Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side

A new framework for understanding how language and identity intersect in ever-evolving America In the 1980s, Washington, DCa predominantly African American, racially and economically segregated city with a strong local Black culturebecame a hub of Latin American immigration. As the city's communities interacted, an identity both unique to DC and reflective of diverse Latin American cultures was born. Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side is the first linguistics book to explore how the Latinx community forged a new sense of home and identity in Washington. Using original ethnographic researchincluding interviews, narratives, and surveysTseng develops a new framework for understanding the relationship between race, identity, language, and culture, and she explains what happens when communities interact. Readers interested in the cultural history of Washington, Latinx history, and language and society will enjoy this rich study of language as a cross-cultural current in ever-evolving America.