English Language in Puerto Rico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English Language in Puerto Rico - Essay Example Due to the fact that Puerto Rico was once a colony of Spain, it is evident that these people has Spanish tongue in which they prefer to use such a language even though the island is somewhat under United States- their currency, form of government and even military security is from US (www.isreview.org)1 The question now rises, why is it that Puerto Ricans are not found of using the English language On the second note, despite the fact that English is their second language, why is it that there are only few that uses English as their language In this case, there are struggles involving trade, oneness and understanding between Puerto Ricans and English-speaking nations. There are a lot of accounts which "English has long been viewed on the island as both a tool of liberation and an instrument of oppression. Children are told from the earliest grades that English will be vital for their educational and professional advancement, while they are also cautioned that learning it too well may endanger their Puerto Rican identity (Pousada 1999)2". Torruellas (1990)3 studied three private schools, which is deemed as cradle of English teaching, found out that the level of mastery of English may vary on the social rank of the clientele of the particular private school. Only students in schools catering on the elites were only those who are trying to succeed in oral and written English. Students in middle class private schools had developed a sort of "counterculture" of resistance toward the language and its teachers. With this, difficulty in communicating with Puerto Ricans is still a complicated task to do and still a far-fetched dream for many. Phenomenon such as communicating through sign language with Puerto Ricans is still evident nowadays. There are accounts that show a "zero-communication" process with these people meaning it is next to impossible dream if you would try to communicate with these individuals if you are to use English as a medium. The fact that in 1990's Puerto Ricans presumes that if they are to sift from one language to another, then it would also be a room for these people to loose their identity. They deem that their language is the only language that is to be propagated and therefore learning another language is not their outmost priority. Also, Resnick's (1993)4 argue that Puerto Rican society has correctly assessed that language spread may lead to language shift which may then lead to language loss. This sense of patriotism is somewhat a hindrance for the majority of Puerto Ricans to learn English language. Being entangled in such a scenario, majority of them doesn't understand English and would not even comprehend simple English lessons or even sentences. Having this scenario, many Puerto Ricans in case they prefer to study in the United States are not performing well in their respective learning institutions or below par with regards to the expected outcome of their academic status. Also, educators deem that in order to fare with other students as well as for them to be globally competitive, the use of English language should be the priority rather than the propagation of Spanish language. It is very important than how English is presented is how Spanish is presented in this country, also, Puerto Rican Spanish suffers linguistic insecurity of speakers