As the Southwest Moves North: Population Expansion and Sociolinguistic Implications in the Spanish-Speaking Southwest (Report‪)‬

ABSTRACT. Population growth over the most recent decennial census period (1990-2000) shows that the greatest index of Spanish-speaking population change in the Southwest has not occurred in traditional Spanish-speaking areas, but rather in adjacent areas not historically known for high concentrations of Spanish speakers. This growth begs the question as to whether the sociodemographic and sociolinguistic makeup of the newer Spanish-speaking populations in these areas is similar to that of those populations in the longer-established Latino communities in the region. To what extent do these newer Spanish-speaking communities mirror those that have longer histories in the region? When looking at language use and its correlation with social variables, do we see an expansion of the Spanish speaking Southwest, or does a 'secondary layer' of Spanish-speaking communities with markedly different sociodemographic compositions from those of the traditional Southwest exist? The current study seeks to answer these questions by examining Spanish language use in the southwestern United States and its correlation to socioeconomic measures based on those introduced by Bills et al (1995) and Hudson et al (1995). Areal comparisons are made between communities with long-standing concentrations of Spanish speakers and those that have experienced the most growth in recent years to determine how measures such as per capita income, education and linguistic loyalty differ in these regions. (1)