Have you heard? The English language is under attack!
Immigrants are moving here and bringing their own languages. States are printing voting instructions in Spanish. Courts have to use translators. One state had to deal with blistering controversy because its website is partially in Spanish.
¡qué terrible!
But it turns out that English is actually alive and well -- thriving, even. According to a new study from the University of California, Spanish-speaking immigrants actually adopt English very quickly. By the third generation, an immigrant family generally won't even speak Spanish, the study says.
"The United States is a language graveyard," said Rubén Rumbaut, a UC-Irvine sociology professor and co-author of the study "Linguistic Life Expectancies: Immigrant Language Retention in Southern California."
"The shift (toward English only) is rapid, and it's essentially complete by the third generation," he said.
If the study's right, it sounds like English isn't threatened at all. Indeed, it seems to me that immigrants' adoption of it -- even if it takes a couple generations -- actually strenghtens the language.
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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