The future of Spanish the US

[Centauri]

Spanish is, without a doubt, the main "second language" of the United States. Go to any city of reasonable size, and you'll find signs, advertisements, and print media all available in Spanish. I live in Chicago, and a good third of the billboards are in Spanish. Teenagers often pepper their English with Spanish words and phrases, and similar practices are prevalent in pop music. In addition, Hispanics and Latinos are far and away the largest minority in the US, comprising 17% of the population according to the latest census, and you will find towns along the Mexican border where Spanish is the primary language. Add to that the very real possibility of Puerto Rican statehood in the coming decades, and Spanish appears to be firmly entrenched.

However, this all comes with a caveat: virtually all people in the US who use Spanish as their primary language are immigrants. Retention of the language by later generations is quite low, as is the case with most immigrant populations throughout modern history. The current influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants, while considerable, can't and won't last forever, especially as Latin American countries like Mexico and Colombia gain their economic footing - much of Latin America now offers the same or similar standard of living that drew countless immigrants northward. Even in Puerto Rico, English is making strides among the younger population, though it has a long way to go before it matches Spanish in strength on that particular island.

So my question is: what will happen to Spanish once the immigration wave is over? Will it stay strong and become the US's secondary language indefinitely, or will it fade out with its speakers?

By the way, there should be a preposition somewhere in that title.

[Sam the Wiser]

It should of never been as strong as it is now. Hopefully it never rises again.

[prwraith]

I can't wait for it to die out, and don't give me the culture retention bullshit. All having two languages does is pointlessly divide communication in our own damn country.

[Endus]

It'll probably stick around as a secondary language. Plenty of nations in the world are functionally bilingual, or even trilingual. It's unlikely that you'll see an emergence of people who speak only Spanish, but that's largely because English is so important, globally speaking, as the de facto lingua franca of the global economy and such. That doesn't mean they'll abandon Spanish, it just means they'll be bilingual.

It should of never been as strong as it is now. Hopefully it never rises again.

Why on earth would a second language being prevalent in the US be a "bad thing"? That seems pretty patently ridiculous. Speaking as someone from a bilingual country, it isn't that big a deal.

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I can't wait for it to die out, and don't give me the culture retention bullshit. All having two languages does is pointlessly divide communication in our own damn country.

Language isn't an either/or thing. They're mutually supportive.

[Stop Pretending]

Doesn't bother me at all, i just hate when i accidentally press 2, and have to hang up and start all over again.

[prwraith]

It'll probably stick around as a secondary language. Plenty of nations in the world are functionally bilingual, or even trilingual. It's unlikely that you'll see an emergence of people who speak only Spanish, but that's largely because English is so important, globally speaking, as the de facto lingua franca of the global economy and such. That doesn't mean they'll abandon Spanish, it just means they'll be bilingual.



Why on earth would a second language being prevalent in the US be a "bad thing"? That seems pretty patently ridiculous. Speaking as someone from a bilingual country, it isn't that big a deal.

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Language isn't an either/or thing. They're mutually supportive.

So there's exactly what point to having two? Do you deny that life would be simpler for everyone is the whole country spoke a single language, hell the whole world should speak one language. I don't even care whether it's english or pig latin but pick one so we can all learn it and get rid of the 500 language nonsense the world has.

[Tastyfish]

So there's exactly what point to having two? Do you deny that life would be simpler for everyone is the whole country spoke a single language, hell the whole world should speak one language. I don't even care whether it's english or pig latin but pick one so we can all learn it and get rid of the 500 language nonsense the world has.

Life would be simple if you never left the United States Anglo Sphere.
That is the bonus for people who go nowhere, who grow up and move 20 miles away and are monolinguistic.
You can act totally immune to everything outside the bubble your parents raised you in.

[Endus]

So there's exactly what point to having two?

Greater flexibility of communication.
Greater capability to adapt to tourists, immigrants, and international communications.
Improved understanding of linguistic structures

I could go on. There's plenty of advantages to being bilingual.

Do you deny that life would be simpler for everyone is the whole country spoke a single language, hell the whole world should speak one language.

Simpler? Sure. Better? Absolutely not. Simplicity is not desirable in and of itself, particularly when it comes to something like language, where complexity has obvious value.

[prwraith]

Simpler? Sure. Better? Absolutely not. Simplicity is not desirable in and of itself, particularly when it comes to something like language, where complexity has obvious value.

Complexity can be established in any language there's no point to having undue complexity across a broad spectrum, that's just an arbitrary hurdle and or divider. It's unnecessary.

[Tierbook]

Outside of cultural reasons there is no reason to have more than one language

[Deleted]

Complexity can be established in any language there's no point to having undue complexity across a broad spectrum, that's just an arbitrary hurdle and or divider. It's unnecessary.

you honestly cant see the benefit of english speaking americans knowing some spanish?, when it shares a border with south america....

[SL1200]

you honestly cant see the benefit of english speaking americans knowing some spanish?, when it shares a border with south america....

No it doesn't. Mexico is in North America.

English and Spanish will mix to become a new hybrid language. It's already happening.

They speak a English/Spanish mixed language in Jamaica. At least that's what we were told when I visited.

[prwraith]

you honestly cant see the benefit of english speaking americans knowing some spanish?, when it shares a border with south america....

The short term benefit sure. But like I said I'd much rather the world drop this culture nonsense and adopt the language of the birds then having a billion different ones.

[Centauri]

^ Mexico, but your point stands.

Honestly, I think the day when most Americans can at least communicate in Spanish is not far off. Consider what the situation of English is in Western Europe, for example.

Contradicting my own point up above, the rise of Latin America in the global economic market may in fact entrench Spanish, as more and more Americans conduct business there and more and more Latin Americans come here not as poor laborers, but as skilled expats and industrialists. This would not only make Spanish skills highly advantageous, even vital, for American workers, it would also contribute massively to freeing Spanish of the baggage it currently has of being the language of poor, unskilled, undocumented laborers.

[Underverse]

Greater flexibility of communication.
Greater capability to adapt to tourists, immigrants, and international communications.
Improved understanding of linguistic structures

I could go on. There's plenty of advantages to being bilingual.

The issue is that there are a lot of people who are not bilingual, and can remain so because the country they reside in does not provide them with an incentive to learn a second language. This promotes cultural and social divisions on a massive scale, and does in fact make communication difficult.

[mimee]

So there's exactly what point to having two? Do you deny that life would be simpler for everyone is the whole country spoke a single language, hell the whole world should speak one language. I don't even care whether it's english or pig latin but pick one so we can all learn it and get rid of the 500 language nonsense the world has.

I never thought there would be a time where I would read or even hear that someone's perfect world is one with no languages but one. Soo happy your world isn't real and never will. I love diversity, I love going out and hearing a drop of tourist from Japan, Portugal speak in their language. Languages are beautiful. I have never felt once pissed off because I did not understand a word they were saying.

[prwraith]

The issue is that there are a lot of people who are not bilingual, and can remain so because the country they reside in does not provide them with an incentive to learn a second language. This promotes cultural and social divisions on a massive scale, and does in fact make communication difficult.

Pretty much. I mean I live in Florida and I'm trilingual (english, spanish, german) I'd much rather have only learned one and called it a day.

As far as social divisions go come to Florida and see for yourself if you don't believe Quetzl, it's a very real thing here.

[Endus]

The issue is that there are a lot of people who are not bilingual, and can remain so because the country they reside in does not provide them with an incentive to learn a second language. This promotes cultural and social divisions on a massive scale, and does in fact make communication difficult.

Speaking as someone who actually lives in a bilingual country, it really isn't true.

The PQ really want there to be massive cultural and social divisions, but they got spanked real hard for pushing the separatist thing in the provincial election that just went by, because Quebecers have become more connected to Canada, culturally and socially, over the past couple decades. Not less.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I prefer English speaking language but I don't go out of my way and harass english speakers. Most of my annoyonce is on Dota 2.

[prwraith]

I never thought there would be a time where I would read or even hear that someone's perfect world is one with no languages but one. Soo happy your world isn't real and never will. I love diversity, I love going out and hearing a drop of tourist from Japan, Portugal speak in their language. Languages are beautiful. I have never felt once pissed off because I did not understand a word they were saying.

It's not a matter of being upset that I may not understand what someone is saying. You act like all vocal diversity would suddenly be gone over night. When in point of fact this is completely untrue. One need only look at the dialects of english and spanish. English sounds and uses different words in everyday conversation depending on what country your in, be it Australia, the UK, Southern US northern US etc. Spanish is drastically different in Spain than it is in puerto rico or mexico.