Pura Vida: Beginning Spanish by Norma López-Burton, Laura Marqués Pascual and Cristina Pardo Ballester

Reviewed by: Pura Vida: Beginning Spanishby Norma López-Burton, Laura Marqués Pascual and Cristina Pardo Ballester Stephan DuBois López-Burton, Norma, Laura Marqués Pascual, and Cristina Pardo Ballester. Pura Vida: Beginning Spanish. 2nd ed. Wiley, 2019. Pp. 592. ISBN 111-949-334-X. As stated in its preface, two hallmarks of Pura vidaare its task-based methodology and integration of cross-cultural knowledge into language learning rather than relegating it to “‘Did you know?’ sidebars” (ix). Through restructuring existing content and adding new material, the second edition keeps these principles at the fore. The most evident change is the division of the textbook’s 12 chapters into three sections each rather than two. Where the first edition’s sections felt somewhat disconnected due to each having independent grammar and vocabulary, a third section now unites each chapter’s material with learning strategies alongside activities to practice them. This content was originally scattered throughout the first edition, but grouping it together clarifies its purpose in practicing interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills. This new section ends with a multiday culminating task integrating the chapter’s cultural and language content. Chapter 9, for example, concludes by having students take sides in an environmental debate, research an issue in their community, and write a local newspaper with their findings. A highlight of the second edition, these culminating tasks make Pura vidastand out over other textbooks such as Portalesor Puntos de partidawhich lack similar emphasis on communicative projects. Another successful addition is replacing the chapter 6 theme of history with study abroad. The previous topic admirably integrated culture with preterit verb forms, but sacrificed relevancy to students by presenting vocabulary of limited utility. The replacement section trades niche language ( invadir, conquistar) for words more useful to novice Spanish learners ( mudarse, matricularse). This not only helps excite first-year language learners about traveling, it also introduces challenges they will face in the process. New inserts on pronunciation are largely helpful, offering tips on errors common among English speakers, but rely excessively on linguistic jargon (“diphthongization,” “over- proparoxytones”). The intent is likely to expand students’ metalinguistic vocabulary, but the terms are often underexplained: for example, one tip warns, “The letters p, t, and k don’t contain aspiration or [a] puff or air, as they do in English.” From that alone, a non-linguist is unlikely to comprehend either the meaning of aspiration or how to improve their pronunciation. Instructor elaboration could help, but additional details or an audio comparison in the e-textbook would improve these sections. Moreover, these tidbits ironically suffer from the same ‘Did you know?’ sidebar issues the textbook strives to avoid in its cultural presentation, as the sections demonstrate little integration with the chapter’s content. Some tips have short exercises for practice, something which could be expanded to every section. These could be activities exploring minimal pairs related to chapter vocabulary, or practical suggestions for implementation (e.g., the chapter 2 section on pitch contours could introduce intonation as a tool for overcoming linguistic deficits). Despite their weaknesses, these new sections constitute serviceable starting points for instructors motivated to expand on them. The @Arrobaand Así es la vidasections have in turn been eliminated. The former encouraged students to research topics online, something now folded into some chapters’ culminating tasks; the latter included riddles, tongue twisters, and jokes, and while the new pronunciation tips unfortunately lack the same color, they do serve a more utilitarian purpose. Other alterations [End Page 320]include removing low-frequency vocabulary ( ahí no másand qué hubofrom the introductory chapter) and adding high-frequency vocabulary ( gorra, camiseta, and sudaderain chapter 2). The second edition also features updated cultural references, with new tech vocabulary ( el tuit, la nube, aplicación móvil) and revised lists of celebrities (chapters 1 and 5). The Una/Otra perspectivaculture sections have been updated as well, for example with a recent Peruvian law prohibiting the sale of single-use plastics (chapter 9). These personal vignettes remain one of the strengths of the book’s cross-cultural approach, providing the perspective of citizens living in the target country as...