The Idiomatic 'Ghetto'

Ghetto? If my memory is not mistaken, the origin of this word is in the designation given to the Jewish neighborhood of Warsaw (Poland) during World War II.

In time, the term came to apply to any marginal slum inhabited by a minority group, especially African-Americans.

The primary connotation of the word is that of physical confinement, but above all it implies economic, intellectual and even spiritual confinement. However, I am completely sure that any bilingual or multilingual person can testify with absolute certainty that dominating more than one language does not lead them to live specifically in a “ghetto.” And this is not because they have avoided living in a humble neighborhood, which is nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t doubt that there are some who, thanks to social advancement that has provided them with their skills and training, literally live in privileged areas.

However, the greater “ghetto” that the knowledge of Spanish, or any other language, saves us from is the intellectual and spiritual “ghetto.”

Who can read Shakespeare and also Cervantes? Who can read the Los Angeles Times with ease but would rather turn to La Opinión?

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