Hearing Spanish on some of your favorite English-language TV shows? Don't adjust your TV's language setting.

Programs such as the Starz drama "Power," USA's "Graceland" and Lifetime's "Devious Maids" regularly inject Spanish dialogue into scenes — going far beyond simple "holas" and "por favors." Characters sometimes have conversations in Spanish, with and without subtitles.

"This is a phenomenon that speaks to a certain comfort with Spanish among the viewing public, especially in cable shows and Netflix shows," said Phillip Carter, an associate professor of English and linguistics at Florida International University. "The fact that there are 40 million Spanish speakers [in the United States], there is a significant part of the viewing public who at least understands Spanish."

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