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I get that people can be very defensive when speaking their foreign language. My grandmother came from Hungary and insisted that no English be spoken within the home. I assume she did that to keep the kids fluent in Hungarian.
That's an excellent point, and a good call on her part IMO. My husband speaks a foreign language, I'm learning...still have a long ways to go, haha. But point is, his parents always made an effort to speak it in the home when he was younger. Now, when he visits aunts/uncles/friends of his parents, they always fawn all over him saying "Oh, you speak so well, I wish my kids spoke as well as you do." Sadly many 2nd and 3rd generation kids lose knowledge of their own language if their parents don't speak it at home.
Language doesn't stick in your brain forever...use it or lose it. So if foreigners are out in public and have the opportunity to talk to each other, they should by all means go for it. As long as they can still buy things/order food/fill out forms in English, hearing non-English causes you no problems whatsoever and is not something to complain about.
And if they can't - have you ever considered people might be tourists? Visited family? Moved here recently and are still in the process of learning? I'm not saying that's always the case, but don't jump to conclusions and judge someone as "lazy and unwilling to become American" when you don't know anything about that person's life. No one likes a judgmental person.
Yes. There were nurses that would speak spanish in front of patients and I think that is rude. If you are living in this country, learn English.
Most of us already do know English. I know English, better than most redneck "Real Americans" do, and it is my choice if I want to speak in Spanish or not. My family has been in the US since 1898, you have no business telling me, my family, and any other Puerto Rican what we're allowed to speak
We're better off when we all share a common culture. Language is a big part of culture. Sharing the same language contributes to the cohesion of a culture.
Look at the states and cities where civic engagement is highest. In general, it's the places where the vast majority of people speak English. You'll generally find the lowest rates of civic engagement in places with a lot of immigrants who don't speak English well.
I have been to several places this evening (Whole Foods, mall, and Target) and it seemed like few people there were speaking English - people were speaking in languages other than English. Does going into a public place and hearing a lack of English, especially in a nonethnic neighborhood, bother you?
Yes, there is that <10% that won't assimilate. But it's such a small number to even talk about.
The number is much larger than that in the Hispanic community. Just because they know English but won't speak it in public is not assimilation in my book. I rarely hear a Hispanic speaking English in public and it doesn't seem to matter what generation they are.
When I have been in Macy's and asked a clerk with a Macy's name badge "where is the closest fitting room" in English and they look at me puzzled and speak in Spanish to me and say in English they don't speak any English.
THAT really cheezed me off.
When I am in a store and clerks speak in English, then when someone walks up to the clerk to ask a question, they start in English and then switch to Spanish.
When it doesn't bother me.
In a restaurant, there are different groups of people sitting at various tables speaking in foreign languages.
In a touristy spot where I know there will be people of different nationalities visiting attractions.
In a hotel. For the same reasons above.
P.S. I speak 4 languages, and I understand Spanish well enough from studying in school.
I find stories like this incredibly suspect. As if a department store in the USA (Never mind a Macy's LOL) would hire someone to work the sales floor that didn't speak at least a little English. Unless you were in some ethnic enclave there is no way this actually happened. Even if it was in an ethnic enclave, I have my doubts. I've lived in a neighborhood that is a majority Hispanic (19% Puerto Rican and 36% "Other Latino") for 9 years now and this has never happened to me. Ever.
The number is much larger than that in the Hispanic community. Just because they know English but won't speak it in public is not assimilation in my book. I rarely hear a Hispanic speaking English in public and it doesn't seem to matter what generation they are.
I hear Hispanics talking amongst themselves in English all of the time, and my neighborhood is MOSTLY Hispanic. And I'm not just talking about young kids either. The old Puerto Rican guys have some very animated discussions, and very often IN ENGLISH.
Do you ever just give it a rest? How do you know for sure they were here first? They may have been here like 100th. The planet is 4 billion years old.
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