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UB50, all of your inevitable friends are moving around the globe LEGALLY for their vocations. Commendable, but not applicable here. More to the point of this topic, the illegals in Los Angeles reside here for decades having made deliberate choices not to learn English, nor to engage in the culture as well as the language here. I can't imagine an adult chosing same for the rest of their life: it would be like remaining an uninformed child forever, out of touch with everything outside your immediate family.
Famenity, I've visited East Africa, and the lecturers explained their three language educational system there at least. Students learn in their own tribal tongue, they also learn Swahili so that they can communicate with anyone else in Africa, and they also learn English so that they can communicate with anyone else in the world. Safari guides (who require 8 years of higher education, 4 of which in university) need a language in addition to English for their vocation. It's said that department heads make students draw lots to see who has to learn Japanese for these tourists! English remains the global language of commerce, science and widespread communication. It's a shame that the only place on the planet where people refuse to even consider learning English for their personal betterment is Los Angeles, California.
Not JUST Los Angeles, not JUST California. Unfortunately, refusal to learn the language and at least respect if not adapt to the culture here is widespread among illegal Hispanic aliens all over the country, but especially in CA & AZ where the populations are so high. The leaders of the illegal aliens in AZ (which by the way get a lot of press time) are quick to say the reason is because they have no interest in becoming citizens. Therefore they are not immigrants, they are aliens - even though "alien" is not PC. They want to come in and work and send money home to Mexico or come in and get a hand out (not a hand up) and send money home to Mexico. Many legal Hispanic immigrants are just as upset as the rest of us about our illegal problems and the lack of border security. They went through the long process and stood in line to make sure they came here legally and are not a bit happy about those who didn't. The last thing they want to see is amnesty of any kind.
I live in the United States where english is pretty much the official language of the country. Though I wouldn't call it the "native tongue", nevertheless, it is the official language. There has been great concerns and dispute about the ever growing spanish population in this country and though I myself love the whole diversity thing, many people are having a problem with having put up with non-english speaking people refusing to learn the language of the majority and for those who speaks very good english, they choose to speak spanish in your presence; whether it be in the work place or in friendly circle. Do you believe that the government should require that all who resides here should learn to speak english? Do you believe that the government is right for making everything bilingual?
My SO is African and uses his language at home on the phone and with friends and family--he even talks to me in it and over time I have come to understand some of it, but he speaks English very well and would never think he could work and live in the US otherwise.
I'm from Texas originally and grew up with many Mexicans. Two of my closest friends are of Mexican heritage--one is bilingual and the other only speaks English. They both have successful jobs that they would not otherwise have if they only spoke Spanish. Both were born in the US to parents who immigrated from Mexico. Their parents speak English as well as Spanish.
My cousin married a woman from Germany and they moved back to the states about three years ago. She was born and raised in Germany and only spoke German growing up. She is now fluent in English.
In the state where I currently live I have befriended a wonderful woman from El Salvador. She is truly a jewel with a heart of gold. We became close because she worked as the cleaning lady at my old job. I have enough Spanish in my vocabulary that allowed us to talk and become friends. We visit each other's houses, have dinner, take in shows the whole nine yards. However, she desparately wants to stop cleaning and do something else. She really wants to learn more English because she sees how limiting it is to only know Spanish. I am encouraging and helping her the best I can because I don't want her to be a cleaning lady for the rest of her life.
These life experiences have taught me to have patience and understanding about immigration because coming to a new country is a life altering event. Nevertheless, it has ALSO taught me that my SO, friends, and cousin-in-law who immigrated to this country are better off because they learned English.
These life experiences have taught me to have patience and understanding about immigration because coming to a new country is a life altering event. Nevertheless, it has ALSO taught me that my SO, friends, and cousin-in-law who immigrated to this country are better off because they learned English.
C.
This English language thing is of course a double edged sword, speaking from England you can be assured that the stories of the English being unlikely to speak another language is true, unlike our German, Dutch, Flemish and other European neighbours. Why, well we are an island and we had an empire, Ha! Ha! or so the story goes.
Could also be that whenever the immigrants came to these shores some of their language was absorbed into our basic temporal language and so the roots of English (an Indo European laguage) is a compilation of Latin, Saxon, Celtish, Norwegian, Spanish, Japenese, Greek, Russian, Cantonese, Malay, Arabic, Hebrew, Norman and countless others in no particular order.
Not a pure of origin language and not funny to learn one suspects.
Well, New Mexico has been around longer than a hundred years. We didn't invent it. We just bought it. I never said there was anything wrong with English being spoken in New Mexico. I don't live in New Mexico!
Over the history of New Mexico, however, Spanish has been common and accepted. What if, tomorrow, we bought a section of Mexico (where people were already living), and made it a part of the union, all while people are living and working there. Over time, Americans move down there since, after all, it's part of America now. Most of them are pretty live-and-let-live about English, since they're the outsiders. The state keeps, not takes, Spanish as an accepted language. Who would we be to tell them that's not ok?
That's exactly the case with New Mexico. Same story I just told.
Besides, my post was in reference to a poster's comments about families living in New Mexico for 'hundreds of years' and never bothering to learn English. My whole thing is that they aren't the ones that changed. The world changed around them. They didn't move anywhere. If they want to learn English, that'll make life easier. If not? Who cares. Who are we to try to force them?
have you ever heard of the mexican american war? i would beg to differ on how new mexico , texas ,arizona and california was obtained.
now, as for the old ones that have lived here for hundreds of years, they are now gone, only their decsendants remain, in what is now and has been for a long long time the united states of america, how is it wrong to ask people to speak a common language, and why not, the language our forefathers adopted ?
a nation that has no common language will never stand forever because there will always be a lack of true communication.
maybe i'm simple minded, but it just makes sense to me...and i will stand by my opinion.
Is it that easy for all of us to learn a different language, in my case and have had a reasonable education, would find it tough to become fluent in a short time, hate to admit it but it could take years for me to pick up the new. Some people are well versed in languages am thinking of a TV show recently filmed in Africa where people had three languages as a general rule.
would you at least attempt to learn enough to communicate if you were to visit a foreign nation? and if you decided to move there and set up roots, would you learn the language or expect the country you immigrated to to learn your language? like so many mexican immigarnts are demanding we do.
my point is , yes we are a melting pot, give us your tired your poor, but as with everything that is thrown into a melting pot, it melds together, and becomes one...one common language would give rise to understanding...
and still, i stand behind my opinion
....maybe i'm simple minded, but it just makes sense to me...and i will stand by my opinion.
Vivski ~
You are definitely NOT simple minded. My opinion is the same, and judging from the other posts on this forum, a LOT of other people on this forum feel the same way. We absolutely MUST have a common language and it MUST be English here in the U.S. of A. This is one of the reasons demonstrating the ability to speak, read and write English is a requirement for LEGAL immigration and another reason we can no longer afford ILLEGAL immigration.
I live in the United States where english is pretty much the official language of the country. Though I wouldn't call it the "native tongue", nevertheless, it is the official language. There has been great concerns and dispute about the ever growing spanish population in this country and though I myself love the whole diversity thing, many people are having a problem with having put up with non-english speaking people refusing to learn the language of the majority and for those who speaks very good english, they choose to speak spanish in your presence; whether it be in the work place or in friendly circle. Do you believe that the government should require that all who resides here should learn to speak english? Do you believe that the government is right for making everything bilingual?
cheaper to keep it all monlingual. latin is 14% this does not justify an expensive bilingual program.
more as we move along the road its going to be more and more about money.
people that don't learn english pay a terrible price, they become part of our service sector its automatic.
low pay low benefit employment they pay a price.
when i lived in france had to learn language. when i went to school in mexico had to learn the language. "no" was not an option.
in the USA the tail wags the dog.
but its not about nationalism
its about money
we are running out
accomodation is expensive
stephen s
san diego ca
have you ever heard of the mexican american war? i would beg to differ on how new mexico , texas ,arizona and california was obtained.
now, as for the old ones that have lived here for hundreds of years, they are now gone, only their decsendants remain, in what is now and has been for a long long time the united states of america, how is it wrong to ask people to speak a common language, and why not, the language our forefathers adopted ?
a nation that has no common language will never stand forever because there will always be a lack of true communication.
maybe i'm simple minded, but it just makes sense to me...and i will stand by my opinion.
Part of New Mexico was obtained after the Mexican American war ended in 1848. The rest, albeit a relatively small portion of a massive state, was obtained in the Gadsen Purchase. So yes. Thanks for being condescending, and I have, in fact, heard of the Mexican-American War.
Nothing I have said indicates that I believe we should not have all government documents and other official materials printed in English. Nor have I said the government should conduct business in languages other than English. Schools should teach classes in English, with an exception for ESL classes for recent immigrants and foreign language education. I'm all for that.
As for what private businesses want to do, and what language people want to speak at home, that's their business. Furthermore, if any state decides they want to use/maintain Spanish as a secondary language of government, that's up to the state.
Part of New Mexico was obtained after the Mexican American war ended in 1848. The rest, albeit a relatively small portion of a massive state, was obtained in the Gadsen Purchase. So yes. Thanks for being condescending, and I have, in fact, heard of the Mexican-American War.
Nothing I have said indicates that I believe we should not have all government documents and other official materials printed in English. Nor have I said the government should conduct business in languages other than English. Schools should teach classes in English, with an exception for ESL classes for recent immigrants and foreign language education. I'm all for that.
As for what private businesses want to do, and what language people want to speak at home, that's their business. Furthermore, if any state decides they want to use/maintain Spanish as a secondary language of government, that's up to the state.
if you feel i was being condesending, then please accept my apoligies, i wasnt trying to be that way, all i am saying is one language seems to help people communicate, and in a world with true communication, then peace can be acheived...and before you say anything about the reference to me saying the world...i do not mean the whole world...i mean the u.s.a...my husband was a victim of violent crime committed by an illegal immigrant, and let me tell you this, even the police in new mexico had a hard time communicating with him, and ended up calling in another specialized police officer, just to read him his miranda rights....sorry if i hurt your feelings
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What about other immigrants?
