If Spanish becomes the primary language, what would you do? (difference, good)
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At my age, I'm not going to learn another language...I won't even try, I'll just have to "make do".
If it became the official language then I'd imagine that language would have to be taught in all schools...so for kids, it would be a cinch. For society in general, it'd probably take 50 years or so to be inculcated.
As in most societies you congregate with those like you so as English became less spoken those communities would shrink over time but would probably exist for a very long time, especially since English would still be the predominant language in many other countries.
Rich old white guys are the dominant group in US society so I assume even if Spanish became a primary language of day-to-day life, English would remain the language of business and government for quite some time.
This sounds like Russia from Peter I all the way until Nicholas II. (Perhaps the reversal of it, actually.) Peter I introduced European culture into Russia, French culture in particular. It caught on extensively among the nobility, with a hint of it trickling down to bourgeoisie and none to peasants. As a result, a dual-language paradigm emerged. Upper classes and the government elite spoke primarily in French, which emerged as a lingua franca amongst themselves. While lower classes continued to speak in Russian, the country's official and day-to-day language. (Upper classes spoke in Russian when giving orders to servants, although the latter were expected to have a basic understanding of French.)
Last edited by MillennialUrbanist; 12-07-2016 at 07:58 AM..
I get the impression Spanish is actually easier to learn than English, and has some advantages over English. The main advantages English has are Shakespeare, Kipling, etc. If they hadn't written in English, Spanish would be just as good, or better. More phonetic, easier to understand in noise because the sounds are less subtle, etc. Being more phonetic is a huge advantage, not just for learning the language, but for learning, period. Kids could get a head start in school by having their native language, the language of the school, be phonetic. But I vote for English, because I'm an English bigot, in spite of all its disadvantages.
If you're going to explore education, start with learning how to word a poll.
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