Mendieta receives first-round grant in IU arts, humanities competition

By Ami Mink , Staff writer of the “Northwest Phoenix” student newspaper

According to Mendieta, she received the grant in support of her research focusing on the use and preservation of Spanish in the Latino community of northwest Indiana. Mendieta said that the information on the Latino presence in northwest Indiana is outdated.

The 2000 U.S. Census revealed that there are nearly 70,000 Latinos in northwest Indiana, but Mendieta pointed out that hardly anything has been written on the socio-linguistic reality of this population. In her research, she explores the functions that the Spanish language and culture performs for the community.

In her research, she has discovered that use of the Spanish language in the northwest Indiana community could be seriously affected if the current changes in the Spanish population continue. Mendieta contends that languages are powerful symbols around which social groups articulate. The majority of people interviewed wished that the Spanish language was maintained in their community, and they want Spanish as a symbol that identifies and distinguishes the Latino population.

“Grants are always competitive and take high credentials to receive,” said Dorothy Ige, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at IUN. “We are always proud when faculty members such as Mendieta have high quality credentials and take the time and effort to apply for such competitive grants.” Ige added that the extra resources help the university overall in terms of reputation and finances.

In future research, Mendieta would like to find out which varieties of Spanish, such as Mexican and Puerto Rican, are perceived as more or less influential. She would also like to identify the distinct characteristics of the Spanish spoken in different communities.

Mendieta said that she hopes her research will help the Spanish instructional program at IUN and improve the training of bilingual teachers all over the northwest Indiana.