Younger Latin Generations Barely Speak Spanish

Filed in archive Latin Culture on November 29, 2007

Although their parents barely speak English, young Latin immigrants in the US have adopted the new language and barely speak their parents' language.

A big percentage of the Latin immigrants who arrive to the United States have trouble to speak English correctly, but the majority of their children perfectly speak the new language, says the latest Pew Hispanic Center report. The study, published on Thursday, concluded that the use of Spanish is diminishing.

The Pew Hispanic Center surveyed over 14,000 Latin adults and detected that only 23% of the immigrants speak English very well, while 88% of their children (born in the US) speak it fluently. The study says:

"As fluency in English increases across generations, so, too, does the regular use of English by Hispanics, both at home and at work. For most immigrants, English is not the primary language they use in either setting. But
for their grown children, it is."

From 3º generation and beyond, 94% of Hispanics are completely fluent in English. The report also indicated that the use of English increases if the first generation of immigrants have a good level of education, arrived at the United States when they were young or have already spent several years in the country.

The study is the result of 6 surveys, conducted between 2002 and 2006. Some of the surveys indicated that not speaking English well is an "obstacle" for Hispanics, when it comes to acceptance in the United States:
"In the three studies, the linguistic ability was chosen as a cause of discrimination more often than other options."

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