José Luis López Marín: From Old Spain to New Spain to New Mexico and Back!

If all you knew about José Luis was that he likes to travel, spend time with family and friends, and experience fine foods, you would be fulfilled. But lo! He teaches, too, in two different languages, and, in only sixteen years, has accrued a lifetime of experience in teaching elementary-aged kids. José Luis is, for the time being, the last in a series of teachers from Spain who have come to the rescue, so to speak, to support Spanish-English dual-language programs in New Mexico; ironic, when you think about it, but we don’t. We’re just grateful that he, like his predecessors, found his way to a modest, red-brick elementary school in Albuquerque. As a result, his students, their parents, his colleagues, and the entire school community benefited for two years from his knowledge, enthusiasm, and expertise. Listen as José Luis explains the wonders of learning New Mexican Spanish, and more! We also provide a coda to our discussion of borrowed words, and address the ins and outs of the difference between additive and subtractive multilingualism.