At present, it is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s population is bilingual or multilingual. Thus, contrary to popular belief, monolingualism is the exception, rather than the norm (Potowski 2015). In this talk, we review different facets of the phenomenon of bilingualism, with special reference to the relationship between English and Spanish.
In extended language contact situations, influence from one language to the other is inevitable. Spanglish, or the mixture of English and Spanish in areas such as the USA and Gibraltar, is such an example. We explore some of the features of this hybrid variety, and show that despite their stigmatisation, properties such as code-switching (or code-mixing) are just natural consequences of language contact that require a high level of knowledge in each language that can be observed even in very young bilingual children (Villa-García & González-Urzúa 2016). We also explore the issue of why bilingualism is still frowned upon in some parts of the world, in contrast to areas where it is actually considered prestigious. Lastly, we look at artistic manifestations of language contact.
Ultimately, we argue in favour of linguistic diversity and highlight the social responsibility on the part of language experts to raise awareness of the importance of preserving and respecting both standard and non-standard linguistic varieties in today’s world.