Attitude toward Use of Spanish on the South Texas Border, Forty Years Later

Abstract: The border between the United States and Mexico has figured frequently in national and international politics, in the construction of a “border wall” and in issues involved in US immigration policy. While those who visit the area clearly see a disparity between what we who live here experience and what is occasionally portrayed by the media, Rio Grande Valley residents must juxtapose our love for home with the discourse (Fleuriet 2021). The portrayal of many negative attributes could easily lead to attitudes which impact our community members regarding their heritage and, as is the focus of this investigation, our languages. Since 1982 investigators have elicited attitudes toward use of Spanish on the South Texas Border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Early in our research, we predicted its maintenance based on the data results. This investigation used the same index, updated in methodology and expanded to encompass a greater number of respondents, to consider whether Spanish has been maintained, and to predict, based on the responses of our 2022 consultants, its further maintenance or a possible shift to English in the area. The selection hierarchy for reasons to use Spanish (C>V>I>S) is stable, indicating that the Spanish language is primarily chosen for communication reasons, which would predict its maintenance.