Quote from: Wilikon on June 29, 2015, 07:51:50 PM

The United States is now the worlds second largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico, according to a new study published by the prestigious Instituto Cervantes.

The report says there are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the US plus a further 11.6 million who are bilingual, mainly the children of Spanish-speaking immigrants. This puts the US ahead of Colombia (48 million) and Spain (46 million) and second only to Mexico (121 million).

Among the sources cited in the report is the US Census Office which estimates that the US will have 138 million Spanish speakers by 2050, making it the biggest Spanish-speaking nation on Earth, with Spanish the mother tongue of almost a third of its citizens.

By state the highest concentration is in the former Spanish colonies of the south and south-west, with New Mexico top at 47%, followed by California and Texas (both 38%) and Arizona (30%). Some 18% of New Yorkers speak Spanish while only 1.3% of West Virginians do. Perhaps surprisingly, more than 6% of Alaskans are Spanish speakers.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country

Learning a foreign language, like Spanish, is becoming much more of a necessity in today's society. More than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide out of which 33 million people speak in America. Wink

These are some benefit of learning Spanish. Knowing Spanish language enhances your resume -- Employers love applicants that have fluency (or even moderate fluency) in a foreign language. Grin

Spanish is not only fun, but it enriches your experiences, whether at work or while traveling. Grin