ABSTRACT
With an estimated 3.7 million Spanish speakers in total, present-day Los Angeles constitutes a complex site for the negotiation of language forms, uses, preferences, and ideologies. The continued presence of Spanish speakers over time has not gone unnoticed by various social institutions—including the government, healthcare, and the media—many of which have taken steps to incorporate the region’s linguistic and cultural diversity into their interactions with the public. In terms of population, the co-presence of peoples from across the globe in Los Angeles is readily seen in the numerous cultural neighborhoods that are found throughout the county. The chapter provides an overview of the demographic and linguistic makeup of Los Angeles. It aims to connect the micro to the macro, linking features of moment-by-moment talk to some of the larger, ideological issues regarding language use in Los Angeles.
