Puerto Rican Spanish

late. Decisions are not usually made in the business meetings; it is mainly for discussions and exchange of ideas. Dinners are usually more sociable and there is not much business talk; if there is any business talk it should only be done if the Spanish host initiates it. The business conversations usually take place during lunch meetings around two in the afternoon. Meetings that are held during dinner are usually held after nine. This is due to the fact that most places have siestas (break period

Differences Between Island and Mainland Puerto Ricans As many immigrants arrive in the United States of America and begin to call it “home”, comparisons between such immigrants are certainly inevitable. In particular, the U.S. Hispanic population gives more room for such comparisons since their cultures and traditions are very similar. Most of their similarities stem from a common Spanish heritage. However, there is a lot more to being Hispanic than just speaking Spanish or eating rice and beans. What

Puerto Rican culture is very unique and diverse and is mainly influenced by its past. It is a melting pot of Taino Indian, Spanish, African, and American cultures, which is what makes Puerto Rico unique. Puerto Rican music, clothing, food, traditions, holidays, languages, and religions are all influenced from the diversity of the population. The official languages are Spanish and English because of the long period of time when Spain ruled and then later, when it became U.S. territory. The majority

The Historical Significance of Puerto Rico For most of its history, Puerto Rico has been controlled by an outside power, and its people oppressed. While Puerto Rico is currently a U.S. territory, Spanish colonialism has had a significant impact on the island’s development and identity. The history of the island itself is proof of this fact, demonstrating each step Puerto Rico took to reach its current state. By examining the stages of Spanish control that Puerto Rico experienced, we can determine

Puerto Rico Under American Rule The United States gained control of the island of Puerto Rico as a result of the Spanish American war in 1898, claiming its intention to "free" the island from Spanish colonialism. When the United States took possession of the island, Puerto Rico became merely that, a controlled possession given little or insignificant power in many facets of Puerto Rican life. In a matter of a few months, Puerto Rico moved from being a Spanish possession to an American one

The Identity of a Puerto Rican Sidney W. Mintz describes the Caribbean as "a scattering of some fifty inhabited units spanning nearly 2, 500 miles of sea between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the north coast of South America, constitute the oldest colonial sphere of Western European overseas expansion... these territories were dominated and navigated and explored, their aborigines had been thrust into the consciousness of European monarchs, philosophers, and scientists" (17). The islands in the

Puerto Rican Music and Its Significance Although the policies of Americanization and degradation of Puerto Rican culture heritage improved by the United States in Puerto Rico during the early decades of the twentieth century, the utmost concern for the United States was the strategic location of the island for political and economic advantages, not of the people who inhabited it. Puerto Rico, though a poor colony, was a rich cultural spot in an area of dynamic cultural influence of the Caribbean

The Spanish American War was a true turn in history for both the United States and Puerto Rico. The United States received Puerto Rico as a result of the the Treaty of Paris from the Spanish American War in 1898. The United States government helped Puerto Rico to develop into a civilized government and to resolve economic and social problems by implementing American currency, health programs, and employment. Through language, employment, and ethnicity, the United States has been a major influence

Are you Puerto Rican or American? Hesitantly, I don't know what to say when people ask me this question because I feel that I have to choose between the two ethnicities. Since I was born in the U.S., I am considered American. But, if I say I am American, I am asked about my origins. Thus, controversy evolves around inhabitants of Puerto Rico because they are considered Americans since Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. My skin is white, my eyes are brown, and my hair is dark brown

Puerto Rico's Identity Formation Under U.S. Colonial Rule Upon continuing the discussion of what it means to be Puerto Rican, it is clear that the early US colonial rule fundamentally shaped the character of this definition. At the conclusion of the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a possession of the United States subject only to the privileges that the US was willing to grant it. The dichotomy between Puerto Rico’s expectations and what it actually became after 1898, helped to formulate