The San Antonio Express-News recently published an article exploring the demographic decline in Spanish speakers locally, according to recent census data.
The numbers paint a stark picture: In 2012, more than 35% of the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area spoke Spanish at home. Between 2013 and 2017, that figure dropped to 33%, and between 2018 and 2022 the number fell again to 30.8%.
So, Spanish in San Antonio is clearly in danger, right?
If you ask the older attendees of the crowded Masses at San Fernando Cathedral downtown, for example, Spanish is alive and well. These are often first-generation Spanish speakers who come to the United States as adults, bringing Spanish with them and remaining Spanish-dominant throughout their lives. Continual waves of immigration in San Antonio perpetually revitalize the Spanish spoken in our community.
If you ask the English-only families with children on the long waitlist to participate in a dual-language program, Spanish certainly seems to be alive and well. Just look at the demand to study it among second-language learners.
However, the status of Spanish is much more precarious for Latinos born and raised in the United States. Linguists often refer to this group as “heritage speakers,” which means that while they have a strong cultural connection to the Spanish language, they tend to receive their formal education in English and become English-dominant adults.
Census data show San Antonio has a much higher percentage of Latinos born in the U.S. than other major Texas cities such as Dallas and Houston, which suggests we also have a higher percentage of heritage speakers.
While popular, patriotic narratives proudly present the U.S. as multicultural, the truth is that only certain types of multilingualism are highly valued.
Most Spanish speakers in San Antonio look to educated Mexican Spanish as the elusive, idealized target variety of Spanish, but even second-language Spanish tends to be viewed more positively than heritage Spanish. Studies show that criticism from Spanish-dominant family members can heighten heritage speakers’ linguistic insecurity and hasten their shift toward English, and the prevalence of these attitudes is reflected in disparaging terms like “no sabo kids,” “Tex-Mex,” and “Spanglish.”
These terms succinctly capture the insidious narratives that, first, something is “missing” from local varieties of Spanish and, second, English is somehow corrupting these varieties, creating impossible standards for U.S.-born Latinos. How can you completely separate two languages when they inevitably coexist in a single mind?
Given the intense societal pressure placed on U.S.-born Latinos to speak English instead of Spanish, coupled with the fact that the Spanish they do speak is often disparaged rather than viewed as a valuable skill, it is no wonder the gradual shift toward English across generations is as predictable as the tides.
So, is Spanish in San Antonio in danger? Yes and no — it depends on whose Spanish we’re talking about.
Whitney Chappell is an associate professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
A version of this op-ed appeared in the San Antonio Express News.
