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doublet, Someone said about how english is the second language now....Press one for English...how do others in this country feel that spanish is prevelent?
doublet, Someone said about how english is the second language now....Press one for English...how do others in this country feel that spanish is prevelent?
No sweat off my back. I think it would be a wonderful thing if Americans had to learn a second language. It doesn't mean a rip whether or not you feel threatened about accomodating a influx of people who speak a different language. It's all about making our own people more sophisticated, and in a global economy, more competitive.
My SO is from Sweden and had to learn English and German from a very early age. Today she's as fluent in those languages as her own. And guess what? Even though she had to learn them, she's still as Swedish as ABBA.
doublet, Someone said about how english is the second language now....Press one for English...how do others in this country feel that spanish is prevelent?
I dont mind them speaking spanish just not when they are talking to me, I think it is so rude to try to have a conversation with someone and they start talking in spanish or another language with a friend or famly right in front of me, drives me nuts, also no one better make me learn another language unless I move to another country, then I would have respect and not expect them to speak english to me if that isnt their language.
I dont mind them speaking spanish just not when they are talking to me, I think it is so rude to try to have a conversation with someone and they start talking in spanish or another language with a friend or famly right in front of me, drives me nuts, also no one better make me learn another language unless I move to another country, then I would have respect and not expect them to speak english to me if that isnt their language.
My mother in-law has been here from Cuba since 1961 still doesn't speak English I guess why should she? everything is in Spanish here. When I lived in North Bergen NJ, I thought I was living in Cuba the store owners didn't speak English either although I think it was selective, that drove me nuts.
My mother in-law has been here from Cuba since 1961 still doesn't speak English I guess why should she? everything is in Spanish here. When I lived in North Bergen NJ, I thought I was living in Cuba the store owners didn't speak English either although I think it was selective, that drove me nuts.
If you think it is selective, it almost definately is. Especially when you have already heard them speaking English but when they know you are listening, it stops. I sound like I'm a conspiracy theorist or something, I'm not, I guess it just drove me nuts too.
If you think it is selective, it almost definately is. Especially when you have already heard them speaking English but when they know you are listening, it stops. I sound like I'm a conspiracy theorist or something, I'm not, I guess it just drove me nuts too.
I lived in an apartment in NJ, I used to go down to the corner store to buy a few things here and there. The first time I went in I had my sister in-law with me they spoke to her in Spanish and I asked a question in English they looked at my sister in-law and answered her in Spanish and she toldme what they were saying. Ok I figured they don't speak English. I would go by myself on occasion and we would do sign language and they would tell me my total in Spanish, I'd peek at the register to see what the total was. Anyway I met the daughter of the lady whom I was renting my apartment from, they were Italians, that didn't speak Spanish. To make a long story short we became friends and one day went to the corner store and I walked in with her and that same man whom I had to do sign language with everyday, says to my friend Jackie, Good morning Jackie how are you today in perfect English and proceeded to have a conversation with her. I asked him why don't you talk to me in English, he clams up and ignores me. Is that enough to throw you off the edge. Just because I came in with my Cuban sister in-law they had to play this game with me. You bet it's selective.
I lived in an apartment in NJ, I used to go down to the corner store to buy a few things here and there. The first time I went in I had my sister in-law with me they spoke to her in Spanish and I asked a question in English they looked at my sister in-law and answered her in Spanish and she toldme what they were saying. Ok I figured they don't speak English. I would go by myself on occasion and we would do sign language and they would tell me my total in Spanish, I'd peek at the register to see what the total was. Anyway I met the daughter of the lady whom I was renting my apartment from, they were Italians, that didn't speak Spanish. To make a long story short we became friends and one day went to the corner store and I walked in with her and that same man whom I had to do sign language with everyday, says to my friend Jackie, Good morning Jackie how are you today in perfect English and proceeded to have a conversation with her. I asked him why don't you talk to me in English, he clams up and ignores me. Is that enough to throw you off the edge. Just because I came in with my Cuban sister in-law they had to play this game with me. You bet it's selective.
That had to be infuriating. The 1st time it happened to me was years ago when I was helping my sister get her restaurant started in Colorado (it's a pizza place in the mall) and a group of people (mostly teenagers with 1 adult) came in speaking spanish. I asked what kind of pizza they wanted and everyone of them pointed through the glass to the peices they wanted. From my end I couldn't tell which ones they were pointing at and they kept saying things in Spanish and I felt like an idiot playing this pointing game with them,But I was really trying to be nice. They also started saying things to each other and laughing, at which point I felt like Elaine on Seinfeld when she was in the nail salon.(remember that one?) Anyway, I heard the word "p***" which I know means b**** in English and I looked right at the girl who said it and she started laughing and talking to her friend in Spanish again. So, needless to say, they finally got their food and then pretended not to understand how much money to give me so I said "Nueve denero" to one of them. Appearently that means "11 money" instead of "11 dollars" so they all cracked up. So they all paid, went and sat down, I still felt like an idiot and wondered how my sister could get past this language barrier and run a successful restaurant, when lo-and behold, a white teenager came in and went right over to this group. One of the guys in the group said "Hey man, whats up?" and they all started talking to him in perfect English, including the 1 adult. I just about melted into the floor. It happened more after that, but I never fell for it again and I certainly never tried to help by attempting to speak spanish when I only know numbers, 2 swear words and the word crazy. I don't think that's enough to communicate effectively, unless it is...=)
Last edited by butterbeans4; 09-21-2006 at 09:22 AM..
Reason: they won't let me say a spanish swear word
It's not just Spanish. Last week I was at the gas station buying lottery numbers and the lady said a number for my total in English but w/ a VERY HEAVY dialect that was not Spanish or English. She was Middle Eastern I do know that. It sounded like she said "sixty". I repeated, "sixty" with a ? on my face and she said it agan, "sixty". Finally after this went on another lady came over to look at the register as I could not see the total from my vantage point and it was "sixteen". Now that's better. But this lady never even said "no" whenever I repeated "sixty" back to her. Which later really got me as I was thinking, what was she going to charge me $60 and keep the extra. Like I would even BUY $60 in lottery tickets .
Yes, many people do pretend to not know English and they do know it very well. I worked in banking for over 10 years back when and we ran across this all the time. It did not matter if they were Asian, Middle Eastern, Spanish, etc they were all guilty of it. They would pretend to not understand English or speak it if there was EVER a problem w/ their check/account/deposit, etc. After we got to know which ones REALLY did know English we did not play along w/ their little games to try and deceive us. They thought if we could not communicate that they did not owe a fee or whatever. Yeah right.
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I guess why should she? everything is in Spanish here. When I lived in North Bergen NJ, I thought I was living in Cuba the store owners didn't speak English either although I think it was selective, that drove me nuts.
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