Why do so few people study Spanish in Puerto Rico, as compared to other Spanish-speaking countries?
I studied Spanish first here in the United States and then continued my language study in Mexico. The city I mostly studied in--Cuernavaca--is practically a language student Mecca, as tons of Americans study at various language institutes there. According to some statistics I have seen, my impression is that Spain and Mexico dominate as the most popular destinations for U.S. students going abroad to study Spanish. This makes perfect sense because Spain is the origin of the language and Mexico is the largest Spanish speaking country--one with which the United States is very integrated economically and culturally. Nevertheless, given that Puerto Rico is a U.S. Commonwealth, why is it not a more common destination for language school? There are some language study programs there, but it doesn't seem like there are that many of them or that many people study there. Is it simply because it is a small island--or are there other reasons it barely seem to be one anyone's radar for language study?
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Filed under: Spanish Lessons
Puerto Rican Spanish is the Spanish language as characteristically spoken in Puerto Rico and by millions of people of Puerto Rican descent living in the United States and elsewhere. In 1898, during the armed conflicts of the Puerto Rican Campaign, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States as part of a peace treaty that brought the Spanish-American War to a sudden conclusion. The United States Army and the early colonial administration tried to impose the English language on island residents. Between 1902 and 1948, the main language of instruction in public schools (used for all subjects except Spanish-language courses) was English. Consequently, many American English words are now found in Puerto Rican vocabularies. Although English has had a fluctuating status as a second official language of the Island, depending on the political mood of the time, from La Fortaleza (the governor’s palace). The majority of Puerto Ricans today do not speak English at home. Spanish "remains" the mother tongue of Puerto Ricans, regardless of their political views.
The reason why is because Columbian Spanish and Mexican Spanish is widely considered the easiest variety of Spanish to learn due to it’s clarity. Caribbean Spanish, Argentinian Spanish and Chilean Spanish much more difficult for most people due to speed, disregarding of many language rules, and strong accents.
I studied Spanish in Costa Rica and Mexico, traveled to Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and live with many Puerto Ricans. You sound like you have a strong command of spanish, right? Go on youtube and look up Daddy Yankee’s movie Talento de Barrio. It is all in Puerto Rican Spanish. See how easy it is to understand their butchering of the language firsthand.