ABSTRACT
The Spanish-speaking population in the UK has grown significantly since the 1970s, with Colombian migrants playing a major role in this growth. Yet, at an official rate of approximately 0.2%, the proportion of Spanish-speakers in relation to the total population in the UK is significantly smaller compared to the US (17%) and even to Canada (1.24%). Within Europe, the UK and Spain have the largest concentrations of Latin Americans (Márquez Reiter & Martín Rojo, 2015). It has been argued that publications about migration and multiculturalism in the UK have ignored Spanish-speaking populations, and more specifically, those of Latin American origin (Block, 2008). As a whole, this community has been described by a number of scholars as a small, under-researched, and largely ignored minority group in the UK (e.g., Block, 2006, 2008; Kelsall, 2012, 2015), highlighting what they refer to as its invisibility to both society and sociolinguists.
