Talking point #1: Latinos are not falling into the U.S. melting pot

In preparation for a presentation I will be doing about the importance of learning Spanish in this country, I read Bilingual is Better by Ana L. Flores and Roxana A. Soto.  This book has a lot of great points, but one that stands out to me is the notion of Hispanic cultural sustainability.  They quote an April 2012 Nielsen report, saying "Hispanics are the largest immigrant group to exhibit significant culture sustainability and are not disappearing into the American melting pot" (Flores and Soto, 50)  That was a real Oprah "ah-ha" moment for me.  I had to think about this.  So the Hispanics in the U.S. don't fold in and acculturate into American society?  They are not just naturally going to blend into our Proverbial melting pot?  That is what other immigrant populations have done over time.  It's called acculturation, which Merriam-Webster defines as "cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture; also : a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact"

Isn't this the way it goes in the U.S.:  Introduction of a new cultural community --> Fear, confusion and insecurity --> Reluctance to tolerate -->  Gradual tolerance --> Eventual acceptance AND/OR acculturation  --> Two cultures eventually becoming one --> Birth of new cultural community.  

What they are saying is that Hispanics are maintaining their cultural identity, their traditions and customs, their language.  They are not losing their culture.  Yes, when two cultures unite, some acculturation is going to happen.  But for the most part, Hispanic traditions (i.e. Spanish language!) are not being lost along the way.  Think about the number of Spanish words that are now recognized in the English language.  Flores and Soto offer the following as examples:  "taco, macho, burrito, fiesta, amigo, cilantro, poncho, barrio, piñata, siesta, coyote, hombre, co-jones, tortilla, rodeo, salsa, cabana, guerrilla, loco, sombrero, patio" (Flores and Soto, 51).  Some of those words are so commonplace English, that you may not have even realized it is a Spanish word!

I think of my hometown Grand Island, Nebraska (population roughly 50,000).  It was established by Germans.  But to find someone who speaks German there today is a real rarity.  There are no German print magazines or newspapers, nor is there even one German food restaurant.  All that I can think of are the two local halls:  The Liederkranz (this supposedly was the "high German club") and the Platt Duetsche (apparently the "low German club").  Those buildings are the most prominent traces of a once-thriving German culture.  The German culture of my hometown is considered a part of the history, not it's present, and certainly not it's future.

Spanish is different.  We see it everywhere.  If Latino culture is here to stay, then so is the Spanish language.  It's not going away!



Flores, A., & Soto, R. (2012). Bilingual is better. (1st ed.). Bilingual Readers.

Merriam-webster online dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acculturation

(2012). State of the hispanic consumer: the hispanic market imperative. (Quarter 2), Retrieved from http://nielsen.com//content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2012-Reports/State-of-the-Hispanic-Consumer.pdf