ABSTRACT
In Part I we explored the role that language can play in nation-building and in the perception of national identity. We saw how, in particular in the emergence of nation-states in the nineteenth century, political, economic and, sometimes cultural, criteria normally led to a drive for monolingualism (and monoculturalism). Spanish clearly dominates in the countries we have examined, but equally clear is that it has not eradicated other languages. In Part II, then, we will seek to explore the realities of this multilingualism. Faced with the existence of linguistic pluralism, how have politicians proceeded? To what extent does the Spanish-speaking world recognise the rights of different communities to protect their mother tongues? How far are resources concentrated on supporting the majority language of Spanish only? So far we have traced the history of this multilingual picture; in this section we will discuss how governments and other organisations are approaching linguistic issues in the Spanish-speaking world today.
