Being bilingual is an asset and it has always been valued as a very important skill to have, but usually the second most spoken language in a country is so far behind the first that it is not nearly as prominent and administrative tasks are not performed indistinguishably in either language. This is not the case for the US. While many attribute the fact that Spanish is almost as widely spoken as English to colonization times, the reality is the immigration over the past fifty years has played an even bigger role, especially during the 21st century as the focus was not as set on assimilation. The US has an enormous amount of Latin American migrants, legal and not, and thus Latin culture and their language, Spanish, has become an intrinsic part of American culture.
With this change and increase in people who speak Spanish as well as English, the Spanish language seems to be gaining terrain, and some experts now believe that at some point in the very near future, Spanish speakers will take over and the official language might be changing with them.
When will Spanish be the most spoken language in the US
Of course, this is all prediction and cannot be taken as gospel. Although many people in the US speak some Spanish, fluency is not exactly high on most people’s agenda, especially if they are second or third generation immigrants. And, even though, there are plenty of people that can get by without speaking English, assimilation is still important, especially as a child in order to operate in society, so take everything with a grain of salt.
The boldest prediction we have is one by linguist Humberto López Morales, who has studies the phenomenon of immigration for years and has seen the change in how the Spanish demographic operates in the States. We can all appreciate that there are some cities with quite large Hispanic populations where Spanish is more commonly used than English in everyday life, such as going to the supermarket. If we add to that the rates of immigration and the percentages of Latinos in the US, his prediction seems less baseless.
In an interview a few years ago with La Razón, he explained why he believes this phenomenon will occur by 2050: “Today, we make up 5.7% of the world’s population. By 2030, we will be 7.5%, and by 2050, if things don’t change, 10% of the planet will understand Spanish. Let’s hope so.”
Current figures back his prediction, as according to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 71% of recent population growth in the country is attributed to the Hispanic community, which now numbers 65.2 million, about 19.5% of the total population. But while Spanish continues to grow in influence, predictions about it overtaking English as the dominant language remain uncertain. Looking ahead, the Census Bureau estimates that by 2060, Hispanics will make up around 28% of the U.S. population, but that looks at ethnicity, not at language, and it is entirely possible that the language will remain as prevalent as it is now due to lack of interest from the younger generations.
If we are realistic, it is unlikely that Spanish will become the official language in the US, but that does not mean that its prevalence will not continue to affect and influence the culture of the country, which will in turn have a positive influence on the very large Latino community that is already firmly woven into the fabric of the country.
We have already begun to see the impact of Hispanic culture in music, film, and cuisine is undeniable, and in the last few years, the Latino vote has been one of the key elements for governing in many places.