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While Spanish is the first official language of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, English is the second official language. English is taught in all Puerto Rican schools and is the primary language for all of the U.S. federal agencies in Puerto Rico as one of the two official languages of the Commonwealth, the other one being Spanish, which has been the predominant and primary language for the majority of Puerto Ricans as 94.3% of the entire population speak Spanish as their native language, along with 5.5% speaking English as their first language, and the remaining 0.2% speaking other languages as their primary. English was not declared as an official language alongside Spanish until 1902. Its status as an official language however was briefly removed in 1991 after a law was made recognizing Spanish as the sole official language, and after the U.S. Congress had attempted to make English the primary language in order for Puerto Rico to join the union as the 51st state, but was brought back as the second official language in 1993 and has remained the co-official language of the commonwealth since then.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Spanish is the most spoken and written language,[7] and the vast majority of Puerto Ricans do not use English regularly other than some borrowed English words in their ordinary Spanish speech.[8] Various surveys have found that the majority of Puerto Ricans are not fluent in English.[9][10] Out of those age five and older, 76.6% of Puerto Ricans did not speak English "very well," and 94.5% spoke a language other than English at home.[1]
^ ab"Puerto Rico 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census. Department of Commerce. 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
^"English in Puerto Rico". Puerto Rico Report. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
^"Puerto Rico makes Spanish official language". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
^Valle, Sandra Del (1 January 2003). Language Rights and the Law in the United States: Finding Our Voices. Multilingual Matters. ISBN 978-1-85359-658-2.
^Johannessen, B. Gloria Guzmán (14 January 2019). Bilingualism and Bilingual Education: Politics, Policies, and Practices in a Globalized Society. Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-05496-0.
^"P. Rico Senate declares Spanish over English as first official language". News Report. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Agencia EFE. 4 September 2015. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
^Juan Bobo: A Folkloric Information System. Sarai Lastra. Pennsylvania State University. Library Trends. Winter 1999. p530.
^Translation in Puerto Rico. Archived 19 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 March 2013.
^"¿Se discrimina al usar el inglés en algunos tribunales de Puerto Rico?" Prensa Asociada. New York Daily News. 24 February 2009. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
^2005–2009 Population and Housing Narrative Profile for Puerto Rico. Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Census Narrative Profile. U.S. Census. 2005–2009. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
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first official language of the Commonwealth of PuertoRico, English is the second official language. English is taught in all Puerto Rican schools and...
are the people of PuertoRico, the inhabitants and citizens of the Commonwealth of PuertoRico and their descendants, including those in mainland United...
Puerto Rican Spanish is the variety of the Spanish language as characteristically spoken inPuertoRico and by millions of people of Puerto Rican descent...
Taxation inPuertoRico consists of taxes paid to the United States federal government and taxes paid to the Government of the Commonwealth of PuertoRico. Payment...
(Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de PuertoRico, lit. 'Free Associated State of PuertoRico'). As such, the island of PuertoRico is neither a sovereign nation...
of PuertoRico (Spanish: Senado de PuertoRico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of PuertoRico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico...
The flag of PuertoRico (Spanish: Bandera de PuertoRico) represents PuertoRico and its people. It consists of five equal horizontal stripes, alternating...
Elections inPuertoRico are guaranteed by Article Six of the Constitution of PuertoRico and the Electoral Code of PuertoRico for the 21st Century Act...
The population of PuertoRico has been shaped by native American settlement, European colonization especially under the Spanish Empire, slavery and economic...
Education inPuertoRico is overseen by the Department of Education of PuertoRico and the PuertoRico Education Council. The Department oversees all elementary...
of PuertoRico began with the settlement of the Ortoiroid people before 430 BC. At the time of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1493...
Juan. Spanish and English are the official languages of the executive branch of government, though Spanish predominates. PuertoRico was settled by a succession...
Representatives of PuertoRico (Spanish: Cámara de Representantes de PuertoRico) is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of PuertoRico, the bicameral...
English Army and joined the Spanish Army. They did so either in Europe or when they could "jump ship" off the coast of PuertoRico (whenever English ships...
The Jewish immigration to PuertoRico began in the 15th century with the arrival of the anusim (variously called conversos, Crypto-Jews, Secret Jews or...
PuertoRico (Spanish: gobernador de PuertoRico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth of PuertoRico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico...
The culture of PuertoRico is the result of a number of internal and indigenous influences, both past and present. Modern cultural manifestations showcase...
Commonwealth of PuertoRico (Spanish: Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de PuertoRico) is the controlling government document of PuertoRico. It is composed...
Throughout the history of PuertoRico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to gain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire...
highway system inPuertoRico is composed of approximately 14,400 kilometers (8,900 mi) of roads inPuertoRico, maintained by the PuertoRico Department...
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