University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations December 2019 Pena, Pinahua, and Prestige: Shame and Linguistic Insecurity in Upper Balsas Classrooms Heather Gabrielle Thomas Flores University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Thomas Flores, Heather Gabrielle, "Pena, Pinahua, and Prestige: Shame and Linguistic Insecurity in Upper Balsas Classrooms" (2019). Theses and Dissertations. 2337. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/2337 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PENA, PINAHUA, AND PRESTIGE: SHAME AND LINGUISTIC INSECURITY IN UPPER BALSAS CLASSROOMS by Heather Thomas Flores A Thesis SubmitteD in Partial FulFillment oF the Requirements For the Degree oF Master oF Science in Anthropology at The University oF Wisconsin-Milwaukee December 2019 ABSTRACT PENA, PINAHUA, AND PRESTIGE SHAME AND LINGUISTIC INSECURITY IN UPPER BALSAS CLASSROOMS by Heather Thomas Flores The University oF Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2019 UnDer the Supervision oF ProFessor BernarD C. Perley, PhD. This ethnography is a topical analysis oF the InDigenous EDucation system in rural Guerrero, Mexico. The purpose oF this research is to Draw out the correlations between coercive monolingual ‘Spanish only’ language policies implementeD During the mid 20th century anD the systematic Disintegration oF the Nahuatl language within what were once monolingual Nahua communities in the Upper Balsas valley. The Data presenteD in this paper is FrameD anD analyzeD through language iDeologies Discourse. The conceptualizations oF language helD within the cultural iDeology allow For the complexities surrounDing language loss anD revitalization to be taken into consiDeration within their Dynamic anD FluiD states. As an ethnography oF the particular, this work compiles anD analyzes Data gathereD From rural, historically InDigenous, anD linguistically Diverse populations in southwest Mexico. The Foremost goal in this research is to Determine iF trans-generational shame is a plausible explanation and subsequently a contributing Factor to Nahuatl language loss. The coercive nature oF the language practices outlineD in this ethnography, which causeD, in my summation, psychological trauma Due to the use oF humiliation, shaming, which corresponDeD with a loss oF agency, Further stigmatizeD the Nahua communities. The seconDary Focus oF the research is to look at the lasting eFFects or intergenerational maniFestations oF shame ii anD stigmatization as it pertains to the cessation oF language transmission leaDing to language Dormancy. This ethnography is structureD through interviews From three generations within the target population to capture the generational eFFects oF Spanish only anD monolingual briDging policies, which unDermineD Nahua agency regarDing language transmission From the 1950s to the present. Through interviews, surveys anD participant observation, the work presenteD in this ethnography comes together to create a snapshot oF language shiFt within the region Focusing primarily on the bilingual classroom. The implications Drawn From the research illustrate the varying levels oF shame, stigma, value, anD prestige placeD on language usage anD incluDes Nahuatl, Spanish, anD English. The research presenteD takes note oF the speech communities anD contexts in which iDeologies are maintaineD, making this stuDy signiFicant to ongoing research in the FielDs oF InDigenous Language EDucation policy, anthropology, anD sociolinguistic research. iii ©Copyright by Heather Thomas Flores, 2019 All Rights ReserveD iv To my Family, For your continuous encouragement anD support. Tlaxtlahue, Noyolotsin, Nimitzneki Miak Alice V. anD Marguerite D. Forever remembereD v TABLE OF CONTENTS List oF Figures ...............................................................................................................vii List oF Tables ................................................................................................................vii List oF Abbreviations .....................................................................................................ix AcknowleDgements ......................................................................................................x 1. Yancuic Tonalli: Nahuatlahtolli Tlayoltilia ...........................................................1 IntroDuction ........................................................................................................1 The communities ...............................................................................................5 Why I chose this topic anD location ....................................................................6 Linguistic interest ..............................................................................................10 The Nahuatl language, assessment, and immersion .........................................11 MethoDology ......................................................................................................15 Generations A, B, C ................................................................................21 2. The Importance of Place: Linguistic Geographies, Indigenous Identities, and Historically Nahua Places .....................................................................................24 FinDing iDentity in place: Don Pablo’s “Naming oF Tulimán” ...............................25 Don Pablo ...............................................................................................28 Nahua place names anD historical continuity .....................................................30 Nahuatl place names in the Upper Balsas Valley anD their suggesteD meanings ...........................................................................................................................31 HolDing on to place: A brieF history ....................................................................33 Revealing iDentity through language ..................................................................36 3. Perceptions of Prestige and Stigma: Bilingual Education & Classroom Socialization ..........................................................................................................42 Prestige in context .............................................................................................42 Marking Prestige in the Spanish register ...........................................................44 StuDent survey Data ................................................................................52 Perspectives through time: A generational comparison oF shiFting language Ideologies ..........................................................................................................50 JuDy ........................................................................................................56 ProFe Osmar ............................................................................................61 Doña Cleo ...............................................................................................62 Don Pablo ...............................................................................................65 Conclusion .........................................................................................................68 4. The Language of Education: Linguistic Coercion and Education Policy .........70 “I blame the government!” Remembrances of InDigenous EDucation Policy in Guerrero .............................................................................................70 A brieF history oF inDigenous eDucation in Mexico .............................................74 vi Language shiFt through coercive language eDucation anD intergenerational transmission oF shame .......................................................................................80 The present state oF bilingual/ inDigenous eDucation in central Guerrero ..........90 Teaching Nahuatl in schools: why stuDents are reluctant, anD parents unsure .96 English please! ........................................................................................97 5. Social and Emotional Effects of Pena on Language Vitality .......................... 102 DeFining pena and pinahua ....................................................................... 102 AshameD oF the ancestral language .......................................................... 110 EFFects oF shame anD humiliation on chilDren ............................................ 117 How shame eFFects minority language usage: Data collection anD analysis ............................................................................................................. 123 Combating the eFFects oF historical shame in language revitalization programs ................................................................................................... 127 SigniFicance anD repercussions ................................................................. 129 6. Moving Forward: Expanding Linguistic Domains ........................................... 131 ConcluDing thoughts .................................................................................. 134 Future research anD projects ..................................................................... 148 Bibliography ............................................................................................................