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Spanish in the United States Idioma español en Estados Unidos
Pronunciation:	/espa'ɲol/, /kaste'ʎano/ or /kaste'ʝano/
Spoken in:	—
Region:	—
Total speakers:	First languagea: 322<[1][2]- c. 400 million[3][4][5] Totala: 400–500 million[6][7][8] aAll numbers are approximate.
Ranking:	2-4 (native)[9][10][11][12] Total: 3
Language family:	Indo-European  Italic   Romance    Italo-Western     Gallo-Iberian      Ibero-Romance       West Iberian        Spanish         Spanish in the United States
Writing system:	Latin (Spanish variant)
Language codes
ISO 639-1:	us-es
ISO 639-2:	us-spa
ISO 639-3:	us-spa
Spanish language spread in the United States.
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

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Spanish is the second most common language in the United States after English. There are more Spanish speakers in the United States than speakers of French, Hawaiian, and the Native American languages combined. According to the 2000 United States Census, Spanish is spoken most frequently at home by about 28.1 million people aged 5 or over.^[13] The United States is home to more than 40 million Hispanics, making it the fifth largest Spanish-speaking community in the world, after Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Argentina.^[14][15] Roughly half of all Spanish speakers in the US also speak English "very well."^[13]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Louisiana Purchase 1.2 Annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War 1.3 Spanish-American War 1.4 Modern migration 2 Official status 2.1 California 2.2 Arizona 2.3 New Mexico 2.4 Texas 2.5 Puerto Rico 3 Spanish place names 4 Learning Trends in the U.S 5 Common words derived from Spanish 6 Variation 7 Future of Spanish in the United States 8 American literature in Spanish 9 See also 10 References 11 Resources 12 External links

The Spanish language has been spoken in North America since the 16th century. Ponce de León is the first Spaniard known to have visited the present-day US, in 1513. In 1565, the Spaniards founded St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the modern territory of the United States.

The United States’ Spanish-speaking population increased historically because of territorial expansion due to wars and land purchases. Modern factors continue to increase the Spanish-speaking population.

The range of Spanish rule in the late 18th and early 19th centuries encompassed much of the present-day US territory, including the French colony of Louisiana briefly under Spanish control from 1763 to 1800 and part of the US since 1803. When Louisiana was sold to the United States, Spanish (and French) settlers in that region became citizens of the United States, but kept their native languages.

Texas was part of the independent republic of Mexico from 1821 until the Anglo settlers' revolution of 1836. In the 1850 US census, less than 16,000 Texans were of Mexican descent, and nearly all were Spanish-speaking people who became outnumbered by English-speaking Americans six to one.^{[citation needed]}

Because of the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), nearly half of Mexico’s territory was lost to the United States, including parts of the modern states of Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming, and the whole of California, Nevada, and Utah. Although the surrendered territory was sparsely populated, thousands of Spanish-speaking Mexicans became Americans as a result.^{[citation needed]} The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), which ended the war, made no explicit reference to language rights.

The Spanish-American War in 1898 resulted in Cuba and Puerto Rico becoming United States territories. Cuba gained full independence in 1902, but Puerto Rico remains a U.S. territory. Spanish is the first language of Puerto Rico, whose citizens hold statutory U.S. citizenship.

The influx of large numbers of Spanish-speaking immigrants to the United States has elevated the number of Spanish-speakers throughout the country, making them majorities or large minorities in many districts. This increase has been especially marked in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, states bordering Mexico.

Immigration to the United States of Spanish-speaking Cubans began as a result of political instability after Cuba’s independence. The eventual downfall of Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship and the rise of Fidel Castro's communist government in 1959 caused immigration to increase. Almost one million Cubans have immigrated to the United States, most settling in southern and central Florida. Other Cuban Americans living in the Northeast U.S. are fluent in Spanish.

Many Puerto Ricans have migrated to New York City, New York, adding to the Spanish-speaking population there. Millions of Puerto Rican Americans living across the mainland U.S. also have fluency in the Spanish language. In Hawaii, where Puerto Rican farm laborers and Mexican ranchers have settled since the late 1800s, 7% of the islands' people are Hispanic/Hispanophone.^{[citation needed]}

Main article: Languages of the United States

State	Spanish-speaking population	Percentage of state population
New Mexico	823,352	43.27%
California	12,442,626	34.72%
Texas	7,781,211	34.63%
Arizona	1,608,698	28.03%
Nevada	531,929	22.80%
Colorado	878,803	19.10%
Florida	3,304,832	19.01%
New York	3,076,697	15.96%
New Jersey	1,294,422	14.90%
Illinois	1,774,551	13.94%
Connecticut	371,818	10.63%
Utah	253,073	10.45%
Rhode Island	111,823	10.35%
Oregon	343,278	9.56%
Idaho	123,900	8.88%
District of Columbia	47,258	8.53%
Washington	526,667	8.48%
Kansas	220,288	8.06%

Although the United States currently has no official language, English has long been the de facto national language. Government agencies in most states and at the federal level can commonly be contacted in Spanish. Many states such as California require legislated notices and official documents to be printed in Spanish alongside English and other commonly used languages. In the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Spanish is the official and most commonly used language. Throughout the history of the Southwest U.S., the controversial issues on language as part of cultural rights and bilingual representation in state government has caused friction between some non-Latino and Latino residents. Spanish is currently the most widely taught second language in the United States.^[16]

California's first constitution approved an important recognition of Spanish language rights: "All laws, decrees, regulations, and provisions emanating from any of the three supreme powers of this State, which from their nature require publication, shall be published in English and Spanish." By 1870, English-speaking Americans had become a majority in California. In 1879, California promulgated a new constitution under which all official proceedings were to be conducted only in English; this clause remained in effect until 1966. In 1986, California voters added a new constitutional clause by referendum stating that "English is the official language of the State of California." However, Spanish is still spoken widely throughout the state, and many government forms, documents, and services are available in both English and Spanish.

English is the only official language of Arizona.

New Mexico is commonly thought to have Spanish as an official language alongside English, due to the widespread usage and legal promotion of Spanish in the state, however the state does not have an official language. Laws in New Mexico are promulgated in Spanish as well as English, although English is the working language of the state government. Spanish has been spoken around the New Mexico-Colorado border and the current U.S.-Mexico border since the 16th century.

In Texas, English is conventionally used in government, but the state has no official language. A steady influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants increased the import of Spanish in Texas. Even in the 21st century, the southernmost counties of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley are mostly Latino, and Spanish is a common language among the region's multi-generational Mexican Americans, but are more English-proficient than their southern neighbors.

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico recognizes both Spanish and English as official languages, Spanish being the dominant first language.

As a consequence of former Spanish and, later, Mexican sovereignty over lands that are now part of the United States, there are many places in the country, especially in the southwest, with Spanish names:

• States: Colorado ("Colored Red"), Nevada (from [Sierra] Nevada "Snowcapped [mountain range]"), New Mexico (Calqued from Nuevo México), Montana (from Montaña: "Mountain"), California (from the name of an imaginary island in "Las sergas de Esplandián", a popular Spanish chivalry novel of the time), and Florida ("flowered")

• Territories: Puerto Rico (means "Rich Port" in Spanish, reflecting the colonial mindset focused on gold and seafaring), Northern Mariana Islands (Named after Mariana of Austria; once a queen consort of Spain); U.S. Virgin Islands (Calqued from Islas Vírgenes)

• Cities: Fresno ("Ash Tree"), Las Vegas ("The fertile lowlands"), Los Ángeles ("The Angels", a shortened version of the original name Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncola, "Our Lady Queen of Angels of Porziuncola"), Modesto ("Modest"), Palo Alto ("Tall Tree"), San Francisco ("Saint Francis"), Amarillo ("Yellow"), Boca Ratón (from Boca Ratón: "Mouth of the River Mouse"), El Paso, Texas ("The Pass"), San Diego ("Saint Didacus"), San José ("Saint Joseph"), Santa Clara ("Saint Claire"), Santa Rosa ("Saint Rose"), Santa Ana ("Saint Anne"), San Bernardino ("Saint Bernardine"), San Antonio ("Saint Anthony"), Sacramento ("Sacrament"), Santa Fé (from "Santa Fé": Holy Faith), Corte Madera ("Cut Wood") etc.

• Regions: Llano Estacado ("Staked Plain"), Cape Canaveral (Anglicized from Cabo Cañaveral), Sierra Nevada ("Snowcapped mountain range" (literally, sierra means "saw")), etc.

• Islands: Alcatraz (from: Alcatraz "Gannet"), Farallon Islands (from: Farallones "High Cliffs"), Alameda ("Poplar Grove"), Key West (Anglicized from Cayo Hueso: "Bone Cay"), Key Largo (from Hollywood: the present place name was never given by the Spanish but adopted after the Bogart film, Key Largo; "Long Key" is a separate islet in the chain, however Matecumbe and Isla Morada (Purple Island) are original Spanish place names in the "Keys" or 'Cayos').

• Streets and Roads: El Camino Real ("The Royal Road" or "The King's Highway"), Santa Monica Boulevard (from Santa Mónica: "Saint Monica"), San Pablo Avenue ("Saint Paul Avenue"), Avenida de las Pulgas ("Avenue of the Fleas"), Camino Pablo ("Path of [Saint] Paul"), etc.

Spanish is the most widely taught non-English language in U.S. secondary schools and institutions of higher education ([1]), indicating its importance among non-Hispanic Americans.

Over 1.4 million college students were enrolled in language courses in Fall 2002 and Spanish is the most widely taught language at American colleges with 53% of total people enrolled, followed by French (14.4%), German (7.1%) Italian (4.5%), American Sign Language (4.3%), Japanese (3.7%) and Chinese at (2.4%) although their total numbers remain relatively small of the total U.S population. [2] [3]

See also List of English words of Spanish origin

• Ranch
• Tornado
• Desperado
• Corral
• Lariat
• Lasso
• Potato

The influence of English on American Spanish is very important. In many Latino youth subcultures, it is fashionable to mix Spanish and English in various ways, resulting in what is known as "Spanglish". Spanglish is the name for the combination of using Spanish and English together to effectively communicate something.

The new generation of American Latinos want to preserve Spanish as equally to learn and use the English language. The small Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española (North American Academy of the Spanish Language) watches the developments of US Spanish and the influence of English.

The experts distinguish the following varieties in the Spanish in the United States:^{[citation needed]}

• Cuban (1959-): Florida, New Jersey
• Dominican (1943-): New York, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia
• Salvadoran-Honduran (1598-) New Jersey, Washington D.C, Los Angeles, Baltimore,
• Isleño (18th century-): St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
• Mexican or often referred to as Chicano or Tex-Mex (20th century): The border area from southern California to Texas and Illinois.
• New Mexican (1598-)
  • Traditional (1598-): Center and north-center of New Mexico and the south-center of Colorado.
  • Renovador (20th century): The border regions of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico, as well as southeastern Colorado.
• Puerto Rican (1898-): New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other big northeastern cities as well as Illinois, Orlando and Tampa.

On the other hand, some words have entered standard American English from Spanish. For a detailed list of borrowed words, see American English.

There are many factors that indicate that Spanish in the U.S. is in a healthy state. Living an exclusively Spanish-speaking life can be viable in some areas due to the constant influx of immigrants and the prevalence of Spanish-language mass media, such as Univisión, Telemundo, and Azteca América. Because Hispanic immigration is still the largest source of immigrants, and due to closeness to Spanish-speaking areas, it is possible that the language in the Southern states of the USA like California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Florida will see an ever-growing use of Spanish in everyday life. In addition it should be noted that no other large immigrant group spoke a language which was also the native language of nearby countries such as Mexico and Cuba.

Also, because of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is now common for many American manufacturers to use trilingual product labeling in which the same text is repeated in English, French, and Spanish. Apart from the businesses that have always catered to Spanish-speaking immigrants, a small but increasing number of mainstream American retailers are beginning to provide dual-language advertising in Spanish-speaking areas and offer customer service in Spanish.

The State of the Union Addresses and other U.S. Presidential speeches have been translated into Spanish following the precedent set by the Bill Clinton administration. Official Spanish translations are available at Whitehouse.gov. In addition to this, some non-Hispanic politicians who are fluent in the Spanish language have often delivered speeches in Spanish to Hispanic majority constituencies.Five hundred Spanish newspapers, 152 magazines, and 205 publishers exist in the U.S. Magazine and local television advertising expenditures for the Hispanic market have also shown a strong increase from 1999 to 2003, with growth of 58 and 43 percent, respectively.

Perhaps these factors can guarantee the survival of the Spanish language in the United States, but it is necessary to remember that historically the original languages of immigrants tend to disappear or become greatly reduced through assimilation and generational change. The Spanish language has disappeared in several countries and territories during the 20th century, notably in the Pacific Island nations of Guam, Micronesia, Palau, Northern Marianas, and Marshall Islands. In the Philippines, it has now virtually died out (2,658 speakers, 1990 Census), although numerous Spanish loan words exist.

In addition, the English-only movement seeks to establish English as the only official language of the United States. Generally speaking, there is growing public pressure on Spanish speaking immigrants to learn English and to speak the language in public. Also, since universities, the business community and professions use English, there is great pressure to learn English for the purposes of upward mobility.

Generally, US Hispanics (13.4% of the population in 2002) are bilingual to some degree. A study by Simmons Market Research found that 19% of the Hispanic population speak only Spanish while 9% speak only English, 55% have limited English proficiency and 17% are fully English-Spanish bilingual.

Intergenerational transmission of Spanish is a better indicator of the future of Spanish in the United States than crude numbers of native Spanish-speaking immigrants in a given moment of time. Although Latin American immigrants have various levels of English proficiency, Hispanics who are second-generation American in the United States almost all speak English, but about 50 percent speak Spanish at home. 2/3rds of third-generation Mexican Americans speak only English at home.

The most complete study of the adoption of English by Spanish-speaking immigrants was undertaken by Calvin Veltman for the National Center for Education Statistics and later, for the Hispanic Policy Development Project. His studies on language shift document very high rates of bilingualism and the subsequent adoption of English as the preferred language of Hispanics, particularly by the young and by the native born. A complete set of demographic projections postulates the nearly complete assimilation of any given cohort of Spanish language immigrants within two generations. Although the study was based on a large 1976 sample developed by the Bureau of the Census which has not been repeated, data from the 1990 Census tend to confirm the massive Anglicization of the Hispanic population in all cities and regions of the country.

Southwest Colonial literature

In 1610, Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá published his Historia de Nuevo México (History of New Mexico).

Nineteenth Century

In 1880, José Martí moved to New York City.

Eusebio Chacón published El hijo de la tempestad in 1892.

Twentieth century

Federico García Lorca wrote in America his collection of poems, Poeta en Nueva York, and the two plays Así que pasen cinco años and El público. José Vasconcelos and Juan Ramón Jiménez were exiled to the U.S.A.

Chicano period

• Languages in the United States
• History of the Spanish language
• Bilingual education
• English-only movement
• List of U.S. cities with Hispanic majority populations
• Islenos
• List of U.S. cities with diacritics
• Bilingualism in Canada

• http://www.vistawide.com/languages/us_languages.htm
• http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0905275.html

• Bilingualism in the United States
• Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española (in Spanish)
• Spanish-speaking in the US Spanish-speaking market in the United States
• Online Spanish-speaking in the US Online Spanish-speaking market in the United States
• Spanish in the United States 70% of Hispanic households speak Spanish at home

v • d • e Chicano languages
	Chicano Spanish · Chicano Caló words and expressions · Chicano English · New Mexican Spanish · Spanish in the United States · Spanish profanity · Spanglish