In 2011 the Pew Research Center produced a survey which claimed that approximately 37.6 million people living in the United States spoke Spanish in their homes(Gonzalez-Barrera and Lopez). While that may not seem like much keep in my mind the fact that, this number reflects around 10% of the total American population; and the number of Spanish speakers coming to this country is ever-increasing. All of this being said some people, in the government or elsewhere, would see the Spanish language marginalized or even totally forgotten in our national identity. I’m here to say that we shouldn’t forget something that has helped shape the diverse fabric of our nation for hundreds of years. Instead of simply denying the fact that Spanish is becoming more and more of a power so to say in our country, we should embrace it and use it to our advantage as Americans. I propose that we as American citizens and those in our federal government recognize Spanish as a de facto language in the United States. As stated above, approx. 37.6 million people in America above the age of 5 speak spanish in their homes. This includes Hispanics and a surprisingly large amount of non-Hispanic individuals. As a matter of fact, just under 3 million of those speakers are non-Hispanic(Gonzalez-Barrera and Lopez). Many people who aren’t Hispanic yet speak Spanish are either married to a Hispanic or have Hispanic relatives. And this demographic is growing more and more each year. One reason that the United States has such a large population of Spanish speakers is the fact that the Spanish Empire was once a major power in the area. And due to this fact Spanish has long been a part of the culture of not only the North American continent, but the area that is now kno... ... middle of paper ... ... 28 January 2014. “Language.” www.finland.org. Embassy of Finland, 31 January 2014. Web. 5 February 2014. Remeseira, Claudio Ivan. “US is 5th largest Spanish-speaking country.” NBC Latino. NBC, 7 August 2013. Web. 28 January 2014. “Switzerland’s Four National Languages.” All About Switzerland. Web. 5 February 2014. U.S. Census Bureau. “Hispanic Americans By the Numbers.” infoplease. Web. 29 January 2014.
Bilingualism should be celebrated and encouraged, rather than stamped out. Anzaldúa recalls that a teacher told her, “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong” (2947). The irony in her teacher’s statement is that Mexicans and Native Americans inhabited North America long before it was colonized; so, technically speaking, Anzaldúa belonged in America more than her teacher did.
When my mother was younger, she came to America as a refugee after the Vietnam War. People tricked, bullied and ignored her because she couldn’t speak the public language. She was an alien in a world of English. Another reason I side with Espada is because of The Burial of Mr.Spanish by Sara Vasquez. She covers a story of a Texan school forbidding Spanish on campus. One of her interviewees, Maggie Marquez, states “I told my friends… Nobody’s gonna stop me from speaking Spanish. And I didn't know the teacher
A language, much like a person, is molded over time by different experiences, and is influenced by the languages which surround it. History has taught us time and time again that all it takes is one action to change the course of a language. During the battle of Hastings, King Harold II was shot in the eye by the Norman invaders; resulting in the Norman-French language all but taking over English in the 11th century AD. This seemingly insignificant event would forever change the way that English is spoken. Similar to English, Spanish is from the Indo-European family of languages. Unlike English however, Spanish is derived from a category of the Romance Languages, of which it is the most widely spoken today. The Spanish language is also known as Castilian, which is the dialect from which Modern Spanish is derived, and originated in the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. Today, Spanish is the official language of: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Spanish has evolved, in a multilingual environment, over the course of the last 2000 years, beginning with Vulgar Latin, it evolved into medieval Castilian in the 8th century, it then became Early Modern Spanish during 15th century, finally it became Modern Spanish from the 16th century on.
Latin was the main language for the Roman empire and was used all across the land. In document 1 it revealed that,”Latin is the basis for the languages of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian… Even the German and English languages have derived worlds from Latin.” This evidence shows that all these widely spoken languages are all from Latin which means that if it weren’t for the creation of Latin these languages wouldn’t be the way they are and as popular as they are. Just like how Latin affected the way languages are spoken in Europe, these languages also spread to the U.S. as well with some languages gaining more speakers due to the spread. In the article,”The Most Spoken Languages In America” by Jessica Dillinger, around 230 million people speak english and out of the top twelve languages spoken in the U.S. half are romance languages. The latin language has changed how people speak and what to speak in the U.S. since about 70% of the population speak english. Also since all the Romance languages are from Latin it’s easier to learn other languages when you know one already. The way people talk and the way people try to communicate in the U.S. is, ironically the effect of the the one language that no one
One can only contemplate why US historians have failed to acknowledge Hispanic contributions to the country. What is certain is that this neglect must be changed. Hispanic Americans, especially the youth, are deserve to learn about these significant contributions to the United states. This knowledge could increase their self-esteem and cultural pride.
Another struggle for identity with Latinos is their struggle with the Spanish and English languages. While some Latinos may speak Spanish in their homes, the language may not be conversationally used in their schools. Some Lat...
The discussion of making English the nation’s official language has sparked an ongoing debate among many individuals for several decades. As of now, the United States does not have an official language due to the diverse population. Many individuals believe that by establishing an official language, the United States is being culturally insensitive, that diversity is the key to forming America’s identity. However, establishing English as the official language would promote unity among not only American citizens but also the nation.
Because of internalized racism, Latinos and Hispanics distance themselves from the Spanish language to support the English only movement. They are embarrassed of their inherited language and rather choose English to complete assimilation. “Almost 40% of Latino/a respondents prefer English as their dominant language…” (Padilla 20). Where I currently live, I always see on the day to day basis Hispanics and Latinos that immigrated to the United States from other countries sounding “white.”
Hispanic America language has some strengths and weaknesses as observed in the article and this makes it one of the influential groups in the United States. It is also important noting that those who belong to this group originated from various parts of the world. The strengths in the pattern of communication make this language one of the most adorable languages in the world as many people feel respected whenever they talk to someone from this particular group. The weaknesses that can be identified only show how people tend to believe they are shy, but it is as a result of respect for
38 percent of all Hispanic parents only speak Spanish according to Pew Research center. In many cases this is why parents teach their children to speak Spanish for their first language. My parents learned English at a young age because they moved to the united states and were expected to know it. That was not the case for me. Growing up my family expected me to know English well. We lived in a small town called Fort Hancock, Texas with my grandparents. Everyone just spoke Spanish in that town and for that reason, I learned to just speak Spanish first. When we moved to Oklahoma City I was five. I had to transition to English, which was hard. I got made fun of, but luckily improved later on my literacy journey.
Latinos have struggled to discover their place inside of a white America for too many years. Past stereotypes and across racism they have fought to belong. Still America is unwilling to open her arms to them. Instead she demands assimilation. With her pot full of stew she asks, "What flavor will you add to this brew?" Some question, some rebel, and others climb in. I argue that it is not the Latino who willingly agreed to partake in this stew. It is America who forced her ideals upon them through mass media and stale history. However her effort has failed, for they have refused to melt.
A large number of people in the Hispanic community whether Hispanics are not able to get the English literacy skills that they need not because they want to keep born in Latin America or the United States, speak Spanish primarily. This is basically because in present day time, Hispanics are more likely to pass Spanish to their kids now than they have done in the past. (Ortiz, P.149) This is seen as a social problem, especially because of the fact that there is an increasing demand that English should only be taught in public school and it should also be spoken within the Spanish community. Even though Hispanics do speak a lot of Spanish most of the time, they still do learn English also, especially the young. But, because of the large flow of immigrants, the use of Spanish is used more often because they are constantly encountering immigrants who speak no English. (Ortiz, P. 150) Before hand there has been said to have been lower achievements when Hispanics make frequent use of the Spanish la...
There are many things that are different from the spanish-speaking countries and the U.S. The most obvious ones would be food, traditions, holidays, and definitely language/accents. It’s nice to learn about the other places as best as you can so you can get an idea of how everyone is related and different from one another. With the twenty-one countries that speak Spanish, each one is still different from one another and that’s what makes this would so interesting. With discovering new thing from other countries and how they differ from us is nothing to complain about.
The United States is made up of many different ethic groups. These groups vary from Latinos, Asian American, African American, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and etc. These ethnic groups come into America speaking many different languages. However, many people are still surprised to learn that the United States has no official language. Many assume that English is the official language of the United States. But despite efforts over the years, the United States has no official language. Because the United States has no official language, it is suffering with large costs. These large costs will lead us on a road to wasteful government expenses, language battles that fuel ethnic resentment, and in the long run serious ethnic and linguistic separatist movements. An official English legislation is the answer to the problem.
Throughout the experiences I have been through, such as meeting proud Latin kids in school and reading about the experiences of other Latinos, I am proud to say that I am Puerto Rican. I will teach the future generation about our culture, including traditions and customs. My children may not have the opportunity to read about well-known Latinos in school, but I will make sure they learn about prominent scholars, such as Jose Marti and Rigoberta Menchu. Also, speaking Spanish is very important because our culture is based on the language. After all, one day the official language of Puerto Rico might change to English. However, we can't forget our roots, or where we came from. Even though I was born in America, I am Puerto Rican.