Estadounidismos

Arguments Over Semantics

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, more than 50 million Hispanics are currently living in the United States, and a significant portion of them are native Spanish speakers. In fact, the size of the Spanish-speaking population of the United States is second only to Mexico (including Spain itself). The increased importance of Spanish in American culture is further indicated by the growing Latin American enclaves in urban areas and cable television packages regularly including Spanish-only networks.

Both English and Spanish have been historically dynamic languages. English, as it exists today, developed over thousands of years and has incorporated elements of Celtic, French, and Scandinavian into its vocabulary over the centuries. Likewise, Spanish is a combination of Indo-European, Latin, Romance, and Native American languages. Thus, it should be no surprise that when Spanish and English speakers interact in a country as diverse as the United States, the syntax and vocabularies of those languages are impacted.

Despite the inevitability of linguistic and cultural exchange, certain English and Spanish speakers see the acknowledgment of the phenomena surrounding estadounidismos as threatening. Recent federal legislation also addresses some of the fears that surround Spanish-English language mixing. Since 1906, English tests have been a requirement for naturalization, However, exemptions have existed, which certain groups have found objectionable. In early 2011, Republicans in Congress introduced the English Language Unity Act, legislation that would declare English the official language of the United States and eliminate exemptions for English language testing in the naturalization process. Republicans contend that the act would preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the federal government.

Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe testified before Congress that a “nation divided by language cannot pull together … effectively as a people.” Thus, Inhofe expressed his concern with the cultural and linguistic mixing caused by a significant number of Spanish speakers living in the United States. Similarly, Spanish linguists have also expressed concern over language mixing. These individuals fear that if the mixing of English and Spanish is officially acknowledged by organizations such as the Royal Academy, their language will somehow turn into something else.

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