HOW TO SPEAK SPANISH?

How common is it for Mexicans who are part of indigenous tribes to have Spanish names, but not speak Spanish, either as first language, or at all?

  • http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15746-2004May10.html This article focuses on efforts that Mexican schools have made to help speakers of indigenous Mexican languages be successful.  The goal is bilingual education, being taught in both their indigenous language and in Spanish.  The main subject of the article is Jose Roberto Cleofas; he has a Spanish name, but his first language is Otomi and he did not learn speak Spanish until age nine.  I find it confusing; I would assume that if he did not speak Spanish until age 9, that means that Spanish was not a part of his culture, and that he would not even have a Spanish name. Another indigenous Mexican who had a Spanish name and who did not speak Spanish as a first language is Benito Juarez.

  • Answer:

    It is normal and was originally part of Christianization.

Joseph Boyle at Quora Visit the source

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I lived in Oaxaca, México, where there are still ~16 indigenous dialects spoken. Short answer: the indigenous people aren't as isolated as you might think. They are still influenced by Spanish and interact with people who speak Spanish. For example, while some of the indigenous people don't speak Spanish themselves, many have relatives who do. They also don't always stay in their pueblitos (towns), and sometimes venture to larger villages where only Spanish is spoken.

Trevor McKendrick

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