The Pew Research Center put out an interesting article on the number of Spanish-speakers in the U.S. In this article, the authors make the case that the numbers of Spanish-speakers will increase as the population of Latinos continues to grow. They also reference some other work suggesting that the Latino population in the U.S. is changing somewhat. In particular, another article published by the Pew Research Center shows that recent growth in the U.S. Mexican population is being driven more by increasing birth rates (of children born in the U.S.) than by immigration. The implication behind this is that as more Latinos are born and raised in the U.S., and then raise their own families in the U.S., the connection to Spanish will decline. Indeed, the history of immigration in the U.S. typically includes a gradual loosening of connections to countries of origin and languages of origin (e.g., Italian, German).

So the authors of these articles are raising very interesting questions about the extent to which the pattern of Spanish use will mirror the pattern of other languages. One interesting difference between current Latino immigrants and prior immigrants from other nations is the context of immigration is different. 100 years ago, the general cultural expectation was one of assimilation into the U.S. culture, which would include adoption of English and other U.S. customs and traditions. Today, among Latinos, the general cultural expectation may instead be one of biculturalism, whereby children are encouraged to make connections to both cultures and gain skills in two languages. How this plays out over the next 20-30 years will be fascinating to watch. Consider this article, in which the actor Vin Diesel is criticized, rather than applauded, for trying to speak some Spanish at a recent awards show.