Introduction.

This article introduces the topics featured in the September 1989 issue of "International Journal of the Sociology of Language." This issue focuses on the rich linguistic heritage of Latinos in the U.S. The Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. presents a complex sociolinguistic situation which should be the object of further study. It is precisely the growth and diffusion of the Spanish-speaking population throughout the U.S., coupled with increased use of Spanish in bilingual education programs, voting services, and the courts, that has caused the criticisms raised by supporters of the English-only movement in the last decade.