LL-L "Language politics" 2008.11.04 (08) [E/Spanish]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 04 November 2008 - Volume 08
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From: Brooks, Mark <mark.brooks at twc.state.tx.us>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2008.11.04 (05) [A/E]

Ron said: "…I bet you, there would be minority language recognition demands,
definitely from Spanish speakers (who make up a very large portion of the
population)."

Large portion indeed!   From http://www.elcastellano.org/noticia.php?id=759.


"Con 106 millones de hablantes, Estados Unidos es la segunda potencia del
español en el mundo; prevén que para 2050 supere incluso a México en el
número de hispano parlantes"

English:  "With 106 million speakers, the United States is the second
  Spanish world power; it is predicted that by 2050 the number of Spanish
speakers will exceed even Mexico."

Wow, that's a big jump from the latest I heard.  Here in Austin, Texas it is
not unusual at all to see billboards in Spanish and to find business that
operate all day long in Spanish with very little English spoken.

Regards,

Mark Brooks

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language politics

Thanks, Mark.

Not too long ago I walked around in the center of a Californian town where
there were only Spanish speakers around me. The menu of the Chinese
restaurant I visited was printed only in Chinese and Spanish. Also, there
was no English signage and labeling in some of the stores I saw.
Furthermore, almost all advertising I saw, including large billboards, was
in Spanish only, which I also found in certain neighborhoods of major cities
such as Oakland and San Francisco.

Also, there are significant provisions for the US Hispanic public. This
includes major media and entertainment industries that cater not only to the
US market but to all parts of the Spanish-speaking area of the Americas. For
instance, today's election is being covered live on US Spanish language TV
with all the bells and whistles used by major English language stations.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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