Generation Gap in Spoken Language

Some politicians are concerned that, as the population of Hispanics grows, English may become an optional language for many immigrants in this country. A new study shows that's mostly true for the first-generation immigrants. However, by the third generation, not that many can even say "hola". As it's reported in L.A. Times:

A study released Thursday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, reports that in families like the Peredas, for whom Spanish is the dominant language among immigrant parents, English fluency increases across generations. By the third generation, Spanish has essentially faded into the background.

According to the Pew report, which analyzed surveys with more than 14,000 Latino immigrants, only 23% of adult first-generation Latinos say they can carry on a conversation very well in English, compared to 88% in the second generation and 94% in the third. Mexicans are the least likely to say they speak English well, which the study's authors attribute in part to a lower educational level.

To put the number in a perspective, about three quarters of the grand parents in immigrant families are unable to understand what their grand kids say.