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Posted on 10/09/2003 7:38:44 AM PDT by wildbill
Bilingualism on the rise
By Sonja Garza San Antonio Express-News
Web Posted : 10/09/2003 12:00 AM
As a child growing up in the border town of Laredo, Maria Elena Garcia — like most everybody else she knew — spoke both Spanish and English at home. Hidalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia says when he was growing up, he wasn't allowed to speak Spanish at school. But the latest Census Bureau report says that in seven Texas counties — including Hidalgo — 80 percent speak a non-English language at home. Associated Press Graphic: Language at home Flash plugin needed to view graphic.
"I will say it was a very Tex-Mex type of Spanish," said Garcia, now a campus instructional coordinator at Storm Elementary School, where a dual-language program is taught.
"But I was proficient in both" English and Spanish, she said. "For me, that experience was very powerful."
According to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau, that dual-language experience is growing in U.S. households.
Nearly one in five U.S. residents age 5 and older — or 47 million people — spoke a language other than English at home in 2000, an increase of 15 million since 1990, the Census Bureau reported.
Of those 47 million residents, more than half — 55 percent — reported that they also spoke English "very well," according to the study.
After English, Spanish was the most common language spoken at home, followed by Chinese.
The report showed the number of Spanish speakers rose from 17.3 million to 28.1 million over the 10-year period, a 62 percent increase. About half of the Spanish speakers reported that they also were fluent in English.
It was no surprise to Garcia that her former hometown of Laredo was second in the nation among cities with the highest proportion of people — nine of 10 — who spoke a language other than English at home. Hialeah, Fla., ranked first.
"On the border, Laredo is mostly mexicano. ... Growing up, I didn't know I was a minority," said Garcia, who is of Mexican ancestry.
The report ranked cities or areas with populations of 100,000 or more. The top 10 places with the highest percentage of residents who spoke a language other than English at home included four Texas cities and three California communities.
Educators say increased numbers of people who are bilingual or multilingual reflect a growing diversity in the United States.
"Our country is strengthened by people who are bilingual and multilingual and can communicate our ideals and aspirations to others around the world," said Maria Robledo Montecel, executive director of the Intercultural Development Research Association in San Antonio.
The Census Bureau estimated the nation's foreign-born population numbered 32.5 million last year, accounting for 11.5 percent of the total U.S. population.
About 52 percent of the country's foreign-born residents were Latin Americans, and about 26 percent were born in Asia.
The bureau's "language use" study showed that U.S. counties with a large proportion of households speaking a language other than English were concentrated in states that border Mexico, the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean.
In seven Texas counties — Hidalgo, Kenedy, Maverick, Presidio, Starr, Webb and Zavala — 80 percent of the population spoke a non-English language at home.
Garcia said being bilingual opened doors for her, affording her professional opportunities, including earning more money.
"I think it's beneficial from every aspect — economically, socially ... definitely financially, academically," she said.
Blanca Ramirez, who taught Spanish and English for 25 years and is now an instructional coordinator at Lanier High School, also emphasized the importance of knowing more than one language.
"I used to teach the kiddos (that) if you learn another language, you are two people in one," Ramirez said. "Especially in San Antonio, you know how important Spanish is."
That part is great, as far as it goes. It's just important that English is one of the 'linguals'. Having English immersion at school would alleviate matters.
Doesn't sound like she understands English well now. She was a "majority". When Laredo is mostly Mexicans, Mexicans are in the majority.
It's interesting how more Americans will learn basic Spanish just to take a vacation in Mexico for two weeks --- more than most Mexicans will learn after living in the USA for 20 years. In this part of the country one third of the population speaks no English ---- yet only one fourth were born in Mexico. Many speak a mixture of Spanish-English that they believe is bilingual --- but they aren't understood well in either language.
As it should be. We are one of the few countries in the world that does not insist our children learn a second language in school.
Americans are lucky that most business in the world is done in English. But so much better to be able to understand the conversation after the meetings are concluded.
Who could possibly be against such a requirment?!
How can they communicate our ideals if they never learn them themselves. What they spread and communicate is the grass roots corruption they learned in Mexico and how they can use it to fraudulently beat the system in the United States.
This is as they do in Canada with the use of French and English in most labeling and in China where English language on a sign can only be half the height (size) of the Chinese characters on the sign.
On the contrary, she understands English as spoken by Liberals QUITE WELL. She didn't know she was a minority (protected class of citizen) then but you better believe she knows it now.
This is as they do in Canada with the use of French and English in most labeling and in China where English language on a sign can only be half the height (size) of the Chinese characters on the sign.
The have signs in Canada because it is a bilingual country that has given up on a national culture. That is exactly what virtually all conservatives oppose in the US.
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