TRANSATLANTIC SYMPOSIUM ON SPANISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF SPANISH AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION
Spanish is a language that moves throughout the world, not only as the official language of 21 countries, but as a language of study for a growing number of speakers every day. In the current scenario, this diaspora has brought about changes in the global cultural map, positioning Spanish as the language of art, of the media, of research, of business, and of relations between countries.
On the other hand, the concept of the democratization of Spanish emerges, showing this language as a decentralized reference with a life of its own in each place where it is spoken. This concept, which is part of the pan-Hispanic vision of Spanish, encompasses a complex set of cultural, identity-related, idiosyncratic, and linguistic manifestations that require individuals and institutions working in the field of SFL (Spanish as a Foreign Language) to think carefully about what should be taken into account when teaching Spanish.
These considerations give rise to a context in which, in every country where Spanish is spoken or taught, institutes, academic programs, academic networks, observatories, and other initiatives working toward the development of SFL around the world begin to emerge. This reflects not only the growing importance of Spanish, but also the impact it is having on the consolidation of networks addressing the study of a phenomenon that has gained ground on several global indicators: the second most widely spoken native language in the world, the fourth language by total number of speakers, the second language in digital presence, and a language with steady growth in the number of students worldwide, with an estimated 25 million people.
This symposium proposes to bring together researchers, practitioners, and teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language who have worked on the linguistic, cultural, social, and political aspects with the greatest impact on the processes of learning and teaching Spanish. It also seeks to gather different perspectives — from Europe, Latin America, and other parts of the world — on the current role of Spanish in the global context, on the prospects envisioned for the future, on how the growth of SFL is studied and information about it is gathered, and on the challenges that the democratization of Spanish poses for learners, teachers, and researchers of this global language alike.
