The Politics of Language in Puerto Rico: Revisited

by Amilcar Antonio Barreto

In 1991, the Puerto Rican government abolished bilingualism, claiming that "Spanish only" was necessary to protect the culture from North American influences. A few years later bilingualism was restored and English was promoted in public schools. This revised edition of The Politics of Language in Puerto Rico is updated with an emphasis on the dual arenas where the language controversy played out--Puerto Rico and the United States Congress--and includes new data on the connections between language and conflicting notions of American identity. This book shows that officials in both San Juan and Washington, along with English-first groups, used these language laws as weapons in the battle over U.S.-Puerto Rican relations and the volatile debate over statehood.

262 pages, ebook

First published May 16, 2001

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book by my teacher! Interesting look at, well, the politics of language in Puerto Rico. A bit too much not-so-useful theory, but good none the less.