Language Magazine – Staff Writer
Last month, the Pew Research Center released the findings of its study “Latinos’ Views of and Experiences with the Spanish Language,” which confirmed the growing importance of Spanish in the U.S. and anticipates the probability of a majority bilingual nation. The study finds that most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish—75% say they are able to carry on a conversation in Spanish pretty well or very well. And most Latinos (85%) say it is at least somewhat important for future generations of Latinos in the U.S. to speak Spanish. However, not all Hispanics are Spanish speakers, and about half (54%) of non-Spanish-speaking Hispanics have been shamed by other Hispanics for not speaking Spanish. At the same time, 78% of U.S. Hispanics say it is not necessary to speak Spanish in order to be considered Hispanic.