The Power of English

Spanish was entrenched as the language of public-school instruction with the advent of elected governors in the middle of the previous century. Since then heated exchanges over the language-education nexus subsided significantly. English is still associated with upward socio-economic mobility and facilitated migration to the US mainland. This chapter also explores the linguistic panorama and linguistic enclaves on the island. The largest pockets of English speakers are in the San Juan metropolitan area and areas adjacent to military installations. Data also reveal that since Puerto Rico’s economic downturn in the first decade of this century the percentage of English speakers on the island has dropped significantly. The drop coincides with a mass migration off the island. Consequently, English is no longer associated exclusively with Americans. It is increasingly becoming a critical medium for communication with stateside Puerto Ricans.