Read the posts by Dr. Holt & Asha.

Come to class prepared to discuss the readings, and the following questions:

1. Why do you think bilingualism or Spanglish (as showed in advertisements such as the ones listed in Professor Holt’s article, and in songs such as “Despacito”) has become as wide-spread as these articles suggest? Do you think this has anything to do with the rise of Donald Trump like the “Despacito” article suggests?
2. What are some examples of bilingualism in everyday life that you have seen that may or may not have been mentioned in the articles?
3. Some of the people interviewed in the NYT article are opposed to Spanglish.  What are their objections? How do the concerns of English and Spanish speakers different about this issue?
4. How do these articles connect to the course’s central theme of identity for Latin Americans living in the United States?

For context, here is a 2013 Pew Research Center study of “The Future of Spanish in the United States.”  The authors show that while the total number of households that speak Spanish is growing rapidly, the number of Hispanic households that speak only English is also growing (and expected to continue rising).

Spotify has a DespaSummer playlist that includes many of the songs mentioned in Asha’s LA Times article, including “Mi Gente” and “Me Rehúso.”