Final answer:
Recent data indicate that approximately 12% of the U.S. population speaks Spanish at home, affirming that there are indeed over 40 million Spanish speakers in the U.S. This makes the U.S. potentially the second-largest Spanish speaking country and highlights the diverse linguistic landscape in the nation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The claim that there are more than 40 million people in the United States who speak Spanish is strongly supported by various statistics. As of recent data, approximately 12% of the US population speaks Spanish at home. This indicates that the United States could very well be the second-largest Spanish speaking country in the world. It is important to note the historical aspect as well, where the oldest Spanish settlements in what is now the U.S. pre-date the oldest English colony by over 40 years. With 93% of Americans over age five speaking English and 7% speaking a language other than English at home, with 62.3 percent of those speaking Spanish, the proportion of Spanish speakers in the U.S. is significant. Considering there are about 281,000,000 people over age five in the United States, a simple calculation would confirm that there are indeed more than 40 million Spanish speakers.
Moreover, within the Hispanic population, there are numerous subgroups and ethnicities, transcending race. Almost 20% of Americans speaking Spanish "at home" reflects the multicultural and multilingual nature of the United States. The Hispanic population's growth is a testament to the country's shifting demographics and attitudes towards immigration and multiculturalism. Lastly, the count of Spanish speakers in the US is meaningful regarding the broader context of world languages, of which there are more than 6,000, with only a dozen being spoken by more than 100 million people each.