Linguistic Diversity on the Airwaves: Spanish-Language Broadcasting and the FCC

Abstract

THE CENSUS, U.S. DEP'T COMMERCE, GENERAL POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS: UNITED STATES SUMMARY, 1980 CENSUS OF POPULATION, at 14, 21. An estimate by the Bureau of Census' Strategy Research Corporation places the total at 16,887,100 in 1984. These figures may be low. The census routinely has difficulty in densely-settled areas. The language barrier has restricted the response to census inquiries, and undocumented persons may not have been willing to be counted for obvious reasons. HARVARD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN ETHNIC GROUPS, at 698 (1980). 2. Despite the continuing impact of Mexican culture and the inevitable reflection of mainstream American influences, Chicano culture has developed its own internal dynamism, creativity, and forces of change. Intrinsic to that culture is the Spanish language. Even though English is the primary language of Mexican-Americans, the use of Spanish has persisted strongly. . . . Even for those who no longer live in barrios or whose families do not speak Spanish, the language has attained a symbolic importance that encourages language maintenance.