L2 Learners Find the South Bronx: Hip-Hop, Globalization, and Identity Construction

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2016-04-14
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Virginia Tech Publishing
Abstract

In Pennycook's, Global Englishes, Rip Slyme, and Permativity, he argues for a critical stance on the globalization process, looking beyond the notion that standard forms of English are only tied to certain "limiting domains." English is actually transforming its identity through the globalization process, constructing languages in various ways within local communities. However, the varieties of English that are being transplanted through globalization are not acting simply as hegemonic languages, or seamlessly entering into a culture's Identity. Local identities are being transformed, raising questions regarding community and language influence. An exploration of the globalization process in relation to language needs to take place in order to discover English's affect on individual's identity, specifically second language learners. How are globalized Englishes influencing second language learners and what are the implications? My paper explores this question by examining Hip-hop culture as a vehicle for the English language, focusing on Hip-Hop pedagogy and its relation to second language acquisition. Hip-hop has helped give rise to the notion of glocalization: engaging the intersections of global and local dynamics that reframe cultural forms through local appropriations of a globally acceptable cultural model which then transform into a new social context. This new social context engages language-learning contexts, generating new languages that are outside of the local community. By reviewing Pennycook's notion of Performativity and Ibrahhim's argument on Hip-Hop as a platform for "positive identity formation," my manuscript explores the relationship L2 learners have with Hip-Hop within a local community and its pedagogical implications.

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Lucia, B., 2016. L2 Learners Find the South Bronx: Hip-Hop, Globalization, and Identity Construction. Spectra, 5(1). DOI: http://doi.org/10.21061/spectra.v5i1.348
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