We can revitalize Español Neomexicano dialect

I HAVE been reading with great interest the responses in the Albuquerque Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican regarding the New York Times article about the Spanish dialect spoken in New Mexico.

On April 23 in the Santa Fe New Mexican, Dr. María Dolores Gonzales penned an op-ed piece describing how we Neomexicanos — New Mexicans — lost our Spanish language. She’s right that the English, not Spanish, being taught in schools did great harm. That’s language loss in the public sphere. Unfortunately, families also lost it in the private sphere, at home, by not teaching it to their children, grandchildren, etc.

While New Mexican Spanish is dead, it is not extinct. Our neighbors in Chihuahua preserve much of the same pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and nuances that made it a subdialect of Mexican Spanish. For example, some Chihuahuenses say nadien, trujistes, and call their godparents Nino and Nina, just as Neomexicanos once did. This makes sense since the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez area, in particular, was once an integral part of New Mexico. More teachers from Chihuahua who speak Spanish should be brought in to revitalize the language in New Mexico’s K-12 schools.

There is hope, but sadly no political will, to revitalize New Mexican Spanish. It must reenter the public sphere and be the language of instruction alongside English equally in all schools; used in debate and legislation at the Roundhouse; and everyday items such as driver’s licenses and highway signs need to be bilingual. New Mexican newspapers also have a role by beginning to write Spanish names and places correctly (i.e. José García, María Castañeda; Los Álamos, Pueblo de Sandía).

Basque and Catalan re-emerged in a post-Franco Spain after years of suppression, while French and English thrive in Montreál with some 58.5% of residents bilingual in both languages. Hebrew was revitalized and Español Neomexicano can be, too, if Santa Fe can find the political will — and money.

NICHOLÁS CABRERA Spanish MA from NMSU, librarian, Denver