Para español, marque dos...

[Marianopolita]

I read BBC Mundo.com on a daily basis for its excellent journalism in Spanish. Its aim is to report general news in Spanish about diverse themes, (headline news only) and it has special sections of interest such as: Internacional, Economía, Ciencia y Tecnología, Cultura y Sociedad, and Deportes. One section that was added to the home page (la portada) this year was a BLOG section for the journalists. Various journalists of the BBC participate accordingly and write about diverse themes and many times the Spanish language is the topic of the day. They also present controversial and topics of interest and they themselves always have a good understanding of the theme at hand.

Today's topic is one of interest to me as it relates to the Spanish language in the USA. One can safely say it's the "unofficial second language" however, this is not well accepted by many non-Spanish speakers as the USA is not a bilingual country. It's a country of many cultures but the preferred "spoken" language in the public sector, language of business, schooling etc (should be) English. However, needless to say the impact of the Spanish language in the USA is significant. Definitely predominant in certain states and cities and definitely a key language of business- Miami is a perfect example as it the financial center of Latin America in the USA.

In the service sector when a customer dials for help, for information or to ask a question you will hear: Thank you for calling. To continue in English, press one. Para español, marque dos. According to the blog/ journalist, José Baig, this a relief to some and insult to others as it destroys the idea of unity via English that should be enforced in the USA. Many English only unity groups protest the presence and convenience of providing service en español. "English" signifies assimilation according to these interest groups.

These three phrases in the blog caught my attention:

1/ Agregan que dado que este país es, efectivamente, un sitio de convivencia de ciudadanos de todo el mundo, lo único que puede dar sentido a esa amalgama de orígenes y culturas es que todos hablen la misma lengua.

2/ Afirman también que permitir que se acepte el español como segundo idioma va a promover la creación de guetos culturales que van a hacer que se pierda el sentido de unidad en el que se sustenta al país.

3/ Los defensores del inglés argumentan que cuando se ofrecen servicios, medios de comunicación y asistencia gubernamental en español, se está dificultando la integración de los hispanohablantes a la sociedad.


After reading about this topic for years, the controversy remains the same. I believe that Spanish in the USA, its importance, its presence, where it should be spoken, its impact etc. will have to be addressed and my only hope is that it's done logically and sensibly. Language = communication. Language= Culture. Culture= Communication. They all go hand in hand. Ultimately, people will speak what they are comfortable speaking regardless what laws are put in place. However, I do believe that if foreigners who go to live in any country and the language of the land differs, the very least they can do is learn to speak it. How well they speak will ultimately dictate the type of jobs they will have access to due to their language skills. This concept is not limited to the USA, it applies to all countries around the world where multiculturalism prevails.

Here is this excellent and well-written BLOG- BBC Mundo | Los blogs de BBC Mundo | Para español, marque dos


-LDG.


* if you choose to add comments to the thread, please ensure that they are language related. Thanks.

[Marianopolita]

Here is a second entry in the BBC Mundo blog which is a follow up to the language issue posted the week prior, however, this time the entry is close to home as it addresses similar language dynamics in Quebec (Canada) and Cataluña (Spain). IMO, those who best understand language dynamics and the social and political ramifications thereof are those who live/d the experience not the so-called observers. Whenever this issue is discussed by local/ federal governments around the world and world leaders, Quebec is always sited as an example because it's an official and the only French language province in Canada. The language laws that govern the usage of signs, French language only schools, bilingualism for work purposes etc. are representative of the social and political aspects involved in the protection of the French language and culture in Quebec.

Language without a doubt can cause a divide. IMO, people should be proud of the language(s) they speak but the situation always becomes difficult and complicated when it's thrown into the political arena as a topic of debate and ironically it's usually debated by those who are unilingual. The essential difference between Canada and the USA is Canada has two official languages, English and French whereas the "assumed" official language of the USA is English (as we all learned recently that it's not officially documented but that's not the topic at hand).

The question posed in the blog is will the USA have the same language issues that Canada has and even parts of Spain? Where does one draw the line with Spanish in the USA? Should a line be drawn? IMO, co-existence is possible because there are countries that exemplify this such as Switzerland (with four languages). Use the large cities as examples. Geneva is French, Zurich is German. Belgium has more than one language spoken by its inhabitants and there may be a few other countries that are good examples where more than one language is spoken by the population and not a "standard" language and existing dialects by region such as Italy.

In the climate of multiculturalism, I think people need to realize language and culture go hand in hand and people take them with them wherever they go. Immigrants who choose to live in the USA do so to have a chance at a better future however, their future depends on their ability to speak English well. Choosing to not speak English and to live in a predominantly Spanish city or neighborhood defeats the purpose of making such a drastic life change. However, in the same nature, I do believe that one should be able to maintain their linguistic heritage and not have to be conscious about speaking Spanish in public because of possible repercussions. This is the essential difference between Canada and the USA and how multiculturalism is promoted. IMO, there is no right or wrong but maturity, intelligence, experience and fairness are factors when discussing next steps in the Spanish language issue in the USA.


My post is in reference to the last part of the follow up blog entry:

"Uno piensa en lugares como Nuevo México, decía, y se pregunta si en el futuro habrá regiones de este país en las que se hable español y el inglés sea apenas una referencia distante.

O si llegará a pasar en algún lugar de Estados Unidos como en Quebec o en Cataluña, donde la defensa del idioma local es un asunto de honor y hasta fuente de graves conflictos.

¿Ustedes qué creen? ¿Hacia dónde vamos?"


BBC Mundo | Los blogs de BBC Mundo | ¿Como España o Canadá?


___________________


-LDG.

[qgrande]

Very interesting thread Lesley. The development of Spanish in the US is a nice test case, pioneering the mixing of language communities in our times of global flows of migration. It is interesting not because of a conflict between maintaining a linguistic heritage and adopting English to achieve what was the purpose of migration in the first place, a better future. It is interesting because the Spanish speaking community can grow to the extent that it becomes possible to better yourself in any type of career, within the Spanish speaking community, speaking Spanish not English. That would be the comparison with Quebec and Catalunya, where it is possible to have a career at all levels with French or Catalan as a first language.
The difference is that in those two places language is much more connected to history, territory and political power. They are no examples of happy coexistence. Quebec has its independence referendums now and then, Belgium is about to fall apart, Catalunya more and more ambiguous about being part of Spain or not. But such regions are different, because language is not in the first place an instrument of communication, but an identity marker. Wales has all sorts of bilingual provisions and policies, while only 20% of the population speaks Welsh at even the most basic level. English is the language of communication, Welsh a symbol of difference and national identity.
The position of Spanish in the US is interesting, to see whether it develops to a situation of bilingualism or peacuful coexistence of two language communities within a nation-state where other things are sources of national identity binding people together, like in Switzerland. Or whether language distinctions will be connected to national identity and create divisions in society and separatism, like in Catalunya and Belgium, or racism. I agree with you that intelligent pluralism is the way to avoid conflict, but societies not do not always choose that path...

[Marianopolita]

Thanks Frans for your informative post.

I agree with the ideas and concepts you have presented and thanks for expanding on the European language dynamic. Since I am on the other side of the Atlantic you definitely are closer to the situation. There's one key aspect I would like to add with regards to Spanish in the USA that plays a huge role in why the Spanish language in the USA is a polemic issue. There is a lot of history there due to the fact that part of modern day US territory was once part of Mexico. Although Mexico lost those states to the USA- Tratado Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) (for example Arizona, California, New Mexico & Texas etc.), the vestiges of language and Spanish heritage did not disappear. The most visible traces of evidence remains in the names of some of the states, the street names, and many families of Mexican heritage live in the Southwestern part of the USA. States such as California, Texas and Nevada traditionally have seen a great influx of Mexicans.

The Spanish language issue in the USA is not a new phenomenon, however, the presence of the Spanish speaking population has grown tremendously over a long period of time but most notably over the past two decades. From a political perspective those who are involved in this language issue never anticipated that the largest minority in the USA today would not be English-speaking. Therefore an existing language "issue" has now moved to the next level. As you stated historically and politically this language issue differs from Quebec and Cataluña, however, among the English speakers who are against the presence of the Spanish language and other minority groups who may feel the dominance of Spanish as an unofficial second language, the end result is still political and social conflict. Some states have adopted a "no Spanish" policy in certain sectors whereas in other states there's a dull roar.

There's no easy solution to the growing concern of the presence of Spanish in the USA among certain social and political interest groups. IMO, it would be wise that the leaders involved in addressing this issue examine others countries in the world such Canada, Switzerland, Belgium etc. to understand the social repercussions and assess some of the provisions that have been made in an attempt to maintain harmony among the masses. However, there's one key aspect that I see as an obstacle in the USA language situation vs. all other countries that have more than one language spoken by its population. As far as I know, the USA is the only country in the world that promotes unilingualism over bilingualism or trilingualism. From a language perspective, I believe anyone who is bilingual or trilingual will oppose this. I certainly do. Being bilingual/ trilingual is an advantage being unilingual is absolutely limiting. If this is the mindset of the majority of Americans than rest assured this language issue will get worse before it gets better and unfortunately anything but "intelligent pluralism" will be used in its resolution.

Here's an interesting article published two months ago in one of the Spanish newspapers that discusses the increase in the usage of Spanish in the USA.

El uso del español aumenta en EEUU | elmundo.es



-LDG.

[qgrande]

Thanks for the link Lesley. I agree that the Mexican/Spanish history of the Southwestern states brings that situation closer to the cases of Quebec and Catalunya. I suppose whether that history is divisive or helps to accommodate difference depends on its interpretation (long bi-cultural history or revived territorial claims). It doesn't really apply to the presence of Spanish speakers in Florida and the New York area.
With your statement about the United States being the only country to promote unilingualism you have to make the distinction between the symbolic cultural and political role of language, and langauge as practical means of communication. While most countries urge their populations (effectively or not) to learn foreign languages, governments that actively promote official bilingualism in administration and such are the exception.
There are many countries that promote unilingualism, France for instance (France and the US have so much in common, mayne that's why they're always clashing), very very strongly. By law no other language but French has a role in French schools and universities (apart from foreign language classes), and in administration. France refuses to sign the European charter for minority or regional languages. This is aimed at the global advance of English, of new immigrant languages, and against regional languages (Breton, Occitan, Corsican). But also my own formerly multicultural country the Netherlands now clamps down heavily on the use of Arab or Turkish by public services and in public places. This is ridiculously pradoxical because at the same time everybody learns English, French and German as second/third/fourth languages. But the mesage to immigrants is that to be Dutch is to speak Dutch. Most European countries are now moving towards similar unilingual policies aimed at new immigrants. Also the ones with populations that themselves are largely bilingual or trilingual (like the Netherlands or Denmark).
I understand from your post that Canada, historically with Quebec but now also towards immigrants, has a more multicultural position, like Britain still (also a country with its own historical multinational makeup, with the Scottish Welsh and Irish). I recognise that from Canadian scholars like Will Kymlicka. Unfortunately not all countries have similar reactions.
To make this a bit DR-related, the presence of Haitian Creole could sparke a similar debate. It is my (limited) experience that most Haitians adapt pretty quickly by learning and using Spanish. Maybe that is why I haven't seen much discussion about the presence of Creole in the DR, connected to the debates on Haitian immigration (although it's more likely because of my limited knowledge of that debate). Any links of these developments in the US and elsewhere with developments in Hispaniola?

[Marianopolita]

qgrande-

You posed a good question however, I prefer not to turn the discussion in that direction. In the Spanish forum we have little bit more flexibility because Spanish is not only spoken in the DR. Therefore issues related to the Spanish language as a whole can be discussed.

However, in brief just to touch on your question from a language perspective and my knowledge of some of the issues being discussed currently, I have never seen anything in written form that discusses the presence of Haitian Creole in the DR due to the increased influx of Haitians and the possible impact that it may have on the vernacular language which is Spanish.


-LDG.

[Chirimoya]

Well, I've noticed Dominicans in the border area speaking some Kreyol, but as qgrande said, Haitian migrants usually learn Spanish very quickly. A couple of years ago there was a proposal to teach Kreyol in Dominican schools, by the PQD party of all people, but no one took it seriously. French is taught from 3rd or 4th grade, and many French teachers here are Haitian.