Thread: Study: Spanish use dies quickly among generations of Hispani

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ ... pnewjersey

Study: Spanish use dies quickly among generations of Hispanics

By CHRIS NEWMARKER
Associated Press Writer

September 13, 2006, 2:08 PM EDT

TRENTON, N.J. -- A few generations after families move to the U.S. from Latin American countries, fluency in Spanish dies out and English becomes the dominant language, according to a new paper published by sociology professors from New Jersey and California.

The paper counters popular arguments that the size of Latino immigration to the U.S. could create a bilingual society and a fundamental change in American culture.

Such sentiments have played a role in debates over U.S. immigration law and touched off a controversy earlier this year over a Spanish-language version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The paper _ authored by Douglas Massey at Princeton University and Ruben Rumbaut and Frank Bean at the University of California, Irvine _ found Spanish giving way to English among Southern California's heavily Hispanic population.

The study suggests that Mexican immigrants arriving in Southern California today can expect only five out of every 100 of their great-grandchildren to speak fluent Spanish.

"Even in the nation's largest Spanish-speaking enclave, within a border region that historically belonged to Mexico, Spanish appears to be well on the way to a natural death by the third generation of U.S. residence," the researchers said in the paper, published in the September issue of the journal "Population and Development Review."

The authors of the new paper use survey data to show that Hispanics with each successive generation are becoming English speakers, just like previous immigration waves in U.S. history.

The paper draws on two studies, one conducted in 2004 and the other in 2001 to 2003, to assemble a sample of 5,703 Southern California residents. Among the group, 1,642 had Mexican roots and a total of 2,262 had Latin American ancestry.

Survival of Spanish among the descendants of Mexican and Central-American immigrants was higher than among other groups, but still followed the usual pattern of English taking over as the years passed.

Among Mexican-Americans with two U.S.-born parents but three or more foreign-born grandparents, only 17 percent spoke fluent Spanish. Among those with only one or two foreign-born grandparents, Spanish fluency dropped to 7 percent.

Only 5 percent of Mexican-Americans with U.S.-born parents and U.S.-born grandparents spoke Spanish fluently.

Among the third generation of Mexican-Americans, 96 percent prefer to speak English in their homes.

"Historical and contemporary evidence indicates that English has never been seriously threatened as the dominant language of the United States," wrote the authors of the paper. "What is endangered instead is the survival of the non-English languages that immigrants bring with them to the United States."

I do not fully agree with that study. In South Florida we have lots of them here and with all the Spanish spoken in public, on cable TV and radio stations, and pre schools, I cannot see that happening here. There are not only Cubans, Central Americans and Mexicans but also South Americans that are keeping the language alive. We have Hialeah which is almost completely a Spanish City. There are even billboards in Spanish on that stretch of highway.

In the past there was never this push to shove Spanish down everyone's throats. There was no push 1 for anything. No signs in Spanish. Not TV stations in Spanish, No Bi-lingual business.....but that's NOT the case now and so I don't buy this study one bit. Check back in 20 years.

Crazybird: You are correct. When I was at the major grocery store (Publix) on a slow night, I actually seen products that had only Spanish on them along side regular grocery items. This is scary!
Anyhow my statistics professor said that you can do studies and get what ever results you desire based on which method is used when it is done. Maybe they are trying to convince us that all this Spanish will not be a problem in the future so we should calm down. I don't buy it.

This is total propaganda. More go back to sleep people nothing to see here. Even though you live it and experience it everyday.


The number of Hispanic radio stations in the United States grew from 645 in 2003 to 839 this year, according to Arbitron.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/my ... 476331.htm


In five years, the number of local Hispanic TV stations in the U.S. grew by 56% from 87 stations to 151.
http://www.thenewsmarket.com/HelpCenter ... ug2005.inc

Originally Posted by swatchick

I do not fully agree with that study. In South Florida we have lots of them here and with all the Spanish spoken in public, on cable TV and radio stations, and pre schools, I cannot see that happening here. There are not only Cubans, Central Americans and Mexicans but also South Americans that are keeping the language alive. We have Hialeah which is almost completely a Spanish City. There are even billboards in Spanish on that stretch of highway.

My husband is American, he does not Speak Spanish, he is a mix of German and Irish. When we went to Miami no one would speak English to him. We went to a bakery store and when the woman spoke Spanish to him he told her I don't speak Spanish, the woman told him, you have to learn Spanish, he told her, how about you learning English?