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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
March 7, 2005
/ 26 Adar I, 5765
Weaving Spanish into the fabric of America
By
Ruben Navarrette Jr.
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Where the issue of language is concerned, the United States can be a wonderfully complicated place full of paradoxes.
For instance, Americans are always complaining that Latinos — especially immigrants — defiantly resist learning English. Many English speakers are clearly annoyed by things such as bilingual ballots and bilingual education, Spanish-language billboards and recorded phone messages that ask you to press "1 for English" and "2 for Spanish." A lot of these people don't even seem to understand why they're upset. Judging from what I've heard over the years, they assume that the reason Spanish is becoming so prevalent in America today is because a bunch of Latino activists applied some muscle and demanded that everything be translated.
OK, first, most of the Latino activists I know have no such muscle. The truth is, it wasn't picket signs or raised fists that brought about a proliferation of Spanish, especially in advertising and marketing. It was the allure of the nearly $1 trillion that Latinos spend each year.
But here's the paradox: In their own lives, as they go about shaping their own cultural diets, a growing number of Americans can't seem to get enough Spanish — or for that matter, the whole Latin experience.
The latest example: this year's Academy Awards, in which the Oscar for best original song went to "Al Otro Lado del Rio" ("On the Other Side of the River"), the poignant ballad penned by Uruguayan songwriter Jorge Drexler. Taken from the Spanish-language film "The Motorcycle Diaries," the song had already broken an important barrier by becoming the first Spanish-language song ever nominated in that category. Given that the song was performed by Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana, and that their performance was introduced by Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz, there's no doubt that the show's producers were trying to add some Latin spice to the telecast.
We could have seen this coming. Recent audience surveys of those who watch soccer's World Cup have turned up something interesting: tens of thousands of English-speaking soccer fans are opting to watch the tournament on Spanish-language television, perhaps because the broadcasts are more colorful. As more parents decide to expose their children to Spanish, those schools that offer two-way bilingual programs — where students speak English part of the day and Spanish the rest — find themselves with waiting lists. Go to the concert of any successful Mexican recording artist, someone like Luis Miguel, and you're likely to see white kids in the stands mouthing the words to some of the songs. There are Spanish words in English-language dictionaries, and, in the years to come, there are sure to be more. And some members of Congress are taking Spanish lessons to help them woo Latino constituents.
It's all part of what amounts to a seismic shift in the whole concept of a public language. It's been almost 25 years since Mexican-American essayist Richard Rodriguez — in his first book, "Hunger of Memory" — used that terminology to describe a childhood where English was the public language and Spanish the private one. That was my parents' experience, and my own. Now things will be very different for my children.
Spanish has become a public language. Suddenly, it's not unusual to find a Spanish-language television commercial on English-language television, a trend that Proctor & Gamble helped start a couple of years ago by airing a Spanish-language spot for toothpaste during an English-language broadcast of the Latin Grammys.
When Drexler won his Oscar, he used the 30 seconds he had been given for his acceptance speech to sing a few lines from the song — in Spanish. As I watched, it occurred to me that the transformation of the language was complete. It is now firmly ensconced in the mainstream.
In fact, that's the irony. Those who gripe about too much Spanish say they're concerned that Latinos will use the language to segregate themselves. It's exactly the opposite. The more people speak Spanish, the more Spanish becomes part of the American fabric.
I once heard someone say that we were going to reach a point in this country where Mexican food would be as ingrained in American culture as Italian food or Chinese food. The cuisine wouldn't even be thought of as particularly exotic anymore. And that's what happened.
Now the same thing is happening with the Spanish language. Ten years from now, it'll just be seen as part of the American story, patched together as it is with the life experiences of hundreds of millions of people who came here from somewhere else and left their fingerprints.
That part isn't so complicated.
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02/25/05: Clint Eastwood Made My Day
02/22/05: A school lesson for parents
02/17/05: Bad faith on Social Security
02/15/05: Kids who have everything lack for something
02/10/05: Gonzales' other position
02/08/05: Getting serious About Illegal Immigration
01/21/05: Where does the money go?
01/18/05: Latinos are own worst enemy
01/13/05: Keeping the score on Gonzales
01/10/05: Parents on Strike
© 2005 WPWG
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