Representations of the Spanish-Speaking World in a Language Textbook: When Culture and Language are Matters of Heritage

This article examines cultural representations in a Spanish language textbook within the framework of a sociolinguistic study on Spanish diatopic varieties and identity in mixed-language—with both L2 learners and heritage speaker students—secondary school classrooms in Verona. As in any linguistic ethnography, the texts with which participants interact are crucial data evidence—particularly in the case of language textbooks, which are understood to both reflect and shape language ideologies through their cultural representations. Through a mixed-methods analysis, the study seeks to identify the representations of culture and society in the Spanish-speaking world that are present in the textbook in question. This is particularly relevant given the linguistic and cultural significance of diatopic varieties and their direct connection to heritage speakers’ linguistic identities. The analysis unfolds in three stages, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings suggest that the predominance of a single diatopic variety and the lack of critical reflection risks presenting the language as foreign—even to those for whom it is part of their heritage. In this context, Risager’s concept of linguaculture along with the introduction of the notion of culture of heritage—inspired by Social Phenomenology—offer valuable frameworks for understanding the complex relationship between language, culture, and meaning-making processes across language varieties.