From: nyt@nyxfer.UUCP
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: Puerto Rico:Language Struggle Conti
Date: 21 Jan 93 04:48:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:P1LPXB10w165w@nyxfer.uucp:-196842846:000:4101
Nf-From: nyxfer.uucp!nyt    Jan 20 20:48:00 1993


Subject: Puerto Rico:Language Struggle Continues
From: nyxfer!nyt (NY Transfer News)


Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

From el diario/La Prensa

Translated and edited by Toby Mailman. "el Diario/La Prensa" is 
a Spanish language newspaper published in New York City.


Struggle Over Language Continues in Puerto Rico

During the last day of public meetings the president of the 
Popular Democratic Party (PPD), Victoria Munoz Mendoza, and the 
mayor of San Juan, Hector Luis Acevedo, opposed the annulment of 
the law which makes Spanish the official language of the island 
of Puerto Rico. Munoz Mendoza said that the law of 1902, which 
established the use of the Spanish and English languages in the 
country, was an effort "to promote the transculturation of Puerto
Ricans, using English as the language for teaching [in] public 
[schools]." The daughter of the founder of the PPD said "The 
Puerto Rican people did not succumb. They did not tie themselves 
to the language of North America because they knew that that 
route would imply their dissolution as a people."

Acevedo said that wanting to put English alongside Spanish 
goes against the identity and nature of the Puerto Rican people. 
The first executive of the capitol differentiated between this 
law [the law proposed by the new administration which would make 
English the second official language of Puerto Rico] and that 
approved in 1991 by the government of Rafael Hernandez Colon, in 
which Spanish was made the [only] official language of the 
island, since he said [the latter] guaranteed the permanence of 
the common language of the island without devaluing the 
importance of English.

Acevedo also said that the 1991 law was misinterpreted. "It 
was believed that it was trying to eliminate English and we have 
seen how it has been used (the law) pejoratively. It wass said 
that we wanted "Spanish Only" and that were disloyal to the 
American citizenship. The people believed that this current law 
was going to remove Spanish [sic] [Ed. note: I believe this was 
/supposd to be "English" - the people believed the 1991 law would 
remove English form the Puerto Rican schools] from the schools, 
that it wasn't going to be used. And everything is just the 
opposite. English is a worldwide language and is indespensible to
our modern world," said Acevedo.

The opponent [of the bill to annul the current law and make 
both Spanish and English the official languages of Puerto Rico] 
said that what is proposed in the law "is a mistake" since it 
establishes that both languages would be used "interchangably, 
since that is an attack against the main use of Spanish on the 
island."  

On the other hand, the spokesman for the Independence Party
in the House of Representatives, David Noriega, praised the 
attempt by two legislators of the PNP who are making efforts to 
achieve a consensus in the legislation of the language presented 
by the Rossello administration. Noriega recognized representatives
Gilberto Moreno and Jorge Navarro Alicea "who have shown 
themselves to be more sensible than many of their companions." 
The legislators have discussed the possiblity that the current 
law could be amended so that English be included as an official 
language. However, Noriega acknowledged that it is "unacceptable"
that there be two official languages in Puerto Rico.

"In Puerto Rico there must be only one official language, 
which is the one which everyone in the country speaks, and that 
is Spanish, although the law says the incidental use of English 
must be recognized in government agencies and in private business
transactions, for practical reasons," said the Independence Party
representative. (edlp 01/18/93 byline Claudio Alvarez Dunn)


+ This article may not be re-sold or repackaged as part of any +
+ commercial "product."   FREE distribution only is permitted. +
+             For distribution information, contact:           +
+ NY Transfer News Collective    *  Direct Modem: 718-448-2358 +
+ All the News that Doesn't Fit  *  Internet: nyxfer@panix.com +
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america