Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public

The first question asks, "How does Marquez explain the fact that she and her parents have not adopted English as our official family language?" Marquez says that they have not adopted English as their official language because for most bilingual people, they speak spanish out of respect for their parents and because it is what comes naturally to them. Marquez comes from Cuba, so she feels most comfortable in her cultural roots when she is speaking spanish. If I was standing next to her and her parents while they were speaking spanish, initially I would consider their behavior rude but then wonder what they were actually talking about. I feel like whenever people are speaking english and then suddenly start speaking spanish or they are speaking "spanglish", it's because they are talking about the people around them. After reading this article, I understand that that is not the case. Marquez explains that if she is ever in a public place with her parents and runs into a friend that does not speak spanish, she will automatically switch to english and introduce the friend to her parents. They in turn, will respectfully respond in english also. Marquez includes facts about America and states her own opinions, and I think that is what makes this piece so powerful. It really made me think and change my mind about why English doesn't have to be everyones official language just because they live in America, and I think that is why this type of genre is valuable.