English Usage by Latinos a "Flash Point"

- article by Shirin Hakimzadeh and D'Vera Cohn, Pew Hispanic Center

Virtually all hipanics born in the United States are proficient speakers of English, in comparsion less than a quarter of Spanish-speaking immigrants consider themselves fluent speakers of of English, a disparaging statistic. The statistic, derived from a survey of over fourteen thousand Latino adults, show a significant increase in English literacy progressively from one generation to the next. The statistic reflect an increase of over one-hundred percent in fluency from the first to second generations. The increase in fluency levels out after the third generation which reports indicate has an English literacy rate of 94 percent.

Not only does fkuency and literacy increase through the generations, the very use of English increases. English language usage increases in the work place and even in the homes of Latin Americans across generations. In the case of immigrants and early generations, the English language use increase does not correlate with the predominant use of the English language; this occurs in their adult children with surprising frequency.

The surveys indicates that Latino immigrants the likelihood that a Latin American speaks English well and uses it regularly, increases if they have a higher eduation, arrived in the United States as children or have lived in the Unites States for many years. College education seems to have the greatest correlation with English speaking ability and literacy. Accordning to this survey, of the major Hispanic denominations, Puerto Ricans and South Americans are the likelist to have be adept English users; Mexicans are the least likely to say so.

I think discrimination plays a role in language acquisition. Whether it be a teacher that purposefully "misteaches" her minority students, or a student whose non compliance prompts him to not use the language. Discrimination whether it be blatant or subversive, intentional or instituted, plays a role in the ability of young people to become skilled English speakers and readers. Mexico has many fine universtities. I think being Mexican carries a dangerous connotation in the United States and this is why compared to other Latin Americans they are misrepresented in the realm of fluent speakers of English.

Why is it that not all second-generation, American born hispanics speak english? Why is it 88% and not 99%? Are the remaining children 22 percent not being schooled at all?