By Mathew Miranda, The Sacramento Bee
Like many Latinos, Micaela Muro’s relationship with Spanish is complicated.
She grew up in Northern California occasionally hearing her Mexican father speak the language, and trying her best to respond. Her mother, of Native American descent, knew no Spanish but would help Muro practice the rolling R. Still, Muro could never fully grasp the language.
Lack of complete fluency was never more evident than when Muro would visit her primarily Spanish-speaking family in Southern California during the summer months and holidays.
Her grandmother could only muster “no speak English,” uncles chastised Muro’s father for not teaching her Spanish and cousins called her güera, or white girl. She felt ashamed, unable to connect with family in the language of their heritage.
“It was teasing, but it was teasing that hurt because I wanted to be able to speak Spanish,” said Muro, now 63.
Many Latinos who are born or raised in the U.S. can relate to Muro, particularly around the holidays, when families gather together. Fluency in Spanish can sometimes be turned into a litmus test for one’s Latino identity, and, in some cases, create lifelong shame associated with the language.
The issue is so prevalent that it’s regularly seen on social media and even appears in high-profile political debates.
A recent Pew Research study found that 54% of Hispanics who don’t speak Spanish have, at some point, been shamed by Spanish speakers for their language skills, or lack thereof.
Among all U.S. Latinos, 40% say they often hear family and friends make jokes or comments about other Latinos who cannot speak Spanish. Terms like “pocho” and “no sabo” have become synonymous with Latinos who don’t speak Spanish fluently.
So, why is Spanish-shaming so common?
The tendencies reflect an effort to maintain cultural knowledge and a response to decades-long marginalization, according to Jonathan Rosa, an associate professor in Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education.
“People are expected to be sort of a perfect version of bilingual or a perfect version of an American or a perfect version of a transnational Latino subject,” Rosa said. “And so, people are navigating those expectations.”
Some Latin Americans, like Muro, have navigated that shame and expectations all their lives. Now, they’re trying to reclaim their language and help foster environments to promote language learning.
Generational trauma, racism affects language sharing
As Muro grew older, she wondered why her dad hadn’t taught her Spanish more intentionally.
She later found out about the racism he endured in the 1930s and 1940s while growing up in Southern California. She learned that when her father was in school, students were mandated to speak English and would be punished otherwise. In other instances, he would be prejudiced for his appearance and use of Spanish.
“It was just really important for him to know that I was going to be fluent in English, and not have what he saw as the negative issues around being Mexican when he was growing up,” Muro said.
Muro’s upbringing is echoed by generations of Latino families that grew up in eras that penalized non-English speakers in schools and society.
“It was part of a pattern of linguistic discrimination that Mexican, Spanish-speaking children in Texas, California and the U.S. Southwest experienced in all kinds of public school situations,” said Jennifer Nájera, an associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Riverside.
Nájera’s mother attended a Texas elementary school during the 1950s, and would face punishments if she was caught speaking Spanish.
As a result, Nájera’s mother, and other Latinos who lived through those experiences, did not prioritize language sharing. Her parents, she said, wanted their children to “speak English well, without an accent.”
“I don’t know that they really gave much thought to the idea that not speaking Spanish would cut us off from a big piece of our culture,” Nájera said.
Even into the 1990s, racism and systemic barriers prevented Latino children from learning Spanish.
California voters in 1998 approved the passage of Proposition 227, which limited dual-language immersion programs and bilingual education. At the time, some claimed bilingual programs lessened adequate learning of English.
The proposition was overturned in 2016, following numerous studies showing that dual-language programs improve long-term academic achievement for English learners and native English speakers.
But anti-Spanish bias continues today.
A 2022 Pew report found that nearly one in four U.S. Latinos said they had been criticized for speaking Spanish in public.
“The concerns that have been expressed about people losing Spanish are, in some ways, a response to the sort of imposed assimilation,” Rosa said.
Social media, politicians weigh in
It was the latest firestorm in the debate over “no sabo” — an incorrect way of saying “I don’t know” in Spanish, which has become associated with young Latinos who don’t know the language fluently.
Earlier this year, after Mexico’s men’s soccer team won the Gold Cup, an ESPN Deportes reporter approached a little boy wearing Mexico’s green jersey. As fans celebrated around them, the reporter introduced the young boy as “the future of Mexico” and asked him a series of questions in Spanish.
“Cual es tu nombre? Por qué gana México? Por el Chaquito Giménez? Te gusto el técnico? Cómo te sentís?” the reporter asked continuously.
“My name? What?” answered the young fan, who appeared confused and looked off-camera for help.
The clip went viral, sparking online ridicule of the boy and of his parents for not teaching him Spanish.
This shaming is not new. During the 2016 presidential primaries, Sen. Marco Rubio questioned Sen. Ted Cruz on his ability to speak Spanish.
But, in recent years, there seems to be a better understanding of the nuances surrounding Spanish and why some people never learned the language. In the viral clip of the Mexican fan, some people came to the defense of the child and shared their own struggles.
“We are seeing some developments in the way that people understand language and they’re affirming the experiences of folks like me,” Nájera said.
A growing group of Latinos are learning Spanish
Today, Nájera and Muro are fluent enough to communicate in Spanish.
Nájera minored in Spanish after studying abroad in university, while Muro has spent years taking Spanish courses in college and language schools.
They are among a growing group of Latinos who have, or are trying to, improve their Spanish language skills.
For many, a fundamental first step is overcoming shame, said Maria Harrington, founder of Casa de Español, a language school in Sacramento.
“The hard part is getting over the shame because whether or not you grew up speaking Spanish, most people didn’t have the opportunity to like to study Spanish formally,” Harrington said.
For years, Harrington has helped others face their insecurities.
Casa de Español holds online and in-person language classes that range from basic to advanced. About 25% of her students, which include children and adults, are heritage speakers. Muro is in the intermediate class.
To help others overcome shame, Harrington will often start classes by sharing her own story.
She, too, did not grow up fluently speaking Spanish with her Mexican parents, and it wasn’t until high school that she fully committed to learning the language. The hope is to encourage students and show what is possible.
“Our human nature a lot of times is to find faults in others, and that’s regrettable,” Harrington said. “So, hopefully, we can encourage instead of shame.”
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©2023 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
©2023 The Sacramento Bee. Visit at sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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3 photos
Micaela Muro of Elk Grove, California, learns Spanish at Class de Español on Nov. 15, 2023. Euro grew up speaking Spanish to her grandmother, but lost it growing up. She’s now trying to relearn the language to be able to communicate better with her family members. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee/TNS)
Document Name:US-NEWS-LATINOS-HOLIDAYS-SPANISH-SADocument Date:November/22/2023Photographer:Hector Amezcua Format:3000 x 2000 Color JPEGSpecial Instructions:** NO TV, VIDEO, FILM **