Writing of a time without words: sociolinguistic memories in la acera rota, by Mercedes Neuschäfer-Carlón

La acera rota. Memoria de un comienzo (Neuschafer-Carlon, [1986]2011) is a rich account of sociolinguistic representations and proposals that make up the childhood memories of the main character of this work, a girl from Oviedo during the 30s of the 20 th century. The main elements appearing in the text are analyzed from a sociolinguistic reading. Thanks to this perspective, the main character's surrendering to adult language, especially in reference to her contact with the Asturian speaking population, will be stressed. It is also worth noticing that in many passages there is a structured intermixing between Spanish and Asturian (especially in the countryside and among the most humble people from the city of Oviedo). This hybridization is very suggestive as the proposition consists not so much in imitating linguistic forms as in the attitude of understanding them. Therefore, what is fostered is a narrative discourse of friendly multilingual management.