Evening star., 1922-08-18
SAYS PORTO RICO
STUDIES ENGLISH
Commissioner DaviIa Denies
Report That Few islanders
Can Speak 1t.
To the Editor of the Star:

My attention has been called to an
article published in The Evening
Star of August IA, 1922, under the
caption, Few in Porto Rico Speak
English"
The writer says that many men,
bers of Congress were amazed to
learn from travellers just returned
from the West Indies that although
Porto Rico has been American terri
tory for twentyfour years virtually
no one on the island speaks English.
This is not true. The government of
the island maintains two official
languages and has bureau of trans
1ation. Bills pending in the legisla-
ture are printed in Spanish and also
In English. In all departments of
the government there are many
Porto Ricans who master the Eng
llSh language. All instruction Is
placed on an English basis. A con-
siderable part of the young genera
educated during the Spanish regime
speak the English language. From
the first to the fourth grade instruc-
ton is in Spanish. From the fifth
grade on the work is done in Eng
lish. The legislature has appropri-
ated $1.17O,000 for 1900 English and
Spanish graded teachers and $225.-
600 for 200 American teachers
There is also an appropriation of
$4,000 for travelling expenses of
American teachers for the trip to
and from the states.
The Porto RicanS are not reluctant
TO learn the English language: in
fact they are very anxious to do so:
They realize the Importance OF
knowing the national language and
the benefit that Porto Rico will de-
rive from that knowledge. The two
great languages and cultures of the
western hemisphere bid fair to meet
one another in Porto Rico as at no
other point. AS Dr. Shaw says in
his article on Porto Rico after a
visit to the island. North America is
permanently English speaking, while
Central and South America and the
West Indies are permanently Span
fish speaking. 1t is exceedingly de-
sirable that we of English speak
ing North America should better un-
derstand the Americans and
vice versa.
1t will be as serious a mistake
the teaching of English in Porto
Rico at the expense of the Spanish
as it would be the teaching of the
Spanish at the expense of the Eng
lish We love our native tongue as
the American people love their own.
The Stars article says that the dis
dain of the English language in
Porto Rico may lead eventually to
a move to impose the language upon
all American possessions as has
been the European custom which for
centuries has imposed the language
of the conaueror upon the con-
Quered If the writer means the i'm
position of the English language in
Porto Rico at the expense of the
America is not Europe and never
will commit this tyrannical act, and
that the people of Porto Rico natu-
rally resent even the insinuation of
this idea. If what he means is that
the English language should be
taught on an equal basis with the
Spanish. ] would say that it is un-
necessary to adopt any such coercive
measures because this is what is
actually being done at the present
time.
We have to take into consideration
that Porto Rico is densely popu-
lated country. 1t is only about 100
miles from east to west and an
average from north to south of
about forty miles Its population is
about 100000 Inhabitants and all
speak Spanish. 1t will be easily ap-
preciated how difficult it is to teach
an entire population foreign lam
guage. 1t is as difficult as it would
be to teach the whole American peo-
pie the Spanish language. The
American people ought not to be
impatient. The work will be gradu-
ally done in the proper way and
methods.
am surprised to see that the
American travellers feel amazed when
they see that there are Porto Ricans
who do not know the English lam
guage and do not feel themselves
amazed at their ignorance of the
Spanish language. The Porto Ricans
who come to the United States learn
English easily while it takes many
years for the Americans who live in
Porto Rico to learn the Spanish, If
they learn it at all.
The Americans who go to Porto
Rico and carefully study the situa-
to the travellers who pay only their
attention to superficial things. AS
an example of this, 1 quote from the
editor of the Review of Reviews,
DIR. Albert Shaw. who visited Porto
Rico one year ago:
when one considers that Porto.
Rican school children and univer-
sity students are hearing Spanish
everywhere, and are reading Spanish
newspapers, just as American pupils
In Ohio are living in a one-language
region. it is nothing less than as
tonishing to note the intelligence
and the industry shown in these
Porto Rican schools in the acquisi-
ton of English as a second Ian
guage. All over Porto Rico one finds
hundreds of native teachers who
have never been off the island con-
Quoting their classes in English. And
this does not refer alone to classes in the
English language. but to those in arith-
metic, geography and various other
subjects. the children answering
( questions in oral English with re-
: markable fiuency. considering the
u circumstances"
FELIX coRDovA DAv1LA.