On Spanish as an Official Second Language

On Sunday night, Hispanic TV had a glorious moment with the historical democratic Spanish-language debate.  More to come about our impressions on tomorrow's blog, but for now, let's turn our attention to one of the questions of the night: the candidate's take on Spanish-language becoming 'official'.  And this is a topic close to my heart.  According to the Census, 31 million Hispanics in the U.S. speak Spanish at home-- a number very close to the total population of Venezuela or more than the populations of El Salvador, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico combined. 

Spanish is currency, blood and rhythm for many communities in the United States.  In Miami, where I live, it is safe to assume you can initiate a conversation in Spanish with any individual in most places.  In Dallas, my second home city, you hear Spanish more frequently spoken than 10 years ago.  And so is the case in many cities across the United States.  The challenge, in my view, is how Hispanics who have the language skill can pass it on to the new generations who will become acculturated faster than the flip of a channel.  I think the question is worth its salt while we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month -- after all, many of that heritage has been passed along in Spanish.  In a recent proprietary survey conduct by FH Hispania (more soon), language came out as a very important cultural aspect and one respondents strongly want to preserve-- regardless of how much they speak it at home.

Last night the language debate shifted from making English the official language of the U.S. to making Spanish an official second language. While that might not happen, and in fact there was no clear position from most candidates, the importance of being bilingual cannot be lost. In fact, many Hispanics already know this as they already speak or want to learn English and according to the Census most speak English very well. While language does not define us -- well maybe a little-- I know I for one will try to do what I can to preserve the language for my young son.