habla espanol?

Friday, July 16, 2021

habla espanol?

Father Junípero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan missionary, founded the first Catholic mission in California on the site of present-day San Diego on July 16, 1769. After Serra blessed his new outpost of Christianity in a high mass, the royal standard of Spain was unfurled over the mission, which he named San Diego de Alcala.

Serra came to Spanish America in 1750 and served in the Sierra Gorda missions and then in south-central Mexico. A successful missionary, he was appointed a member of the second Spanish land expedition to Alta California in 1769. When the party reached San Diego, Serra remained with a few followers to found California’s first mission. The rest of the expedition continued on in search of Monterrey harbor, which had been previously used by Spanish sailors. Although the explorers failed in their aim, Serra succeeded in finding Monterrey in 1770, and there he founded his second mission—San Carlos Barromeo.

Appointed president of the Alta California presidios, Serra eventually founded a total of nine missions, stretching from San Diego to present-day San Francisco. The Franciscan fathers built large communities around their missions, teaching Christianized Native Americans to farm and tend cattle, and directing their work. These agricultural communities enjoyed a considerable autonomy from first the Spanish colonial authorities and then the Mexican government, but with the coming of the Americans in the mid-19th century most were abandoned.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-catholic-mission-in-california-dedicated

Human history began in California began when indigenous Americans first arrived some 13,000 years ago. Coastal exploration by the Spanish began in the 16th century, with further European settlement along the coast and in the inland valleys following in the 18th century. California was part of New Spain until that kingdom dissolved in 1821, becoming part of Mexico until the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), when it was ceded to the United States under the terms of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The same year, the California Gold Rush began, triggering intensified U.S. westward expansion. California joined the Union as a free state via the Compromise of 1850. By the end of the 19th century, California was still largely rural and agricultural, with a population of about 1.4 million.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_California_before_1900#:~:text=California%20was%20part%20of%20New%20Spain%20until%20that,Gold%20Rush%20began%2C%20triggering%20intensified%20U.S.%20westward%20expansion.

California has a population of around 37 million people. California’s population is 12% of the entire US population. According to a study done by American Community Survey, 42.6% of people in California above the age of 5 spoke a language other than English at home.

California has over 200 languages spoken in the state. English is the most spoken language with Spanish being the second most spoken. In California there are over 100 indigenous languages which make the state one of the most linguistically diverse regions on the globe.

English is the most used language in California with an estimate of 20,379,282 speakers which translates to 58.8% of California’s population. English became the official language in California after it was passed in 1989 due to the passage of Proposition 63. English is the language of education, business, and commerce as it is understood and spoken by a large population. Spanish or Spanish Creole is the second most spoken language with 10,672,610 people, which is 28.46% of the whole population.

Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese, has 1,231,425 speakers which are 2.80% of the whole population. Tagalog, a language native to the Philippines, is the most common language spoken in California after Spanish. Tagalog is spoken by an estimated 796,451 residents who constitute 2.20% of the California population.

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-spoken-languages-in-california.html

As of today, 32 states, including California, have English as the official language, which is also the case in the 5 U.S. territories. However, there is NO official language for the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Official_languages_of_U.S._states_and_territories

In all, there are roughly 350 languages that are spoken in the United States. Even before Europeans came to this country in the 1600’s, there were at least 300 different native languages that were spoken.

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-official-language-of-the-united-states.html#:~:text=1%20The%20United%20States%20has%20no%20official%20language.,350%20languages%20are%20spoken%20in%20the%20US%20today.

I’ve studied six languages (Latin, Spanish, German, ASL, Mandarin, and English) but I am only fluent (somewhat) in English. However, since 35% of the population in Tucson is of Hispanic origin, having the ability so speak Spanish would be useful, even though Google translate can make it easier to communicate with people who speak ONLY Spanish.

Since our country is truly a melting pot, I am of the opinion that we do not make English our official language. Oddly enough, England itself does not have an official language, but there are 67 sovereign states and 27 non-sovereign entities where English is the official languages.

http://www.emmc-imae.org/wp-content/uploads/Map-of-countries-where-English-is-an-official-language.pdf

A person that speaks two languages is called bi-lingual. A person that speaks three languages is called tri-lingual. A person what speaks many languages (think Pete Buttigieg or Pope Francis) is called a polyglot.

A person who speaks only one language?

An American.