Language

Puerto Rico [1] has two official languages: Spanish and English. Many Puerto Ricans living in metropolitan areas are bilingual, but by far the majority of the population uses primarily Spanish. Spanish is spoken in the public school system, and English is taught as a foreign language.

In recent years, the designation of Puerto Rico’s official language has been caught in a political volley between the pro-statehood and pro-commonwealth factions. In 1991, Governor Rafael Hernández Colón, a proponent of commonwealth status, declared Spanish as the sole official language. He was preceded by Governor Pedro Rosselló, a proponent of statehood, who changed the official language to English. But for now, both languages enjoy official status.