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most countries around the world are bilingual and have areas where different languages are spoken
(france, netherlands, russia, sweden, UK, spain, switzerland, belgium, canada, colombia, argentina, brazil, china, india, south africa shoot even mexico!!!)
I Hhave yet to understand why some Americans whine and complain SO MUCH about spanish!
I mean is it really that horrible if some people from your country speak another language other than the language YOU particularly speak??????
LEARN A SECOND DAMN LANGUAGE!!! MOST PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD SPEAK TWO OR THREE, so thatyou can at least open your narrow mind!
Texas isn't exactly getting lawyers and accountants and doctors crossing the Rio Grande.
I've lived in Florida (Miami and Miami Beach) and worked in banking. But it was back office where Spanish was not required.
I've lived among majority Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Mexicans.
I would choose to live among Cubans for a number of reasons.
During the years I lived in south Florida I never felt alienated by them.
And this is my own personal opinion and viewpoint.
That's really funny that you've never felt alienated in South Florida, because a lot of Anglos (or non-Hispanics) complain about the Cubans (who have clout both politically and economically) really pushing Spanish and complaining if you don't speak it, you ain't _____.
hmmm since when has the US been composed of exclusively natives and then mexicans came in as a foreign element?
YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY VERY IGNORANT OF YOUR OWN COUNTRY'S HISTORY!!! THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME IN AMERICA'S HSTORY WHERE IMMIGRATION HASNT PLAYED A HUGE ROLE!
That's really funny that you've never felt alienated in South Florida, because a lot of Anglos (or non-Hispanics) complain about the Cubans (who have clout both politically and economically) really pushing Spanish and complaining if you don't speak it, you ain't _____.
Send those Anglos to Texas and then maybe they will appreciate the Cubans a bit more.
I use to look forward and attend "Calle Ocho" every year.
And I did know a bit of Spanish and I attempted to use it (with apologies for being so bad at it).
Now you have me thinking of a Cuban sandwich for lunch
most countries around the world are bilingual and have areas where different languages are spoken
(france, netherlands, russia, sweden, UK, spain, switzerland, belgium, canada, colombia, argentina, brazil, china, india, south africa shoot even mexico!!!)
Officially bilingual? I don't think all of those countries are (in fact, I know France, Russia, Spain, and the UK are NOT officially bilingual). The only country that has two official languages is Canada (French and English) and 'til this day there is still division in that country between the French (Quebecois) and the rest of English-speaking Canada.
It is not a fact of having someone speak another language when/where they want (no one cares about that). The issue is for official, public business - language is one of the several factors that bind a society, and having multiple languages treated equally in the nation destroys the binding fabric and negates the 'melting pot' notion of the US.
Officially bilingual? I don't think all of those countries are (in fact, I know France, Russia, Spain, and the UK are NOT officially bilingual). The only country that has two official languages is Canada (French and English) and 'til this day there is still division in that country between the French (Quebecois) and the rest of English-speaking Canada.
It is not a fact of having someone speak another language when/where they want (no one cares about that). The issue is for official, public business - language is one of the several factors that bind a society, and having multiple languages treated equally in the nation destroys the binding fabric and negates the 'melting pot' notion of the US.
The majority seem quite happy to let Spanish take over.
I say let it take over. Other countries will step in and take our place in global business.
China starts teaching English in third grade.
Countries are paying good money to get American English teachers over there to teach the language.
Let America become another Central or South American country.
That is kind of a vauge term and not really a definition of a cultural aspect of "American culture".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory
Some however are trying to turn it into a salad bowl where their group's culture and language stands out rather than "melting". In addition they want their culture and language to be our identifying one. In other words transforming it. It is a conscious effort on their part.
Our culture in this country has been "transforming" since day 1. Over the course of our history, the practices of certain groups of people have had periods where they were more dominant than others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CamaroGuy
Pretty soon China will have more people who speak English than the USA.
And, like many in foreign countries who learned English as a second (or third, or fourth) language, they will probably speak it better than a large number of Americans.
The majority seem quite happy to let Spanish take over.
I say let it take over. Other countries will step in and take our place in global business.
China starts teaching English in third grade.
Countries are paying good money to get American English teachers over there to teach the language.
Let America become another Central or South American country.
Actually, you got it exactly backwards. the US will be stronger in global business if we develop and encourage our people to be more linguistically diverse and more culturally aware. English isn't going away. You seem to be under the myopic and inaccurate perception that people with one facility in a language has to necessarily be bad in another.
So that companies like General Motors don't make mistakes like selling a car in Latin America called the Nova (which in Spanish, sounds like 'no va' - "won't go.") They corrected that by renaming it Caribe.
hmmm since when has the US been composed of exclusively natives and then mexicans came in as a foreign element?
YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY VERY IGNORANT OF YOUR OWN COUNTRY'S HISTORY!!! THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME IN AMERICA'S HSTORY WHERE IMMIGRATION HASNT PLAYED A HUGE ROLE!
Mexicans and other aliens ARE a "foreign element" in the US in 2014. Americans and other countrys' citizens are def a foreign element in Mexico too. Sheesh!
The only country that has two official languages is Canada
Offhand, I know that Finland, The Netherlands and New Zealand all have two official languages.
India and Switzerland both have more than two official languages.
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