II sebanyak 10,68%. Dimana hasil posttest siklus I sebesar 75,42% dan siklus II sebesar 86,10%. Saran dari peneliti bagi guru yaitu agar guru dapat menciptakan inovasi dalam memberikan materi khususnya arsip elektronik, bagi peserta didik agar lebih aktif dalam pembelajaran di kelas, dan bagi peneliti selanjutnya agar dapat memperbaiki kekurangan-kekurangan penelitian ini. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
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Abstract I investigate the phonetic realization of syllable structure in Chicano English (= ChE) to characterize its status as a language contact dialect, its relation to the target language, and the changes it undergoes. I study two... more
Abstract I investigate the phonetic realization of syllable structure in Chicano English (= ChE) to characterize its status as a language contact dialect, its relation to the target language, and the changes it undergoes. I study two simplification processes, one consonantal and one vocalic, in the vernacular of a balanced sample of forty-five adult Chicanos (= Mexican-Americans), non-native and native speakers, across five generations using methods of empirical linguistics. A well-studied sociolinguistic variable,/-t, d/deletion ...
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a public maelstrom in January 2004, when he proposed a new temporary worker program and a road to citizenship for millions of unauthorized immigrants. By 2006, immigration had become the major issue on the nation’s political agenda. The... more
a public maelstrom in January 2004, when he proposed a new temporary worker program and a road to citizenship for millions of unauthorized immigrants. By 2006, immigration had become the major issue on the nation’s political agenda. The last time this happened was in 1994, when California voters passed Proposition 187, which would have denied unauthorized immigrants many public benefits and required state employees (including health care workers and school teachers) to point authorities to “apparently illegal aliens.” As gauged by old-fashioned journalistic content analysis—which simply counts the number of words, headline size, and other plainly observable elements of newspaper copy—the Los Angeles Times’ coverage of Prop. 187 was balanced. But such analysis is limited. According to recent research in cognitive science, common metaphor appears to be the key element of language that people use to make sense of their social world. In brief, what you say (or read) is what you get. For this reason, the everyday metaphors for political notions like CITIZEN, IMMIGRANT, and NATION that are sprinkled through news copy are fundamental to understanding on what basis newspaper readers (hence voters) make political decisions. In Brown Tide Rising: Metaphors of Latinos in Contemporary American Public Discourse (2002), Otto Santa Ana reported on the Los Angeles Times’ coverage of Prop. 187 using a research design that linked the insights of cognitive metaphor theory to a rigorous scientific protocol designed to avoid tainting the investigation with his own political bias. Cataloging the metaphors used in 1994 by the Times to represent immigrants, he found that although the paper strongly opposed Prop. 187 (its editorials repeatedly condemned the referendum as fiscally unsound and mean-spirited), it inadvertently supported the referendum at the level of metaphor. Indeed, Santa Ana’s findings were chilling. The most frequent (34%) and powerful metaphor the Times projected was IMMIGRANT AS ANIMAL. The Times repeatedly depicted immigrants as animals in various ways, including as prey being drawn into a trap or chased down and eaten: “The truth is, employers hungering for really cheap labor hunt out the foreign workers” (italics added). The paper also depicted them as invading soldiers, flooding tides, and weeds. Thus at this fundamental level of language, at which readers make sense of political concepts, the Times did not promote a balanced debate of the issue. Instead, its readership was provided only a single discourse about immigrants, one that depicted them as subhuman. Californians voted accordingly. The Times was not alone; all mainstream U.S. national news sources used such politically biased language in the 1990s. Apparently only one discourse was then acceptable for the U.S. news media to articulate—a decidedly antiimmigrant one. Thus, when Bush made his 2004 proposal, he Media Accuracy on Latin America m a l a NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007
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Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States, numbering 37 million in 2000. They are not evenly distributed across the nation, but concentrated in the urban centers of a few states. For example, Latinos make up 32 percent... more
Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States, numbering 37 million in 2000. They are not evenly distributed across the nation, but concentrated in the urban centers of a few states. For example, Latinos make up 32 percent of the population of Texas, and over 59 percent of San Antonio. In Texas, Latinos are overwhelmingly of Mexican origin. For a second example, Latinos comprise 45 percent of Los Angeles County's 9.5 million people. The national origins of Los Angeles Latinos are more varied. In Los Angeles County, for ...
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ABSTRACTThis article analyzes a set of anti-immigrant jokes with which Jay Leno entertained his national television audience in 2006, when the U.S. public was focused on unprecedented demonstrations urging justice for immigrants. Leno... more
ABSTRACTThis article analyzes a set of anti-immigrant jokes with which Jay Leno entertained his national television audience in 2006, when the U.S. public was focused on unprecedented demonstrations urging justice for immigrants. Leno adroitly mocks immigrants and their cause to give his audience emotional release by distancing them from immigrants. It is argued that political comedy can be an insidious discursive practice that reduces its audience’s critical judgment as it signifies social boundaries. It should be carefully scrutinized because, with a few laughs, Leno can steer sentiment about public policy and instantiate divisiveness for an audience of 6 million who, in the words of Leno’s official website, “are drifting off to dreamland.” (Humor, political comedy, late-night television, immigrant rights marches)*
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Little consensus exists about the status of language varieties heard in the speech of Chicanos, and in particular, the linguistic status of Chicano English. This criticism can be extended to many ethnic sociolinguistic settings. Critical... more
Little consensus exists about the status of language varieties heard in the speech of Chicanos, and in particular, the linguistic status of Chicano English. This criticism can be extended to many ethnic sociolinguistic settings. Critical commentary on certain controversies about the dialects of Chicanos is presented in this article. A model of the languagesldialects setting used by Chicanos that goes beyond recent typologies is proposed, made on the basis of explicit assumptions about the nature of the speech setting of Chicanos. On the basis of these assumptions, Chicano English is characterized as the autonomous vernacular dialect of native-English-speaking Chicanos. Four examples of this Chicano language setting model are presented, using recent national and three statewide demographic figures.
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52 O n may 1, 2007, thousands of los Angeles residents took to the streets to reprise the massive immigrant rights march that captured the nation’s attention a year earlier. The day began with a peaceful march of about 25,000 people in... more
52 O n may 1, 2007, thousands of los Angeles residents took to the streets to reprise the massive immigrant rights march that captured the nation’s attention a year earlier. The day began with a peaceful march of about 25,000 people in downtown Los Angeles, followed by a smaller afternoon march to MacArthur Park. Sadly, violent police misconduct abruptly ended this second rally. In half an hour, more than 450 police officers forcibly broke up the rally of 6,000 to 7,000 people, according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s own report. The LAPD reported that no marcher was arrested for fomenting this violence. At the same time, it accepted responsibility for having injured 246 people with “more than 100 baton strikes” and at least 146 “less-than-lethal impact munitions” (i.e., hard rubber bullets). The LAPD report stated that the police attack was “unprovoked” and blamed the violence on, among other things, a failure of the police command structure and inadequate planning. Moreover, the report found that the police officers did not properly declare the assembly to be unlawful, so when they forcibly dispersed the marchers, they violated the marchers’ First Amendment rights. How did the TV newsrooms represent this important event to the public at a time when the nation’s attention was focused on immigration policy? To find out, my research team and I examined 51 stories about the day’s events, broadcast by three national networks and five local L.A. stations. Our study combined three independent approaches: fact-checking (we evaluated the accuracy of the reporting by comparing it to the LAPD account); critical discourse analysis (we focused on the metaphors that anchors and reporters used when they spoke about the social agents involved); and visual semiotics analysis (we interpreted how the newsrooms visually represented the events). Our results were disheartening. We found that local and network television newsrooms presented the events of May 1 using a conventional frame that we call the “riot-suppression narrative.” Like all journalistic narrative frames, the riot-suppression narrative features a set of stock characters— villains, victims, and heroes. The marchers in this narrative are cast as violent (hence criminal) agitators, while the police are law-abiding government agents charged with disciplining disorderly civilians. And for this particular news event, the role of victim was reserved for news media personnel caught up in the police attack—not families with children in strollers, innocent marchers, or even the hapless street vendors—because the riot-suppression narrative always indicts demonstrators as the violent perpetrators. Framing Peace as Violence: TV Coverage of L.A.’s May Day 2007
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Abstract I demonstrate that the metaphors used in American public discourse to speak about US Latinos and other minority communities, particularly immigrants on the one hand, and African Americans on the other, constitute the national... more
Abstract I demonstrate that the metaphors used in American public discourse to speak about US Latinos and other minority communities, particularly immigrants on the one hand, and African Americans on the other, constitute the national ideology that drives policy decisions affecting these large minority populations. In this paper, after a discussion of the theoretical framework for my analysis and of some vital premises and the methods I utilise, I will describe three metaphors that are currently used to talk about two crucial political issues ...
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This is a critical analysis of the discourse of an elected state official in the years leading up to the passage of arguably racist legislation. It was submitted to a U.S. court of law to support the plaintiffs’ claim that since the... more
This is a critical analysis of the discourse of an elected state official in the years leading up to the passage of arguably racist legislation. It was submitted to a U.S. court of law to support the plaintiffs’ claim that since the legislator publicly expressed racial bias against the groups of people affected by the law, then his legislation should be voided because the United States Constitution requires that laws treat citizens equally. The fact that critical discourse analytic findings have been entered into the U.S. courts leads to the question whether such analyses of public pronouncements May ever be permitted to serve as legally probative evidence.
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Held in conjunction with ST 600 Transnational Lives, Dr. Otto Santa Ana is the second lecturer in the Committee on Social Theory Spring Lecture Series. Professor Otto Santa Ana’s scholarship over the past 15 years focuses on language that... more
Held in conjunction with ST 600 Transnational Lives, Dr. Otto Santa Ana is the second lecturer in the Committee on Social Theory Spring Lecture Series. Professor Otto Santa Ana’s scholarship over the past 15 years focuses on language that constructs social hierarchies and on how mass media amplifies the construction of unjust social inequity. His first book, Brown Tide Rising (2002) provides a close study of newspapers and mass media representations of Latinos. The American Political Science Association named it Book of the Year on Ethnic and Racial Political Ideology. He continues to refine his research tools (and with undergraduate co-authors), recently explored the national newspaper coverage of immigrants during the Great Immigrant Rights Marches of 2006. This article, “A May to Remember” appeared in the Du Bois Review (2007)
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Chicano English displays a remarkable range of language contact phenomena. Speakers of this ethnic dialect enact their social practices with Chicano English, in conjunction with Chicano Spanish and in some cases other varieties of Spanish... more
Chicano English displays a remarkable range of language contact phenomena. Speakers of this ethnic dialect enact their social practices with Chicano English, in conjunction with Chicano Spanish and in some cases other varieties of Spanish and English as well. In dynamic urban multicultural and binational settings, these social practices include surprisingly complex identities and roles (Mendoza-Denton 1997; Fought 2003). Sadly, the general public's awareness of Chicano English (ChcE) commonly involves stigma, a ...
Research Interests: Phonology and Linguistics
Typologizing the sociolinguistic speech community Otto Santa Ana
Part I: Current Realities of the Chicano Schooling Experience 1. The Plight of Chicano Students: An Overview of Schooling Conditions and Outcomes Richard R. Valencia 2. The Explosive Growth of the Chicano/Latino Population: Educational... more
Part I: Current Realities of the Chicano Schooling Experience 1. The Plight of Chicano Students: An Overview of Schooling Conditions and Outcomes Richard R. Valencia 2. The Explosive Growth of the Chicano/Latino Population: Educational Implications Richard R. Valencia 3. Segregation, Desegregation, and Integration of Chicano Students: Old and New Realities Richard R. Valencia, Martha Menchaca and Ruben Donato 4. Chicano Dropouts: An Update of Research and Policy Issues Russell W. Rumberger and Gloria M. Rodriguez Part II: Language Perspectives on Chicano Student Achievement 5. Language, Public Policy, and Schooling: A Focus on Chicano English Language Learners Eugene E. Garcia and Ann-Marie Wiese 6. Research in Bilingual Education: Moving Beyond the Effectiveness Debate Michael D. Guerrero Part III: Cultural and Familial Perspectives on Chicano Student Achievement 7. Chicano/Latino Critical Ethnography of Education: Cultural Productions from La Frontera Sofia Villenas and Douglas E. Foley 8. Chicano Families and Schools: Myths, Knowledge, and Future Directions for Understanding Robert P. Moreno and Richard R. Valencia Part IV: Educational Testing and Special Education Issues Germane to Chicano Students 9. Educational Testing and Chicano Students: Issues, Consequences, and Prospects for Reform Richard R. Valencia, Bruno J. Villarreal, and Moises F. Salinas 10. An Analysis of Special Education as a Response to the Diminished Academic Achievement of Chicano/Latino Students: An Update Robert Rueda, Alfredo J. Artiles, Jesus Salazar, and Ignacio Higareda Part V: The Big Picture and Chicano School Failure and Success 11. The Big Picture: Systemic and Institutional Factors in Chicano School Failure and Success Arthur Pearl 12. Conclusions: Towards Chicano School Success Richard R. Valencia
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Chicano English displays a remarkable range of language contact phenomena. Speakers of this ethnic dialect enact their social practices with Chicano English, in conjunction with Chicano Spanish and in some cases other varieties of Spanish... more
Chicano English displays a remarkable range of language contact phenomena. Speakers of this ethnic dialect enact their social practices with Chicano English, in conjunction with Chicano Spanish and in some cases other varieties of Spanish and English as well. In dynamic urban multicultural and binational settings, these social practices include surprisingly complex identities and roles (Mendoza-Denton 1997; Fought 2003). Sadly, the general public's awareness of Chicano English (ChcE) commonly involves stigma, a ...
Research Interests: Phonology and Linguistics
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SUMMARY: On the basis of a scientific study of over 300 speeches and 5000 tweets, we offer a report on Trump's public discourse about immigrants. The plotline of his immigration discourse is the classic america as fortress trope.... more
SUMMARY: On the basis of a scientific study of over 300 speeches and 5000 tweets, we offer a report on Trump's public discourse about immigrants. The plotline of his immigration discourse is the classic america as fortress trope. Trump asserts that Fortress America is under attack; many of its cities and towns have been overrun by ruthless aggressors. Trump characterizes Mexico as the enemy that sent unauthorized immigrants as invaders. Trump represents himself as the hero, and Hillary Clinton represents the corrupt and sniveling politicians that let the nation come to this state of affairs. In this preliminary1 report we exemplify the major metaphors Trump uses to articulate his narrative. We find code-words that he uses to make his narrative more forceful and misleading: he associates MS-13, the notorious gang, with all Latino gangs and even all young Latinos who wear certain urban gear as a fashion statement. He extends the term criminal alien, namely immigrants who commit felonious crimes, to all unauthorized immigrants. He also refers by name to about twelve Americans who were the victims of major crimes, as representative of the imminent danger to all Americans and their family that immigrants pose. Finally, he expresses utter disdain toward US-born children of Latino immigrants, saying their increase should be halted, that they are not " our children, " and that they are not entitled to US citizenship. LINGUISTIC FINDINGS Metonymy and Metaphor: All speakers use metaphor and metonymy to convey the intended message.
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Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States, numbering 37 million in 2000. They are not evenly distributed across the nation, but concentrated in the urban centers of a few states. For example, Latinos make up 32 percent... more
Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States, numbering 37 million in 2000. They are not evenly distributed across the nation, but concentrated in the urban centers of a few states. For example, Latinos make up 32 percent of the population of Texas, and over 59 percent of San Antonio. In Texas, Latinos are overwhelmingly of Mexican origin. For a second example, Latinos comprise 45 percent of Los Angeles County's 9.5 million people. The national origins of Los Angeles Latinos are more varied. In Los Angeles County, for ...
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"... awash under a brown tide... the relentless flow of immigrants.. like waves on a beach, these human flows are remaking the face of America...." Since 1993, metaphorical language such... more
"... awash under a brown tide... the relentless flow of immigrants.. like waves on a beach, these human flows are remaking the face of America...." Since 1993, metaphorical language such as this has permeated mainstream media reporting on the United States' growing Latino population. In this groundbreaking book, Otto Santa Ana argues that far from being mere figures of speech, such metaphors produce and sustain negative public perceptions of the Latino community and its place in American society, precluding the view that Latinos ...
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The contemporary framing in American public discourse on immigrants is examined through a data-driven metaphor analysis. The print media texts of the 1994 political debate and campaign in California over an anti-immigrant referendum,... more
The contemporary framing in American public discourse on immigrants is examined through a data-driven metaphor analysis. The print media texts of the 1994 political debate and campaign in California over an anti-immigrant referendum, Proposition 187, is analyzed. An ongoing cataloguing of metaphors from hundreds of Los Angeles Times articles displays the discourse that reflects and informs California public opinion. The metaphors discerned include `IMMIGRANTS ARE ANIMALS'. In so far as prose metaphors in the print media reflect public discourse, this study captures a public perception that dehumanizes immigrant workers. Additionally, alternative analyses of the framing of the discourse of Proposition 187 are compared to the present analysis.
Research Interests: Sociology, Chicano Studies, Media Studies, Critical Discourse Studies, Journalism, and 15 morePublic Opinion, Sociolinguistics, Immigration, Immigration Studies, Metaphor, Dehumanization, California History, Los Angeles, Newspapers, Critical Metaphor Analysis, Public Perception, Journalism And Mass communication, Public Discourse, Political Debate, and Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
We examine mainstream US print news depictions of the 2006 immigration policy debate. Using critical discourse analysis informed by cognitive metaphor theory, we analyze a substantial sample of mainstream US print news reports in May... more
We examine mainstream US print news depictions of the 2006 immigration policy debate. Using critical discourse analysis informed by cognitive metaphor theory, we analyze a substantial sample of mainstream US print news reports in May 2006, at the height of national attention on the “Great May Day” demonstrations across the country. We compare it to a second sample of print news media articles from October 2006, at the time of the passage of the 2006 Secure Fence Act. Mainstream print media represented immigrants ...
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ABSTRACTThis article analyzes a set of anti-immigrant jokes with which Jay Leno entertained his national television audience in 2006, when the U.S. public was focused on unprecedented demonstrations urging justice for immigrants. Leno... more
ABSTRACTThis article analyzes a set of anti-immigrant jokes with which Jay Leno entertained his national television audience in 2006, when the U.S. public was focused on unprecedented demonstrations urging justice for immigrants. Leno adroitly mocks immigrants and their cause to give his audience emotional release by distancing them from immigrants. It is argued that political comedy can be an insidious discursive practice that reduces its audience’s critical judgment as it signifies social boundaries. It should be carefully scrutinized because, with a few laughs, Leno can steer sentiment about public policy and instantiate divisiveness for an audience of 6 million who, in the words of Leno’s official website, “are drifting off to dreamland.” (Humor, political comedy, late-night television, immigrant rights marches)*
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Using Critical Discourse Analysis on large representative sets of newspaper articles, I study the contemporary discourse U.S. print media uses to discuss U.S. public education. I interpreted the findings using metaphor theory, a strand of... more
Using Critical Discourse Analysis on large representative sets of newspaper articles, I study the contemporary discourse U.S. print media uses to discuss U.S. public education. I interpreted the findings using metaphor theory, a strand of cognitive science, which offers an account for how humans make sense of their world. This study suggests how everyday Americans and policy makers tend to conceptualize public education. Three discourse-formulating, conceptual metaphors predominate: SCHOOL AS FACTORY, CURRICULUM AS PATH, and SOCIALIZATION AS RIVER. However, also following metaphor theory, these conventional metaphors impede changes in policy. In the end, I offer alternative “guerrilla metaphors” to advance national understanding of public education
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The contemporary framing in American public discourse on immigrants is examined through a data-driven metaphor analysis. The print media texts of the 1994 political debate and campaign in California over an anti-immigrant referendum,... more
The contemporary framing in American public discourse on immigrants is examined through a data-driven metaphor analysis. The print media texts of the 1994 political debate and campaign in California over an anti-immigrant referendum, Proposition 187, is analyzed. An ongoing cataloguing of metaphors from hundreds of Los Angeles Times articles displays the discourse that reflects and informs California public opinion. The metaphors discerned include ‘IMMIGRANTS ARE ANIMALS’. In so far as prose metaphors in the print media reflect public discourse, this study captures a public perception that dehumanizes immigrant workers. Additionally, alternative analyses of the framing of the discourse of Proposition 187 are compared to the present analysis.
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A theoretically and socially important element of the public discourse framing the 1994 Proposition 187 campaign in California is identified, by analyzing the metaphors used by and reported by the print media.1 An on-going exhaustive... more
A theoretically and socially important element of the public discourse framing the 1994 Proposition 187 campaign in California is identified, by analyzing the metaphors used by and reported by the print media.1 An on-going exhaustive cataloguing of metaphors from over 200 Los Angeles Times articles (presently 2000 in 200,000 words) displayed the political discourse that informed California public opinion. The Times maintained high professional journalistic standards. It repudiated Prop. 187 in its editorial pages. Yet the predominating metaphors used by the newspaper were anti-immigrant. In so far as the print media actually influence public opinion (van Dijk 1989), this newspaper contributed to a biased public construction of reality. After laying out the basics of metaphor theory, I describe one of a set of predominant metaphors, Immigration is Dangerous Waters, which are consistent with the more encompassing, structuring metaphors used in the Times, Nation AS House. I end with ex...
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This study examines two successive days of U.S. television news coverage of the May 1, 2007, immigration rights rally in Los Angeles. As thousands of demonstrators appealed peacefully for comprehensive immigration policy reform, they were... more
This study examines two successive days of U.S. television news coverage of the May 1, 2007, immigration rights rally in Los Angeles. As thousands of demonstrators appealed peacefully for comprehensive immigration policy reform, they were assailed by 450 police officers firing munitions and using truncheons. We evaluated fifty-one televi- sion news reports from three networks and five local stations using three complementary analyses (framing, visual coding, and critical spoken discourse analysis). News reporters on the ground at the time framed the events as a police attack. On the following day, however, news media blamed the victims by reframing the event as a violent provocation. We argue that the television news seized political agency and manipulated public opinion about domestic immigration policy.
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In 2010, the governor of Arizona signed a controversial immigration bill (SB 1070) that led to a news media frenzy, copycat bills in twenty-two states, and a US Supreme Court battle that put Arizona at the cross-hairs of the immigration... more
In 2010, the governor of Arizona signed a controversial immigration bill (SB 1070) that led to a news media frenzy, copycat bills in twenty-two states, and a US Supreme Court battle that put Arizona at the cross-hairs of the immigration debate. Arizona Firestorm brings together well-respected experts from across the political spectrum to examine and contextualize the political, economic, historical, and legal issues prompted by this and other anti-Latino and anti-immigrant legislation and state actions. It also addresses the news media's role in ...
Research Interests: Constitutional Law, Economic Geography, Communication, Journalism, Globalization, and 15 moreHuman Rights, Immigration, Development communication, Media Education, Culture, Media, Creative City, Citizenship, Mass media, Cultural Industry, Media Impact and Effects and Usages, Democracy and Citizenship Education, Citizenship identities, Alternate Media, and Development Communication
ABSTRACTThree analyses of /-t,d/ deletion are undertaken to investigate whether convergence with the matrix regional dialect has taken place in Los Angeles Chicano English. Two superficial analyses mistakenly find convergence. A third... more
ABSTRACTThree analyses of /-t,d/ deletion are undertaken to investigate whether convergence with the matrix regional dialect has taken place in Los Angeles Chicano English. Two superficial analyses mistakenly find convergence. A third emic multivariate analysis finds no phonological convergence. It is argued that sonority of adjacent consonants accounts for most of the variation. In order to give an account of the degree and direction of the /-t,d/ deletion processses in Chicano English, Clement's (1988) model of nonaffixal syllabification, which is also based on sonority, is extended to this affix-affecting delection process.
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This is a critical analysis of the discourse of an elected state official in the years leading up to the passage of arguably racist legislation. It was submitted to a U.S. court of law to support the plaintiffs’ claim that since the... more
This is a critical analysis of the discourse of an elected state official in the years leading up to the passage of arguably racist legislation. It was submitted to a U.S. court of law to support the plaintiffs’ claim that since the legislator publicly expressed racial bias against the groups of people affected by the law, then his legislation should be voided because the United States Constitution requires that laws treat citizens equally. The fact that critical discourse analytic findings have been entered into the U.S. courts leads to the question whether such analyses of public pronouncements May ever be permitted to serve as legally probative evidence.