Hispanics In the US: Two Points of View

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Hispanics In the US Two Points of View

• Colby Day
• Gretchen Hutter

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• With the growing Hispanic population, has the
  concept of nationalism changed in either the
  Hispanic or non-Hispanic population?

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Population Statistics

• In 2000, Census reported that 12.5 (35.3
  million) of America was Hispanic
• Mexican 7.3
• Puerto Rican 1.2
• Cuban 0.4
• Other Hispanic/Latino 3.6
• By 2050, approximately ¼ of the US population
  will be Hispanic
• This will make the Hispanic population the
  largest minority population

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Official Language

• America does not currently have an official
  language
• At this point, 17 states have named English their
  official language
• North Carolina did so in 1987

• English-Only ideas vary in severity, but
  generally mean that all government and public
  services must be conducted only in English
• In response to the English-Only policies, there
  has been a movement toward English Plus policies

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Background on English-Only Movement

• US English, 1983
• English First, 1986
• Immigration Reform and Control Act
• 1986
• Established English proficiency requirements for
  permanent residence

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Melting pot, yes. Tower of Babel, no! -Saul
Bellow

• Proponents see an official language as
• Matter of patriotism
• National unity
• National security
• Solutions to the problem
• Sink or Swim (immersion, assimilation)
• Transitional Bilingual Education
• 16 states currently have English-Only laws

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Historical Perspective

• Mexican-American War (1848) and Spanish-American
  War (1898)
• Patterns of dominance, subordination, etc.
• Resulted in perception of Spanish as a
  sub-stratum language and culture in the US
• World Wars McCarthyism
• Xenophobic sentiment
• 1960s, large immigration of Hispanics begins
• Causes unrest and uncertainty among Americans

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More History

• Bilingual Education Act (1968) provides funds to
  meet special educational needs of children with
  limited English
• Lau vs. Nichols Supreme Court Case (1974)
  requires schools to offer special assistance to
  limited-English proficient students
• Bilingual Education Act amended (1978) to state
  the goal of the law is to achieve competence in
  the English language
• Due to controversy, BEA policies extended to
  include immersion techniques, etc.
• Movement towards English-Only policies in State
  and Federal Governments

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English Plus (response to English-Only movement)

• Acknowledges the importance of English
  proficiency while also advocating the
  preservation of other languages
• Term coined in 1985

• Spanish American League Against
• Discrimination (SALAD)
• Viewpoint is one of a mixed salad
• approach each ingredient
• maintaining its own character
• (pluralism)
• Right to free speech
• Right to cultural heritage

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What is Nationalism?

• Not an easily defined concept
• Three main possibilities for defining
  nationalism
• The language you speak
• The place you live currently
• Where you are from

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What Does America Think?

• Do you think English should be made the official
  language of the US?
• Yes 85 No 12
• Do you think there should be a law making
  English the official language of the country?
• Yes 65 No 31
• In parts of the country where many people speak
  a language other than English, should state and
  local governments conduct business in that
  language as well as English or only use English?
• English-only 60 Other languages 36
• Would you oppose an amendment to the
  constitution that requires federal, state, and
  local governments to conduct business in English,
  and not use other languages, even in places where
  many people do not speak English?
• Favor 47 Oppose 47

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Interviewees

• Hispanics
• Country of Origin
• 2 from El Salvador
• 1 from Spain
• 1 from Chile
• 1 from Mexico
• Occupational Status
• 3 students
• 1 community worker
• 1 food service worker

• Non-Hispanic
• Occupational Status
• 4 students
• 1 community worker
• 1 retired businessman

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Total support for English-Only 0

• A country has to have only one official language
  if men are to understand one anotherIt is
  eminently fair that a countrys language should
  be the language of the majority. Ayn Rand
• The one absolute certain way of bringing this
  nation to ruin, or preventing all possibility of
  its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to
  permit it to become a tangle of squabbling
  nationalities. We have but one flag. We must
  also learn one language and that language is
  English. Thomas Jefferson

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Total support for Bilingualism and English-Plus
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• Es importante saber más lenguajes porque es
  importante poder comunicarse con más personas, ya
  que no todos saben habler ingles. (It is
  important to know more languages because it is
  important to be able to communicate with more
  people, since not everyone knows English.)
• English is already spoken prevalently in many
  countries, so there is no need to make official
  sanctions to preserve it.
• As long as a person is able to work and
  contribute to society, they have a right to speak
  whatever language theyd like so long as they can
  function in our predominantly English-speaking
  country.

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Sources

• Democracy or Babel? The Case for Official
  English, by Fernando de la Peña, 1991
• English Our Official Language?, edited by Bee
  Gallegos, 1994
• Language Competence Across Populations, edited by
  Yonata Levy, 2003
• Language and Language Communication Barriers,
  edited by Melita Kovacevic,1995
• Only English? Law and Language Policy in the
  United States, by Bill Piatt, 1990
• http//ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFOR
  D/
• http//www.englishfirst.org/
• http//www.us-english.org/