martes, 29 de mayo de 2012

Puerto Rico


Puerto Rico
Official Languages
The official languages of Puerto Rico are Spanish and English.  Although there are two official languages, most of the country is Spanish speaking.  English words have been recently added to the country’s lexicon.  Most people can understand English but only 25 percent of adults are able to speak English fluently.  Some of the immigrant languages spoken in Puerto Rico include Corsican, Eastern Yiddish, French, Haitian, Italian, Ladino and North Levantine Spoken Arabic.  There are more immigrants’ languages including Papiamentu, South Levantine Spoken Arabic, German and Chinese.  There are about 2,500 French speakers in Puerto Rico.  There are three languages listed for Puerto Rico.  Out of those languages, they are all still living and have speakers.  The biggest difference between the Spanish in Spain and the Spanish in Puerto Rico is the pronunciation.  Many Taino words have been added into the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico.  Spanglish has also become really popular in Puerto Rico because of the influence of English throughout the nation.
 


History
Puerto Rico was first inhabited by Arawak Indians.  These people are known as Tainos.  The Spanish empire claimed the island as San Juan Boutista in 1493 when Christopher Columbus first arrived.  Under the Spanish rule, the indigenous people were forced to be slaves throughout the country.  The indigenous people were nearly all gone within a few years because of diseases and other issues.  After the indigenous people started to decline, there were more and more slaves brought to Puerto Rico.  After nearly 400 years under the Spanish rule, the island was given to the United States after the Spanish-American war in the year 1898.  This is a territory of the United States but it is organized and self-governing today.  In 1917, the people of Puerto Rico became U.S. citizens.  Puerto Rico has never been officially independent. 


Interesting Facts
The population of Puerto Rico is around 4 million people.  The literacy rate is around 90 percent.  Spanish is the language that is used throughout the education system.  Throughout the schools, English is obligatory and is taught as a second language in the education system.  After 1898, when America had taken Puerto Rico as a territory, English was taught in schools and Spanish became a special subject.  This country is a popular place for tourism.  Another name for this country is the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.  In Spanish it is Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico.  Puerto Rico only adds to the Spanish speakers with 4 million speakers from the country.  Among the business people, bilingualism is more popular.  

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