Interesting Study on Language 'Assimilation' (Mexico, border, English, claim)
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European immigrants have done very badly. Hardly any of them speak any Amerindian languages, and they've had plenty of time since 1492! And the Germanic migrants to Britain never bothered to learn its native languages either! Etc.
Need for language is subjective.
Good point. Immigration certainly isn't always about assimilation. It can be about invasion and take-over. We need to always keep in mind what happened to the Indians when they didn't enforce borders or have limits on immigration.
I heard on CNN that 70% of illegal aliens had less than a 6th grade education. And more than 50% of the Anchor Babies are dropping out of school before graduating from high school.They can't read and write their own language how can we expect them to read and write ours. In my opinion they're unteachable and we're importing Third World degenerates who are illegal lawbreakers! The U.S. will pay by the crimes they commit and the social services they suck up!
Third World degenerates... Nice! This says nothing about our educational system does it.
If 80% had completed equivalent of high school education or better yet had a college degree imagine what life would be like here today.
No wonder that with the exception of "The George Lopez Show" and "Ugly Betty", American television rarely portrays images of successful fully culturally Americanized and assimilated middle class Hispanic families in the U.S.
I am confused... the farther in Ugly Betty never completed applying for his citizenship. This was second season during the height of immigration mania. So technically he was here illegally. I watch the show. It is great. It depicts the American way of life where people are mean to one another and say the things most of us think but don't have the gall to actually say. And best of all they get away with it.
European immigrants have done very badly. Hardly any of them speak any Amerindian languages, and they've had plenty of time since 1492! And the Germanic migrants to Britain never bothered to learn its native languages either! Etc.
Need for language is subjective.
Ah yes. No difference at all between the world circa 1492 and America 2009. None at all.
There is a huge need to learn English in this country. As a "melting pot" of cultures, we have to remember this is more than just "WHite Europeans vs. Hispanics".... we're talking a need for ALL people to be able to communicate with one another in a COMMON language - Asians, Haitians, Latinos, and a slew of European nationalities have to be able to understand what is going on in and around and between them to fully thrive and live together. Nothing better than to see a Russian immigrant speaking accented English to a Chinese immigrant on the street, who in turn answers in kind.
In the absence of same, you will NEVER have an end to ethnic division or animosity towards Spanish speaking people from ALL races and non-English speaking ethnic groups who AREN'T Spanish speaking and who DON'T get accomodated in everything.
You also can't complain that "Hispanics" are doing badly as a group vis-a-vis "Anglos" or other groups in the country, because a command of the English language is ESSENTIAL for success. To hold onto your language and/or expect that you get services from the government in same will relegate people to their language ghettos for the duration of their lives.
Ah yes. No difference at all between the world circa 1492 and America 2009. None at all.
There is a huge need to learn English in this country. As a "melting pot" of cultures, we have to remember this is more than just "WHite Europeans vs. Hispanics".... we're talking a need for ALL people to be able to communicate with one another in a COMMON language - Asians, Haitians, Latinos, and a slew of European nationalities have to be able to understand what is going on in and around and between them to fully thrive and live together. Nothing better than to see a Russian immigrant speaking accented English to a Chinese immigrant on the street, who in turn answers in kind.
In the absence of same, you will NEVER have an end to ethnic division or animosity towards Spanish speaking people from ALL races and non-English speaking ethnic groups who AREN'T Spanish speaking and who DON'T get accomodated in everything.
You also can't complain that "Hispanics" are doing badly as a group vis-a-vis "Anglos" or other groups in the country, because a command of the English language is ESSENTIAL for success. To hold onto your language and/or expect that you get services from the government in same will relegate people to their language ghettos for the duration of their lives.
Well-stated..it's all a matter of 'degree'. Who, exactly, is being 'disrespected' here....and by whose definition? And is anyone 'missing the point'? Is there such a society on earth, now or in the past, that appreciates anyone 'showing up' to announce that the local language...or the local culture..or the local 'standards'....aren't important, and that they have "no right" to expect ANY newcomers to 'accept' the locals....since 'the locals' really have 'no right to tell anyone what to do'?
Good luck on getting away with THIS message in any society.....It would take a very 'open-minded' society indeed, to accept such terms from their 'newcomers'....and maybe the US falls a bit short. Perhaps another society would be more enlightened (?).
If Mexico shared a border with Russia for example, and million of Mexicans illegally immigrated there I doubt very much that the Russian government would bend over backwards to try to make Mexicans feel culturally at home with crap like "press 1 for Spanish and press 2 for Russian" when you are calling your bank or credit card company for example or have public restroom signs that are both in Spanish and Russian.
If Mexico shared a border with Russia for example, and million of Mexicans illegally immigrated there I doubt very much that the Russian government would bend over backwards to try to make Mexicans feel culturally at home with crap like "press 1 for Spanish and press 2 for Russian" when you are calling your bank or credit card company for example or have public restroom signs that are both in Spanish and Russian.
Might be the best thing that ever happened to Mexico. If tomorrow morning, Mexico suddenly "woke up" to find the US gone, and replaced by Russia, or China, or India....then Mexico would probably take a day or two to "digest" the information.....and immediately begin to improve the conditions of its OWN society, and its treatment of its poor, or face imminent revolution....since its "safety valve" would no longer be available.
Interesting article. If you think about it, the article makes sense in that communities back then were more close-knit than they are today. There probably wasn't as much of a need back then as there might be now to learn English. Nowadays, it may not be as easy to make a living in just your community. One may need to travel great lengths and branch out into other communities.
Might be the best thing that ever happened to Mexico. If tomorrow morning, Mexico suddenly "woke up" to find the US gone, and replaced by Russia, or China, or India....then Mexico would probably take a day or two to "digest" the information.....and immediately begin to improve the conditions of its OWN society, and its treatment of its poor, or face imminent revolution....since its "safety valve" would no longer be available.
Hypothetical situations do not solve our problems. US and Mexico share a border and nothing can change that. We are in our situation today due to each country's policies and/or lack there of!
If it wasn't for sucking social services dry the problem would only be to those refusing to learn English. The faster we cancel out that sucking sound the better off we will be.
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