Hola or Hello? Debate Over Spanish Integration In America

Oct. 8, 2007 — -- Mexico and the United States have been intertwined for centuries, but now that so many Mexican and Hispanic immigrants have spread out across the states, the two cultures have been mixing more than ever before.

And while the majority of Americans still speak English, the Spanish language has become more prominent, intermingling with the English language and culture.

Today some states have streets signs and employment applications in Spanish. More schools are teaching the language in classrooms.

Even when you dial an 800 number in the United States, the first option likely tells you to press for Spanish.

Some Americans are less than enthused about the prospect of Spanish becoming part of the mainstream.

"Yes, they work hard to put roofs above their heads and food on their tables and for this we respect them. But they have little interest in learning English themselves, and instead demand that we make it possible for them to function here in Spanish," said conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.

But, it is not only the political arena steaming with tension over the subject. One owner of a Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant posted an "English only" sign and became a national hero to some.

When Geno's Steaks' owner Joseph Vento posted two small signs that read, "This is America: When ordering please speak English," he garnered national attention.

Teaching in Two Languages

Already, California, Arizona and Massachusetts have passed laws mandating English only in their schools. But two other states Texas and New Jersey took a different step. Both offer a bilingual education for first-, second- and third-graders.

Even Mexican President Felipe Calderon has weighed in on the national debate. He said Americans should rest assured English will not disappear from the landscape.

"You need to realize that the English will be the language of the world in the future," he told "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer in an interview. "Everybody needs to learn English, even to survive."

Calderon stressed Americans shouldn't be afraid of or intimidated by Spanish and Spanish speakers.

One Town's Story

The change from a strictly English-speaking country to one more inclusive of Spanish speakers has been uneasy for some cities and towns.

An example is Marshalltown, Iowa, which used to be mostly Caucasian.

"Marshalltown was pretty much what we would call a white Anglo-Saxon community," said Mayor Gene Beach.

Today its population is 20 percent Hispanic. Nearly half of the businesses in the town are Hispanic-owned.

In the town where 40 percent of the school children are Hispanic, English and Spanish signs dot the landscape. It's even translated into the police force, where officers actively are looking for Spanish speakers.

"When the influx really began, I got calls asking about what I am going to do about that 'Mexican problem,'" said the town's police chief. "I'd say, 'What do you mean? What's the problem?' And sometimes the callers would say, 'A Mexican moved in next to me!'"

The transition has been difficult for the Hispanic immigrants, too.

Martha Garcia and her husband lived in Marshalltown for 13 years, waiting for their citizenship papers to be processed.

"I was caught by the police each week," Garcia said. "I was given fines. I told myself the police would one day know me, they would respect me."

Eventually, Garcia was granted citizenship and believes she is part of Marshalltown's changing face.

Marshalltown is just one example of how Spanish and English language and cultures have begun to integrate.

"I think people always look back and say, 'the good old days were the way we want to return.' And that's not practical. Change is always going to happen and the change given to us as a result of the Hispanic population has been a positive," said Beach.