A shift in language trends amongst the Latino population in the United States has occurred. The Hispanic community appear to have changed their habits and are following the news in English, rather than Spanish. Whilst a majority percentage follows some news in English, a third of the population now follows the news solely in English.

Bilingual and Bicultural

With about 52 million Latinos living in the United States, what reasons could there possibly be for them to switch to their second language? One of the main reasons is immigration, or rather the decline in immigration. The majority of the Latino population currently residing in the US were either born or raised there and over half of the adults are fluent in English. It’s not just the adults who have stepped up their speaking skills either. Young Latinos are being reminded of their Spanish roots and encouraged not to lose their cultural identity due to their excellent command of the English language and a lack of necessity for their own. The bilingual and bicultural mix of Hispanics has never been so apparent.

Media Platforms

Media resources such as the Internet and television are widely used for news reports in English, and much more so over radio and printed newspapers reporting Latino news in Spanish. As the rate of US births will increase the Hispanic population, so too will the level of fluency in English increase, and a demand for news resources geared towards the bilingual or English speaking Latino population will follow suit.

Mirroring other immigrant nationalities, this is great news for integration and cohesion of communities within the US. Have you noticed the changing language trends in your area and do you believe it to be beneficial for the local community?