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According to One World Nations Online, Spanish, next to English, is one of the most widely spoken languages in the United States as well as in the world. Including second language speakers, there are currently more than four hundred million people who speak Spanish. When we say ‘Spanish’, one of the attributes we can connect to it is the notion of romance or of love. Love, however, is about communicating and the primary tool of communication is language. It makes sense therefore to conclude that if we Americans can conquer Spanish as a second language, we can also conquer the world with love.
As a child, I had problems fitting in with my peers even though I was mostly African-American because I also had Italian blood and it showed in my facial features. The community I was in was dominated by African-Americans and I didn’t quite look like them. I was however too dark-skinned to be Caucasian or White-American. I resemble Hispanic-Americans more, especially Cubans. That is, until I start to speak. Growing up in an African-American community had influenced my speech and therefore I speak like an African-American. Needless to say, I’ve encountered and witnessed discrimination at different point of my life.
I was reminded of this gap between races when I worked at a daycare center where the staff as well as the children enrolled were predominantly white. I realized that until that moment, October 2013, I had never held a white baby before. I was born on July of 1986 in Minnesota, where I also grew up. You should be able to imagine my surprise when it dawned on me that I had held babies of different races except White-American babies when in fact, I grew up in America. I never realized that the distinction and separation between White-Americans and other races were that severe.
It is also in this daycare center that I met a child coming from a Hispanic family. The child wasn’t in my class but I got to meet his parents and we eventually formed a bond due to our common love for the Spanish language which I was learning at that time. I started to share the language to my students with the encouragement of their parents. I love teaching the Spanish language so much that the parents of my students have started to appreciate my effort. I built a relationship with the students and their family through my initiative that none of the employees of the daycare center has done before.
Language is always linked to culture. When we learn a language, we invariably learn the ways of its native speakers as well. I think for us to bridge the gap long formed by differences in race and eventually, culture, we need to bridge the differences in languages first. If Americans starts to accept the Spanish language, little by little they will learn the Spanish culture as well. In turn, the hostility between these two different races will be shortened and eventually, they will form a beautiful and harmonious relationship. One forged with characteristics from both cultures – strength and freedom from English, love and affection from Spanish – just like I have done in a smaller scale with my students at the daycare center.
Culture is in turn connected to non-economical assets or things that are ingrained in us such as family background or educational investments in the current and previous generations. To know one’s culture is to have knowledge of the art of language.
The interconnection of language and culture may also be the reason why if you look at the map, there are more languages than countries because admittedly, there are usually several cultures in one country which would mean there are several languages as well. It would benefit a country then, if it were to adopt a second or even a third language depending on how many speakers of the languages there are. For America, the candidate secondary language would be Spanish noting that as have been mentioned before, there are more than four hundred million native and secondary speakers of that particular language and the numbers are still increasing as more people are starting to learn that language.
Of course, the number of speakers is not the only consideration for Spanish to be a candidate of being America’s secondary language. There is also the matter of similarity in the structure of the languages itself. First of all, as Emanuel Vasconcelos said in his blog, both Spanish and English languages came from the Indo-European language family which means they are somewhat close to each other. Another factor that made the two languages similar in structure which Vasconcelos mentioned in his blog was that although, unlike Spanish, English did not descend from the Latin language, it had several exposure to Latin throughout time and thus had been influenced by that language to a certain degree. The Spanish language is also considered one of the easiest languages to learn (Steve). According to Colorin Colorado, 30% to 40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish whether in sound, appearance or meaning.
It is also interesting to note that the Spanish language is the second most popular language in the United States, next to English, and number four most commonly spoken language in the universe. According to some counts, Spanish even has more native speakers than English does (Erichsen).
All of these technical reviews are just supporting evidences, however. The one thing that we should really take into account is that language precedes thoughts. Language shapes, molds, and develops the way a person thinks and eventually the way that person acts. With this in mind, wouldn’t it be best for America to have a second language that would complement their primary language? For English language’s advocacy for equality, a language like Spanish that expresses consistent love, affection, and connection would be the perfect match.
It is a challenge however to get the Spanish accepted as the second language of America because a lot of Americans are against the idea of learning Spanish – or any other language, for that matter. One of the reasons why they are opposing is because they think there is no value in gaining knowledge of Spanish or another language aside from English. This goes to show however, just how little they know. Also, these are people that think that reading a book on language comprehension and learning how to speak a new language is too much hassle. Their usual concern is that they would have to be like a little child again in learning the language. That concern is not entirely false but the thing is, learning a new language will be worth it in the long run. In fact, as reported by CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic, even our president Barack Obama says that we should teach our children Spanish. According to him it is an embarrassment that our American children are monolingual. Obama himself came from a minority so in being an American president, he brings with him a different perspective in dealing with America’s multi-cultural society.
Indeed, it is a shame to be monolingual in a globally-competitive world. Nowadays, everything is connected. One country is not isolated from the others anymore and if Americans stubbornly remains monolingual, we may be left behind soon enough by other countries. However, if we claim Spanish as our second language then taking into consideration that English language ranks third globally (Steve), then we will be able to communicate with a whopping six hundred and fifty one million people around the world. If we are able to communicate with more people, that would mean more market for us and we can stay on top, politically and economically speaking.
Another reason that assists with discouraging Spanish communication is the racism and the discrimination an individual may experience once they began to convey with the community using the Spanish language.
Some Americans have a mentality of superiority. They believe that all other races are inferior to the White-Americans. Through this mentality, they are hesitant in learning the language of a different race because they believe that adapting to ways of a foreign culture or person of which society considers inferior, make them inferior as an individual as well. That idea is undoubtedly racist. Also this is where discrimination comes in. In a country where status is important, people are afraid of being judged or isolated even by their own family and friends for ‘betraying their heritage’. For example, a White-American may be seen as a disgrace for trying to learn Spanish while an African-American may be accused of trying to gain favor with the White-Americans by imitating their desire for learning another language. On the other hand, Hispanic or Latino American may be judged simply because they should have known the language of their heritage in the first place (Fernandez).
The most disappointing fact about these fears of connecting with a language is that until now, people are being rejected in society and do not know where to fit in just for the simple act of trying to better themselves by learning a new language.
Just like Claude McKay had experienced in the 1920’s when he said the words: “While to its alien gods I bend my knee. Something in me is lost, forever lost. Some vital thing has gone out of my heart,” hatred of another culture and condemnation of what is unknown still haunts American people nowadays. In fact, for quite some time to speak Spanish in American schools was prohibited. Also, the national grocery store chain Whole Foods fired two of their employees for speaking Spanish on the job. This happened last June, 2013. Thankfully, the policy was revised and the company can no longer display this kind of discrimination (Herovitz). This was done upon careful consideration of the fact that when someone makes a claim of policy on a moral judgment, the person in charge cannot so easily find statistics or objective facts to use as evidence. Rather he or she has to look for support in the form of authoritative opinions and testimonies and personal experience (James and Merickel). However, the situations mentioned just prove my earlier statement that American people are still discriminating towards other races in general and towards Hispanic and Latino communities in particular. This is due to this discrimination that the Hispanic and Latino immigrants that came to America during this time didn’t teach their children Spanish to avoid discrimination and isolation from their new neighbors.
The last and the biggest American fear towards the issue of Spanish as secondary language of America is the possible dramatic change in culture. If America becomes bilingual in English and Spanish, then that means the new America will dominate the cultural norms and redefine American taboos. It will also mean that the mentality of the older generation will slowly become extinct. Therefore, in the opinion of some people, to learn the new language means the mindset of older Americans will become endangered. This mindset is rooted in the perspective of the dominant culture of America which dictates that cultural variety is threatening. For this reason, ideas have to follow a uniformed culture. Variety and diversity are constantly being replaced with sameness. From clothing to soft drinks, the dominant economic power quickly replaces local cultural products. (Garcia).
However, what they seem to have overlooked is the fact that adding something new might not necessarily mean forgetting the old. It’s just like learning in school. Students get to learn many different subject and topics in a day but still, they find time and balance (ideally) to remember the important points of each lesson they learned. In my opinion, this is how Americans should deal with having a secondary language – by taking the good points and incorporating them to the primary language. For example, learning Spanish will increase English skills too. This is because studying Spanish will automatically force an English speaking American to think of how the English language is structured. (Steve). Overall if America spoke Spanish, we would deliver English with perfection.
Another point to remember is that there is unity in diversity. English language is full of dominant power and conquering and it is evident in the culture of even the younger generation who speaks and hears the language. My three year old son’s costume for last year’s Halloween was a soldier. He was and still is fascinated by the explosives, guns, and the lawlessness the military displays with no consequences. It is no wonder that just like my son, other American children also likes to be in control even at a young age because the language they use carries that kind of culture. In a sense, this can be seen as a weakness of the English language. However, if we combine it with the Spanish language and its culture which focuses on care, love and family, we can emerge with a much stronger society.
As a parent I’m learning Spanish and teaching my children so that they can have balance in their lives, know their history, and become aware of their placement in today’s world. Overall, I’m teaching my children the ability to practice behavior in a more nurturing and humbling way. It is badly needed because in America, finding our place as individuals in a complex society is always a struggle (James and Merickel).
It is also beneficial for Americans to learn Spanish if we are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the different racial issues of people all over the United States of America, especially since a lot of immigrants are from Hispanic or Latino communities.
Also, being a bilingual American can open a lot of opportunities as far as jobs are concerned. Spanish-English translators, for example are highly in demand nowadays. I myself would like to be a Spanish-English translator. This particular job makes approximately eighty seven thousand dollars annually and the minimum salary one could make as a bilingual translator is twenty eight thousand annually (Anonymous). Other careers that are available for Spanish-English speakers are linguists, educators, and interpreters. All of them are good-paying jobs.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that much for the Latino community. Those that are biased against learning the Spanish language may find solace in the fact that for several reasons, many of the Latinos that didn’t finish high school represent a major loss of human capital for the United States. However it should also be remembered that if we learn Spanish, we can make up for that loss and help our country to integrate (Saenz and Murga).
There are many cultures and races in America. Now is the time to accept it. The saying ‘two heads are always better than one’ should be taken literally with this issue. We have a growing rate of Hispanics but we as Americans have allowed them here with only half arms. We cannot deny that most Americans still treat Hispanics with either wariness or indifference. It is time for us to be proud Americans in such a sense that we take time to understand and appreciate every piece of diversity in our culture.
The fact that Spanish is the second most spoken popular language in the United states and has ranked number two in global popularity arises this question: Why are we even arguing about learning it and if it has more than financial benefits? We should be grateful to have the ability to speak in a more caring and considerate perspective and pleased in the prospect of our children becoming more mindful towards others. If our language of war tones down so will the violence in our American youth. We are causing self-destruction in America by not giving every American citizen a chance – a chance to be free and a chance to live out of the emotional hardships that were imposed on them in the country of their heritage.
“The Land of the free”In the end, that’s what we claim to stand for, right? Let us not bind ourselves in mental imprisonment that limits connection, growth, understanding, peace, harmony, and love.
We should always remember that we are not alone. We share our country with different descendants of ancestors across the world. Therefore, it only makes sense to find a common ground of communication and comprehension because we are no longer opposites in America. We are people of one cultural network that depend on the differences of others for survival and it is time to join hands with our strongest allies. It is time for Spanish and English to be what they were originally – family.
Works Cited
“Most widely spoken Languages in the World.” One World Nations Online.
NationsOnline.Org., 2013. Web. 3 Jan. 2014.
Vasconcelos, Emanuel. “Basic Spanish: Similarities between English and Spanish.”
OurBrainHurtsALot. Wordpress, 7 July 2012. Web. 3 Jan. 2014.
Colorado, Colorin. “Capitalizing on Similarities and Differences between Spanish and
English.” ¡Colorín Colorado!. WETA, 2007. Web. 3 Jan. 2014.
Gavrilovic, Maria. “Obama: I don't speak a foreign language. It's embarrassing!” CBS
News. CBS Interactive Inc., 11 July 2008. Web. 3 Jan. 2014.
