Merging cultures shape Puerto Rico’s contemporary use of language and identity. This process began when the Spanish first came into contact with the native Taínos and was further influenced by the integration of enslaved African peoples. Once the U.S. took over, Puerto Rico went through a second wave of hybrid language that surged from the cultural melting pot on the island. The merging of the American English culture with the Taíno, African, and Spanish cultures led to a complex language and identity, which is very unique to the island.

Current linguistic habits present among locals in Puerto Rico pave the way for a scholarly dialogue around the construction and rethinking of the Puerto Rican identity. For example, code switching from English to Spanish and vice-versa illustrates colonization’s remnant effects on Puerto Rico’s language development. Some prime examples are English words like 'Internet', 'zipper', and 'parking', which Puerto Ricans adapt to fit Spanish pronunciation. Other forms of English that are tangible in Puerto Rican language are the use of anglicisms, loan translation, and syntactic characteristics. The development of language in Puerto Rico also shapes the Puerto Rican identity. These cultural and linguistic influences have granted the Puerto Rican population the flexibility to identify with a range of social identities, including: Puerto Rican, American, and Puerto Rican American.

Despite colonization, Puerto Rican’s hold a strong sense of identity, which connects them with the complex language practices that highlight a vast linguistic repertoire. Puerto Ricans have created a language that responds to the specific needs of their social, cultural, and linguistic environment, embodying elements from their historically rich Taíno, African, Spanish, and English vernaculars, that delve into a multifaceted sense of language. Despite the historical implementation of monolingual ideologies on the island, Puerto Ricans have demonstrated cultural resistance and successfully turned linguistic oppression into a unique articulation of their own. The tangible lexical fusion present in Puerto Rican Spanish opens a door for historical analysis on the current identity of the island and its political infrastructure.

The following items examine the complexity of Puerto Rico’s identity and language use, particularly focusing on the topics of language development, bilingualism, and identity.