At the 2nd Congress organized by the Cervantes Institute of New York, linguists and Spanish teachers tried to promote the survival of Spanish in the United States, where the stigmatization of the language and the lack of formal teaching are its main enemies. Although Spanish is the country’s most widely used foreign language, with 12.9% of speakers, 80% speak only English, and many would like it to be 100%. Linguistic harassment in public places, xenophobia against Latin Americans, and the stigmatization of the language of migrants are some of the factors contributing to the minorization of Spanish in the United States. “Spanglish” also causes many speakers, especially second-generation speakers, to prefer English.
Although first-generation migrants are bilingual, for a large majority of Spanish speakers, English is a “heritage language,” with only 53% speaking the language of their grandparents. In the third generation, Spanish proficiency is expected to be very low. Teachers and specialists are trying to keep Spanish alive in a country where inclusive language has added to the complexity of the situation. The director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis GarcÃa Montero, recalls that language “defines people from a social point of view because life is a conversation.”
For the good of the language itself and of the students, the “limit is to understand each other.” While there may be regional differences in the way Spanish is spoken in Latin America, in practical, day-to-day terms, language can be a barrier to making oneself understood in important situations, such as in the medical field. In addition, access to healthcare is limited for Latinos in the United States, which contributes to poorer health and higher mortality. Therefore, it is essential that Spanish remain an important language in the United States to ensure effective communication and equal access to health care.