Latinos or Hispanics? Changing Demographics, Implications, and Continued Diversity
2009; Volume: 28; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2332-5836
Autores Tópico(s)Multilingual Education and Policy
ResumoABSTRACT. The study of Spanish in the southwestern region of the United States includes both traditional and newly formed speech communities, as demonstrated by the many contributions to the body of research that look at the Spanish of this region. However, as we observe current demographic patterns, it is evident that there is a significant change from the dominant Mexican, Mexican-American focus to one that is more inclusive of the diversity and growth of other Hispanic/Latino populations. This paper focuses on presenting the changing demographics of Latinos in the U.S. and exemplifies the case of Oregon to show the implications those changing demographics may have on our cultural and linguistic landscape as well as on future research endeavors. 1. INTRODUCTION. Studies of Spanish in the southwestern region of the United States encompass both established and newly formed speech communities, as evidenced by the many contributions to the body of research that look at the Spanish of this region (Velazquez 2009, Hidalgo 1993, Floyd 1985, Hudson-Edwards and Bills 1982, Cohen 1975). However, a cursory look at 21st century demographics quickly reveals a shift from the research that predominantly focused on the Mexican and Mexican-American perspective to a growing number of studies that now expand to speech communities of diverse Latino/Hispanic origins and backgrounds. This paper will present the changing demographics of Latinos in the United States and look in more detail at the case of Oregon as an example of what is happening in non-traditional Hispanic states. It further considers the implications that these changing demographics may have on our cultural and linguistic landscape, as well as on future research endeavors. As Lipski (in press) states, 'whereas the Mexican imprint is and always will be predominant, the Southwest is home to a growing number of integral speech communities stemming from other Latin American migration patterns'. This statement is true not only for the Southwest, but also well beyond the southwest region of the United States. Beginning with California, still considered historically, linguistically and culturally part of the Southwest, we see a dramatic shift from a strong Mexican influence to the largest concentration of the nation's more than 1.7 million Central American Spanish speakers (U.S. Census 2000). California is now home to the majority of Salvadorans in the United States, representing the fifth largest U. S. Latino group. According to the U.S. Census, more than 42% of Salvadorans reside in California. In the same vein, the U.S. Census points to the fact that the majority of Guatemalans, which now represent the seventh largest Latino group in the United States, is also found in California; 39% of the Latino population of the state. These speech communities are not homogeneous, but often reflect inter-ethnic populations of Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans and others, as evidenced by my own research of a Latino speech community in northern California (Rivera-Mills, 2000). Other states are following similar patterns of change. Texas, once part of Mexico, is home to large numbers of Latinos of various origins, including the second largest Salvadoran population (79,200 or 12% of the Hispanic population of Texas). According to Lipski this group's 'interaction with largely Mexican-American Spanish has evolved from the furtive encounters of the 1980's (Lipski 1986, 1988, 1989a, 1989b) to robust second and third generation interfaces (Hernandez 2002, 2007; Aaron and Hernadez 2007)'. At the same time, other southwestern states have experienced changing demographics in their Latino populations. For example, Utah's Latinos increased from 4.9% to 9% of the state's population from 1990 to 2000, and as of 2004, stands at 10.6% (Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs 2004). Nevada doubled in size (10.4% to 19.7%) between 1990 and 2000 (U.S. Census 2000), and currently, the state's population of Spanish-speaking origin has reached 24%. …
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