Spanish should be an "official" language in Miami (high school, to live in)

[joelibyan]

As a tri-lingual gringo living in Miami, I have to agree more with crisp... I have a lot of Hispanic friends who tell me I speak better Spanish than them, which blows my mind! The immigration to Miami from Spanish speaking countries will have to continue to rise to even discuss this. This, however, isn't guaranteed. The whole country is opening up, and Hispanics (especially 2nd and 3rd generations) are venturing further into the heartland and mixing in with the general English speaking population.
On another note, the English language is evolving! Have you heard how some kids speak English in Miami/Kendall/Hialeah? Some hispanicizing is taking place, for sure. Has anyone had to make the line recently at the DMV?

[AilaTyler]

I know that Miami PD requires you to be bilingual to apply because of the amount of spanish speakers. But I do not think the average person should have to speak spanish. It can be helpful but not necessary. I think if you come to the US you should speak english. Take in mind I am 100% Puerto Rican and stating this. I am bilingual and love it but would never expect everyone to learn spanish to get by in Miami or any other place in the US except for PR.

[Bjorn_Ironside32]

White-Americans still run the city, and there are still whites living in the city, so no.

[Cougar Beach]

Originally Posted by JackTheRipper

White-Americans still run the city, and there are still whites living in the city, so no.

White Cuban-Americans.

[Marlin331]

^^ Yup. Most people in political power were a) born in Cuba and raised in Miami, or b) born and raised in Miami, and nearly all of them are white. Of course there are plenty of non-Cuban whites in political power and especially in the business community, but when speaking of who "runs" the city (politics), Cuban-Americans have that title.

[Lost in Translation]

Dont' buy it. Go into any store in Miami (with the possible exception of Hialeah) and watch the latino kids speaking fluent English to one another as their language of choice while their mothers scold them in Spanish or broken English. I see this on a daily basis.

Latino families know that English is necessary for their kids to learn in order to succeed in America. Second and third generation latinos are probably the largest growing demographic in Miami, and it is rare to find anyone in their group who does not know English.

[Marlin331]

Originally Posted by Lost in Translation

Dont' buy it. Go into any store in Miami (with the possible exception of Hialeah) and watch the latino kids speaking fluent English to one another as their language of choice while their mothers scold them in Spanish or broken English. I see this on a daily basis.

Exactly. For some reason many people on this forum (and in the immigration forum where I used to participate until I got fed up with how ridiculous some of the people were there) refuse to accept that people that grow up in Miami SPEAK ENGLISH.

[cuba libre]

Originally Posted by crisp444

Where did you find a statistic that says that Spanish will overtake English as the most spoken language in the US? I have never heard that and doubt it will happen any time soon. I just looked up US Census predictions for the year 2050, and according to these predictions, "Hispanics" will compose slightly under 25% of the US population by that year. Considering that very few non-"Hispanic" people speak Spanish fluently and that a significant portion of the "Hispanic" population does not speak Spanish fluently either, I would venture to say that only 15% of people in the United States will speak Spanish in 2050. This is far from being the most widely spoken language; English is king and will likely remain king until long after all of us are dead.

There is no need to declare an official language in Miami, and if an official language were declared it would be English. Everyone who grows up in Miami learns to speak English fluently, and many children of Hispanophone parents speak Spanish as well. However, many children of Hispanophone parents can understand basic Spanish but cannot effectively communicate in spoken Spanish. The majority of immigrants of working age (and ALL young people/children of school age) who move to Miami seem learn English as well. For all practical purposes, the only people in Miami who do not speak English well are recent immigrants (of all ages) and "old people" (gente de tercera edad sounds better than "old people," haha) who moved to the area years ago but have never really learned English.

Being bilingual is great and should be encouraged - I grew up in Miami and have lived in Madrid - but it certainly is not a necessity to be bilingual in Miami. I know plenty of people who do not speak Spanish who are very happy living in Miami.

LoL. Go save the world...

"The only people who do not speak English are recent immigrants (of all ages) and 'old people' who never learned English."

Most of Miami is made up of 'recent immigrants'!!!!!! Recent being 'born somewhere else'... Maybe your endless trove of statistics could help me out with this, but most of Miami (I think almost 57%) is composed of people who were born somewhere other than the U.S., and Latin American countries made up somewhere around 90% of those foreign born Miami residents.

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by cuba libre

LoL. Go save the world...

"The only people who do not speak English are recent immigrants (of all ages) and 'old people' who never learned English."

Most of Miami is made up of 'recent immigrants'!!!!!! Recent being 'born somewhere else'... Maybe your endless trove of statistics could help me out with this, but most of Miami (I think almost 57%) is composed of people who were born somewhere other than the U.S., and Latin American countries made up somewhere around 90% of those foreign born Miami residents.

The fact that someone was "born somewhere other than the U.S." doesn't necessarily mean he/she is a "recent immigrant", depending on what your definition of "recent" is. One of my best friends was born in El Salvador and lived there until he was about 7 years old. He has lived in the US (first NY, but most of his life in Miami) for the other 30+ years of his life thus far. Does that make him a "recent immigrant"? He is perfectly fluent in English and Spanish. In fact, I enjoy listening to him speak in either language because he is very articulate in both. I am not fluent, but know some Spanish and he is one of the few people who I can easily comprehend when he is speaking Spanish.

Having grown up in Miami with many second generation immigrants (or those born elsewhere who came here as babies or very young), I can attest that many of these people prefer English. I was shocked to find out that my Cuban high school friends didn't really know how to speak Spanish or didn't speak it well, but they could understand it. They would refuse to speak it amongst their peers, even when asked to do so. It just didn't happen. If they could speak it somewhat well, it was only used in the home with their family, as sometimes older family members did not speak any English.

[Jeff Jarrett]

^^ Yup. Most people in political power were a) born in Cuba and raised in Miami, or b) born and raised in Miami, and nearly all of them are white.

They are only considered White in Miami. They would be considered People Of Color in the rest of the United States. Very few Americans would consider Cuban actress Eva Mendes for example to be part of the same race as Anglo actor Mickey Rourke. If they were ever to date each other it would be considered interracial by the majority of the masses.