Note from the authors

In recent years, the importance of Spanish language education has gained recognition in educational circles. However, many approaches to language education in Spanish-speaking countries address the standard variety of Spanish as the norm, leaving assumptions about accents and dialects unexamined. This reinforces notions of the supremacy and universality of the standard variety of Spanish, which can reproduce unequal relations of dialogue and power and undervalue other knowledge systems. To address this perceived gap, our textbook takes a decolonial approach to Spanish language education.

We draw on the ideas of Gabriella Veronelli’s work on the coloniality of language and Walter Mignolo’s book Local Histories/Global Designs related to bilanguaging love. Our aim is to enable educators to develop a set of tools to reflect on their own knowledge systems and engage with other varieties of Spanish in different ways, in their own learning or in their classrooms. Our textbook offers a theoretical framework and methodology to support educators to read the cultural logics of specific Spanish-speaking communities in relation to concepts related to language learning and pronunciation.

This cross-cultural exercise invites learners to examine the origins of their own perceptions and cultural logics, to develop self-reflexivity, to re-evaluate their own positions in the global context and to learn from other local ways of knowing and speaking. Through our learning activities, learners will develop an understanding of how language and systems of belief, values, and representation affect the way people interpret the world. They will also:

• identify how different groups understand issues related to language learning and their implications for language education.
• critically examine these interpretations – both standard and non-standard varieties of Spanish – looking at origins and potential implications of assumptions.
• identify an ethical framework for improved dialogue, engagement, and mutual learning.

This decolonial approach to Spanish language education aims to create educational opportunities for learners to be equipped to imagine and create a world beyond the levels of inequality we face today. We recognize that this is an ongoing learning journey for all of us, so we welcome your feedback and would love to hear about how you are using this resource in your context.