Should I Speak English or Spanish?
Host Richard Goodman examines the use of Spanish among Mexican Americans and the factors that have affected its use. Although, people in the Southwest have spoken Spanish for hundreds of years, it use has varied over time in part due to the pressure for Mexicans to assimilate. Before World War II, Spanish was the most-used language in the Southwest. After the War, Chicano veterans came home with a newfound pride in their identity as well as a desire to acculturate into mainstream society. Many Mexican Americans during this period believed that knowing English would enable them to fully benefit from their American citizenship, and they founded groups like the League of Latin American Citizens,that taught English to their communities.
The pressure to speak English also came from Anglo society, which associated speaking Spanish with low status. Children in schools were punished and ridiculed for speaking Spanish. Moreover, society delegitimized Mexican American Spanish as corrupted and incorrect.
This situation has improved since the early 1970s. The Chicano Movement has emphasized Chicano cultural pride and has encouraged speaking Spanish. Bilingual programs have sought to maintain proficiency in both English and Spanish. Goodman concludes that perhaps with these improvements, one day all Mexican Americans will be bicultural and bilingual.
KEYWORDS
AcculturationAmerican Legion
Assimilation
Bicultural
Bilingual Programs
Bilingualism
Chicano Movement
Chicano Pride
Cultural Isolation
Culture
English
Ethnic Pride
GI Bill of Rights
Language
Language Borrowing
Language Corruption
Language Discrimination
League of United Latin American Citizens
LULAC
Mexican American Middle Class
Mexican Migration
Pocho
Punishment for speaking Spanish
Respectability
Southwest
Spanish
Spanish Courses
Tex-Mex
Use of Spanish in the Schools
Veterans
Veterans of Foreign Wars
World War II
World War II Impact