The symbolism of Bad Bunny’s halftime show

[Joe Guy]

68 millions Americans speak something other than English as their first language, but only 8% of Americans are limited proficiency in English.

The sentence would have been more easily understood if it had been written like this: Sixty eight million Americans speak something other than English as their first language, but only 8 percent of those individuals have limited proficiency in English.

[Big RR]

I didn't 4realize that about size; I stand corrected. It's population is only around 2.6 million as I recall, not great, but bigger than many of the least populous states.

It should be clear that many Puerto Ricans do not want to become Americans in the cultural sense. English is America’s unifying language, and almost everyone in the mainland speaks it. English has been taught in Puerto Rican schools since 1948, yet today only about 50% of the population speaks English at all, and only about 5% speak it at home. That makes it clear they don’t truly want to assimilate as Americans. What they do want is American citizenship and the security that comes with it—like a little bird in a nest that doesn’t want to leave. At some point, it’s time to give them a nudge and let them soar.

And our schools have taught non-English languages (generally romance languages, especially Spanish and French, but also German and italian and others) and yet few can speak any other language other than English. I had 4 years of Spanish in high school and a year of Spanish literature in college and, while my writing and reading were pretty good it wasn't until I married and went to Puerto Rico many times that I developed speaking proficiency; for most of us (there are some who have a greater proficiency to learn different languages), you need to live in an area speaking the language to learn it--many universities have endorsed this by opening honors dorms where language students can live and become immersed n the language they are learning (semester/year abroad also helps). But just as I didn't get immersed in Spanish where English is widely spoken, most of those in Puerto Rico don't learn to speak English well until they come here (and except for the very old or some holdouts, most of them have decent proficiency in English--especially as cable and other services are broadcasting US TV shows the young people are learning to understand english). Of course, I would bet many of the "Puerto Ricans" you know of from central and south america and have had little or no instruction in English.

[Sue U]

And our schools have taught non-English languages (generally romance languages, especially Spanish and French, but also German and italian and others) and yet few can speak any other language other than English. I had 4 years of Spanish in high school and a year of Spanish literature in college and, while my writing and reading were pretty good it wasn't until I married and went to Puerto Rico many times that I developed speaking proficiency; for most of us (there are some who have a greater proficiency to learn different languages), you need to live in an area speaking the language to learn it

Yeah, my son took Spanish through middle and high schools but didn't become proficient until he started working the deli counter at ShopRite. Now he's reasonably fluent, but it's the Puerto Rican/Dominican dialect, which seems to be the predominant variety here in NJ. I grew up taking French, which I don't regret but now think Spanish would have been much more useful. (Although I'm sure studying French has actually given me a much greater facility with English.)

As to the Benito Bowl halftime show, all I needed to know was "Salsa party with Bad Bunny," because salsa + reggaeton = nonstop dance party.

[ex-khobar Andy]

I had a few Middle East stints during my working life. In 1978-9 I worked in Libya monitoring drinking water quality and sewage treatment. I had little to do much of the time, so I spent it learning Arabic.

When I went to Saudi Arabia (1981 - monitoring coral reef health in the Red Sea) I was told that I spoke Arabic like a Libyan. They did not mean it as a compliment. I took it as one.

[BoSoxGal]

I had the opportunity to start studying Spanish in middle school - it was the only language offered that early because it was Arizona and plenty of bilingual students. My bigot father wouldn’t allow me to take it, I had to settle for home economics and woodshop.

My cutting board and plant stand are long gone, as is the pillow I made - and I haven’t sewn a stitch in 35 years.

But it would have helped me tremendously in my career - opened job opportunities that were instead closed to me - to have learned Spanish instead of the French and German I took in high school and college because those were acceptable to the bigot.

At present I am researching language learning opportunities to learn not Castilian Spanish, but Puerto Rican Spanish. There are podcasts and YouTube tutorials, how cool it that?

Not too late to fulfill old dreams. I’m getting close to hospice care burnout and doing research into the opportunities I might have to get into immigration advocacy/ law at the nonprofit level as a next chapter.

[liberty]

It is often said that because of the complexity of the English language, it is an excellent technical language, capable of expressing very precise meanings. But I think the most important quality of any language is its usability, which matters far more than complexity. One of the most extraordinary examples, in my opinion, was the written language of the Cherokee, which was developed by one man: Sequoyah. I am convinced he had to be a genius. He constructed the writing system so effectively that the Cherokee did not need formal schools to learn it. One Cherokee could teach another to read and write in just a couple of weeks. That is extraordinary.

Because of this, you have to acknowledge that the Cherokee had a true civilization: they possessed a written language as well as a complex society. In fact, they had a higher literacy rate than many of their white neighbors at the time.

But the most extraordinary example, again, in my opinion, is the sign language of the Western Plains. Nearly every Plains tribe knew it, and it is so intuitive that anyone can learn it in a short time. It is a remarkable linguistic concept, and as far as I have been able to understand from my own study of anthropology, no comparable sign language developed anywhere else on Earth except on the Great Plains of North America.

[Burning Petard]

"no comparable sign language developed anywhere else on Earth" Sort of an extreme statement. Why not ASL? or the sign language developed in Western Catholic monastaries after vows of total silence became typical in the middle ages in Europe?

snailgate

[Burning Petard]

BSG, I have been retired now for about 10 years. I finally turned in my ministerial alliance card last year when I could no longer preach without word, for word written notes. with color hints in the margin. I know I am getting rusty in many ways. But lot of stuff I was exposed to said burn-out comes with long attempts to do good with out much sign of success. My spouse died of cancer at home with professional grade hospice support. I cannot imagine any experience working hospice that would seem like a victory or success. Just constantly supporting a loosing battle. Juris training is important and useful in many activities, but not many pleas or motions are accepted in that final court. Elijah's success in I Kings 22 is notable because of its rarity. G-d knows the strangers among us now need willing and courageous advocates. Movement and lubrication prevents corrosion from forming.

snailgate

[liberty]

"no comparable sign language developed anywhere else on Earth" Sort of an extreme statement. Why not ASL? or the sign language developed in Western Catholic monastaries after vows of total silence became typical in the middle ages in Europe?

snailgate

The Catholic Church’s so‑called “sign language” was not a true language; it was only a small collection of basic gestures used by monks during periods of silence. In contrast, the sign language used by the Plains tribes of North America was a fully developed and highly expressive communication system. With Plains Indian Sign Language, people could negotiate treaties, make peace, conduct trade, arrange marriages, or issue threats with complex phrases such as “Get off my hunting grounds,” “I will gouge your eyes out,” “I will open your belly and burn you alive,” “I will give five horses for that woman,” or “I will give five furs for that woman.” It was an impressive and sophisticated intertribal Communication system.

[Big RR]

At present I am researching language learning opportunities to learn not Castilian Spanish, but Puerto Rican Spanish. There are podcasts and YouTube tutorials, how cool it that?

I can speak Puerto Rican Spanish, but it is often peppered with Castillian Words and pronunciations (including the lisp which many of my teachers had and taught)which I learned through my classes--this amuses some of my relatives to no end (I would think it would be like someone in America talking English with a British accent, vocabulary, and pronunciation). I can control it if i pay attention, but it crops out when I am on autopilot. I am usually more focused when dealing with non Puerto Rican, especially clients before I closed my practice (as I am conscious that some words they use regularly can be considered vulgar (or sound like it if badly pronounced)) and have found most South and Central Americans can understand Castillian Spanish quite well, especially in a formal setting like an office (ditto for European Spaniards unless they insist on speaking Catalan or Basque).

As to the Benito Bowl halftime show, all I needed to know was "Salsa party with Bad Bunny," because salsa + reggaeton = nonstop dance party.

Sure, but I would think that subtitles would have been a welcome addition by some who knew no Spanish. Of course, I enjoy the seat subtitles at the opera while many purists sneer at them.