09/23/2026
ππ¬ Hispanic Heritage Month: SALUDAR β More Than Just Saying βHelloβ
We may all speak Spanish, but we donβt always greet, interact, or socialize in the same way. β€οΈ
π΅π· In Puerto Rico, you may hear: βΒ‘Buen dΓa!β
π©π΄ In the Dominican Republic: βΒΏCΓ³mo tΓΊ estΓ‘β?β or βΒ‘AjΓ‘! ΒΏY tΓΊ quΓ© mΓ‘s?β
π²π½ In Mexico: βΒ‘Buenas!β or βΒΏCΓ³mo estΓ‘?β
π¨π΄ In Colombia: βBuenos dΓas, ΒΏcΓ³mo estΓ‘?β, βΒ‘Hola! ΒΏQuΓ© mΓ‘s?β, βΒΏCΓ³mo te ha ido?β or even βMira veβ¦β depending on the region, relationship, and setting.
β¨ Same language. Different cultures. Different settings. Different ways of connecting.
As a Speech-Language Pathologist from a Hispanic culture, this is something I believe is important to recognize: communication is more than vocabulary and grammar.
Culture, relationships, and the setting influence how we greet others, how formal we are, how we respond, and how we participate socially.
A child may communicate differently with:
π family at home
π« a teacher at school
π΅π½ an older family member
π§π½ friends and peers
π someone from another Hispanic culture
This is part of pragmatic language β knowing not only WHAT to say, but HOW, WHEN, WHERE, and with WHOM to say it.
So during Hispanic Heritage Month, I want us to think about this:
π Are we teaching our children only how to communicateβ¦ or are we also teaching them how communication changes across people, cultures, and settings?
Our differences are not communication deficits. They are part of the richness of our cultures. β€οΈπ
Language connects us. Culture gives language context.
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