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If your kids don't learn Spanish, they will fall behind. Here in New Mexico I have worked in landscaping and culinary industries and the difficulty in communicating with my mostly Spanish-speaking co-workers was a hindrance.
There was I time when I was trying to get a job in arborculture (tree surgery) and all the local places laughed me out of the room because I'm not Mexican or Hispanic. I know enough Spanish to know I was being insulted.
For what it is worth, my High School (in NY) offered Spanish, French, and Italian and used to offer German up until the 70's. I took French :-)
They can learn Spanish and those other languages they want to learn. Who's to say there has to be a two-language limit? If you look world-wide, there are plenty of countries where bilingualism, trilingualism, and even multilingualism are the norm. I think the U.S. can handle it. We're in this mentality now that children can only "handle" one language but actually if more languages are introduced to Americans at a young age, then most minds grasp pretty easily onto two or more languages. In societies that are multilingual, children don't even have to study other languages. They just pick them up naturally from the adults around them. I grew up bilingual and started picking up other languages at age 10.
My kids are going to have to be at least bilingual (English and ASL) but I hope they have the sincere desire to learn other languages as well. I've noticed a lot of kids who do grow up bilingual develop an intelligence for language that makes it easier for them to pick up 3rd and 4th languages, and in some cases even more.
Learning more than two languages is fine however their second language should not be forced down their throat just because a bunch of Mexicans keep running over the border taking jobs and some hardly even learning English themselves. I find that disrespectful to America that the language is being forced on American children because of too much hispanic immigration. To me forcing Spanish down their throats at a time like this in school is disrespectful. It would be like making them learn Arabic. It is sickening to me.
Learning more than two languages is fine however their second language should not be forced down their throat just because a bunch of Mexicans keep running over the border taking jobs and some hardly even learning English themselves. I find that disrespectful to America that the language is being forced on American children because of too much hispanic immigration. To me forcing Spanish down their throats at a time like this in school is disrespectful. It would be like making them learn Arabic. It is sickening to me.
The Swiss are "forced" to learn German, Italian and French in school. The Dutch and Scandinavians are "forced" to learn English in school. A lot of countries "force" their children to learn a second language and sometimes even third or fourth language in school.
I don't see how making Spanish mandatory is such an evil thing, though. Beyond the large Spanish-speaking population within the U.S, Spanish is widely spoken world-wide and therefore useful for any sort of international relations.
Would you be saying the same thing if we were talking about Russian instead of Spanish?
The Swiss are "forced" to learn German, Italian and French in school. The Dutch and Scandinavians are "forced" to learn English in school. A lot of countries "force" their children to learn a second language and sometimes even third or fourth language in school.
I don't see how making Spanish mandatory is such an evil thing, though. Beyond the large Spanish-speaking population within the U.S, Spanish is widely spoken world-wide and therefore useful for any sort of international relations.
Those countries learn those languages because they are a part of the EU and have small countries. America is much more independent than those countries. Spanish is being forced down their throats here now because of the flood of Mexicans. Not because America does "business" with the "mighty" Mexico down there. Mexico is a weak joke of a country and I spit on Mexican flag.
If Russians flooded America illegally then yes I would say not to force Russian down American childrens throats becuase it is disrespectful. When we came to America we learned English and only spoke English here except in our own neighborhood which was Brighton Beach a Russian community in NY and inside our house.
Those countries learn those languages because they are a part of the EU and have small countries. America is much more independent than those countries. Spanish is being forced down their throats here now because of the flood of hispanics. Not because America does "business" with the "mighty" Mexico down there. Mexico is a weak joke of a country and I spit on Mexican flag.
How about countries that aren't part of the E.U.? There are tons of countries that have mandatory English in school that have nothing to do with the E.U.
Not to mention, Mexico is far from the only Spanish speaking country.
Not much more to say here, given it just sounds like you hate Mexicans and as a result that colors your view of Spanish negatively.
How about countries that aren't part of the E.U.? There are tons of countries that have mandatory English in school that have nothing to do with the E.U.
Not to mention, Mexico is far from the only Spanish speaking country.
Not much more to say here, given it just sounds like you hate Mexicans and as a result that colors your view of Spanish negatively.
English is the language of business. Mexico is an irrelevant country internationally and most Spanish speaking countries are worthless weak countries. Mexico is the reason why American schools are starting to make Spanish a requirement. I hate Mexico and I hate the FLOOD of Mexican immigrants.
English is the language of business. Mexico is the reason why American schools are starting to make Spanish a requirement. I hate Mexico and I hate the FLOOD of Mexican immigrants.
I gathered. Funny how white immigrants never get flack. Just Mexicans and other Hispanics. I'm an immigrant from Russia and yet no one ever gives me crap. And while I am legal, I have met other Russian immigrants who aren't and who never get crap about coming here. In fact some of the Russian immigrants I know have been here 10+ years and still don't speak a lick of English. They insist on Russian only.
But that's okay. Cause they're, you know, white.
The most ironic part of all is the Russian immigrants I'm talking about tend to be the most racist against Mexicans for doing the exact same thing they did.
If a kid wants to go work for the CIA should he not be able to choose to learn Arabic or Russian in high school? Or a kid who wants to work Border Patrol should CHOOSE to learn Spanish. Maybe a kid wants to join the FRENCH Foreign Legion after high school. And maybe a kid wants to do international business and learn Mandarin Chinese. No lets force Spanish down their throat instead.
Last edited by RussianIvanov; 08-19-2010 at 11:24 PM..
If a kid wants to go work for the CIA should he not be able to choose to learn Arabic or Russian in high school? Or a kid who wants to work Border Patrol should CHOOSE to learn Spanish. Maybe a kid wants to join the FRENCH Foreign Legion after high school. And maybe a kid wants to do international business and learn Mandarin Chinese. No lets force Spanish down their throat instead.
No one is stopping them from learning those languages. In fact, Spanish will help them greatly with French from a grammatical/lexical point of view. It will help them with Chinese on the phonetic level. It will even help them with Arabic because Spanish has a number of words that come from Arabic.
No one is stopping them from learning those languages. In fact, Spanish will help them greatly with French from a grammatical/lexical point of view. It will help them with Chinese on the phonetic level. It will even help them with Arabic because Spanish has a number of words that come from Arabic.
Yes it is stopping them from learning those languages. One second language in high school is enough work. They have math, science, history, English, and electives homework every night. Then school sports and some time to relax with their friends. Then you think they have all the time and will to go learn a third language while learning a second one? Their choice should come second after English not have Spanish become forced to them.
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