Sociolinguistic Capital and Fresa Identity Formations on the U.S.-Mexico Border

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Published: Aug 9, 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17428/rfn.v30i60.1746
Keywords:
U.S.-Mexico border stylistic variation identity constructions gender whiteness

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Claudia HOLGUÍN MENDOZA
University of Oregon
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2535-5989

Abstract

This study analyzes sociolinguistic styles among Mexican women in the northern border cities of Juarez, Chihuahua and El Paso, Texas. These speakers’ grafting of sociolinguistic elements that resemble particular U.S. English styles ref lects what are understood in Mexico as fresa stereotypes. These linguistic innovations signal emblems of social prestige under the increasingly extensive influences of the neoliberal political economy. Through an examination of bilingual speech patterns in Spanish and in English, along with consideration of other sociolinguistic practices, I document how U.S.-centered ideologies of upper-class white feminine consumer culture are absorbed and rearticulated by women in the U.S.-Mexico border region.

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How to Cite
HOLGUÍN MENDOZA, C. (2018). <strong>Sociolinguistic Capital and <em>Fresa</em> Identity Formations on the U.S.-Mexico Border</strong>. Frontera Norte, 30(60), 5–30. https://doi.org/10.17428/rfn.v30i60.1746
Issue
Vol. 30 No. 60 (2018): julio-diciembre, 2018
Section
Papers
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Author Biography

Claudia HOLGUÍN MENDOZA, University of Oregon

Trabajo como rofesora asistente en el departamento de Lenguas Románicas (Romance Languages) en la Universidad de Oregón. Mi investigación se centra en la sociolingüística y la pragmática sobre todo en la frontera entre México y EE.UU. En el área de la pedagogía, también hago investigación y aplico la teoría en la enseñanza del español como lengua heredada en los EE.UU.

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