Do You Speak American: The History and Diversity of Spanish in the USA

Correcting Myths

• Spanish arrived in the U.S. before English and has co-existed for over 400 years.
• Recent misconceptions suggest native Spanish speakers are only now populating the U.S. en masse.
• The U.S. Hispanic population surged post-1990s, but Hispanic communities have long existed.
• Spanish antedates English in many U.S. areas, second only to Native American languages in longevity.

A Brief History of the Spanish Language in the United States

• 1513: First arrival by Ponce de León on the Florida peninsula.
• 1565: First permanent Spanish colony established in San Agustín, Florida.
• 1540-1598: Explorations in the Southwest by Francisco Coronado and Juan de Oñate.
• 100,000 Spanish speakers in the Southwest by the mid-19th century.
• 1821: Mexico gains independence from Spain, land offered to American settlers in Texas.
• 1835-1845: Texas Revolution and Texas annexation into the U.S., leading to the Mexican-American War.
• English spread across North America, Spanish marginalized but endured in Southwestern communities.

Spanish Language Variation in the United States

• Spanish in the U.S. is not monolithic; it is diverse, much like American English.
• Diversity arises from different regions of Spain and the 'founder effect'.
• Unique dialects like those in Colorado show historical linguistic features.
• U.S. Spanish dialects evolved independently, with influences from Native American languages.
• Notable varieties include Cuban, Puerto-Rican, and Mexican Spanish.

The Coexistence of Spanish and English in the United States

• Spanish does not threaten English dominance; rather, it's undergoing simplification.
• Immigrant languages often lost by the third generation.
• Language shift evidence in communities, e.g., Miami Cubans prefer English.
• Second-generation Hispanics in places like Raleigh, N.C., often prefer English.

Correcting the Myths about U.S. Spanish

• Myth 1: Spanish is solely a result of 20th/21st-century immigration.
  • Reality: Spanish has been spoken as long as or longer than English.
• Myth 2: Spanish is monolithic and less varied than English.
  • Reality: It is highly diverse due to historical and sociolinguistic factors.
• Myth 3: Spanish threatens English use.
  • Reality: Spanish and English have coexisted for centuries.

Conclusion

• Spanish has played a significant role in U.S. linguistic history for centuries.
• The language will continue to shape America's linguistic landscape in the future.

Suggested Reading/Additional Resources

• A list of academic resources and researchers focusing on Spanish in the U.S., sociolinguistics, and language variation.

Phillip M. Carter, a lecturer at North Carolina State University, specializes in sociolinguistics with research on Spanish and English prosody and rhythm acquisition among Hispanic immigrants.