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Old 02-20-2019, 11:46 AM
 
10,920 posts, read 6,904,610 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skeddy View Post
I suspect at least half the people pulled over would argue that point.
And?
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Old 02-20-2019, 12:21 PM
 
12,265 posts, read 6,465,198 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory View Post
Well, since our founding we have made English our national de facto language not Spanish. Why haven't their descedants assimilated to it? The descendants of the early German, Italian, Polish, etc. have.
Are you saying that 2nd and third generation of Hispanics aren`t learning English? All 4 of my grandparents and my father came to this country from the former Czechoslovakia and when my grandparents were in their 60s-70s it was difficult but possible to have just a bit of conversation with them. All of their children could speak Slovak but their first language was English. None of the grandchildren ever knew more than a few words of Slovak. That`s the way it has always worked. Zbohom. That`s Slovak for goodbye.
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Old 02-20-2019, 01:55 PM
 
2,151 posts, read 1,354,210 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory View Post
Well, since our founding we have made English our national de facto language not Spanish. Why haven't their descedants assimilated to it? The descendants of the early German, Italian, Polish, etc. have.
Well, the founding fathers actually chose to not make an official language. This was probably due to a lot of non-english settlers (primarily Dutch, French, and German) throughout the colonies. Just like they were pro immigration, and for minimal federal taxation, they didn't want to impose on the people in terms of culture, language, and religion.

This is further supported by historic accommodation for non-English speakers. We produced pamphlets in multiple languages for revolutionary war soldiers.

English is the de facto language for international commerce -- which is extended across much of the US as well. But things can always change. Good thing we speak multiple languages in the US. You can't say the same about many other countries.
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Old 02-20-2019, 02:36 PM
 
Location: Chicago
6,160 posts, read 5,704,526 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory View Post
Well, since our founding we have made English our national de facto language not Spanish. Why haven't their descedants assimilated to it? The descendants of the early German, Italian, Polish, etc. have.
The issue is that in most of these places, there aren't many non-Hispanic people, so speaking English would be bizarre.

Look at the demographics for Brownsville, TX. It's about 95% hispanic. If all of your friends speak Spanish, why would you speak anything besides Spanish?

This is really no different than people only speaking Breton in rural Brittany, France or people only speaking Welsh in rural Wales.

But if you live in NYC, rural Wyoming, Orlando, or just about any other place in the US, you should probably speak English, or at least don't expect people to cater to you if you don't speak it.
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Old 02-20-2019, 03:26 PM
 
62,865 posts, read 29,098,263 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmagoo View Post
Are you saying that 2nd and third generation of Hispanics aren`t learning English? All 4 of my grandparents and my father came to this country from the former Czechoslovakia and when my grandparents were in their 60s-70s it was difficult but possible to have just a bit of conversation with them. All of their children could speak Slovak but their first language was English. None of the grandchildren ever knew more than a few words of Slovak. That`s the way it has always worked. Zbohom. That`s Slovak for goodbye.

No, what I'm saying is that with the influx of mostly one lingual group both illegally and legally this country is being colonized. They may learn English eventually but many do not and will not use English as their primary language of usage. Back in the day, we had a mix of immigrants from different countries and from different lingual groups, unlike today.
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Old 02-20-2019, 03:30 PM
 
62,865 posts, read 29,098,263 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lepoisson View Post
The issue is that in most of these places, there aren't many non-Hispanic people, so speaking English would be bizarre.

Look at the demographics for Brownsville, TX. It's about 95% hispanic. If all of your friends speak Spanish, why would you speak anything besides Spanish?

This is really no different than people only speaking Breton in rural Brittany, France or people only speaking Welsh in rural Wales.

But if you live in NYC, rural Wyoming, Orlando, or just about any other place in the US, you should probably speak English, or at least don't expect people to cater to you if you don't speak it.

Why are those in Brownsville, TX speaking Spanish instead of English? Those of German, Polish, Italian etc. ancestry aren't doing that for the most part. I already explained that it's because we allow too many into our country from Spanish speaking countries and we have millions here illegally also. It doesn't equate to assimilation but colonization instead.
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Old 02-20-2019, 03:32 PM
 
Location: Camberville
15,859 posts, read 21,426,103 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory View Post
Why are those in Brownsville, TX speaking Spanish instead of English? Those of German, Polish, Italian etc. ancestry aren't doing that for the most part. I already explained that it's because we allow too many into our country from Spanish speaking countries and we have millions here illegally also. It doesn't equate to assimilation but colonization instead.

I'm not from a Spanish speaking country. I'm not of Latinx heritage. I'm definitely not here illegally.


Why, again, should I not be able to speak Spanish (or French, Icelandic, or Yiddish, for that matter)? What on earth does it have to do with assimilation?
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Old 02-20-2019, 03:36 PM
 
62,865 posts, read 29,098,263 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Lead View Post
Right here




A user with the screenname "Oldglory", in a not at all surprising display of hypocrisy, thinks that someone using their freedom to say the words they want to say they way they want to say them is ignorant and rude.





Ignorance - Not understanding the language someone is speaking
Arrogance - thinking that your private conversation has anything at all to do with him

Where was the hypocricy on my part? One has the freedom to spit on the sidewalk if they want to but that doesn't mean it's not rude. This is about rudeness and disrespect not freedom.


Ignorance - expecting native English speakers in this country to understand and speak a foreign language.


Arrogance - this isn't about quiet, private conversations where no one else has to listen to it but being loud and obnoxious in public speaking a foreign language especially when both parties know how to speak English. I couldn't care less what the gist of their conversation is about.
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Old 02-20-2019, 03:38 PM
 
2,151 posts, read 1,354,210 times
Reputation: 1786
Quote:
Originally Posted by charolastra00 View Post
I'm not from a Spanish speaking country. I'm not of Latinx heritage. I'm definitely not here illegally.


Why, again, should I not be able to speak Spanish (or French, Icelandic, or Yiddish, for that matter)? What on earth does it have to do with assimilation?
By speaking Spanish you would be assimilating into the US where a good chunk of the residents speak Spanish....
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Old 02-20-2019, 03:53 PM
 
Location: moved
13,641 posts, read 9,696,571 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory View Post
Ignorance - expecting native English speakers in this country to understand and speak a foreign language.

Arrogance - this isn't about quiet, private conversations where no one else has to listen to it but being loud and obnoxious in public speaking a foreign language especially when both parties know how to speak English. I couldn't care less what the gist of their conversation is about.
Being "loud and obnoxious in public" is rude, regardless of the language being spoken, the accent, or the contents of the conversation. Whether the language is English, with Received Pronunciation; English with a Southern drawl; Spanish; Russian; Swahili; or whatever else... loud, stentorian talk, oblivious to those who happen to be around one, is uncouth.

But to take particular offense when the loud talking is in a foreign language, suggests to me a particularly directed vehemence. If two people are yelling at each other in the grocery-store checkout aisle, how is that any more rude, or less rude, when they're doing that in Spanish? Ought we to excuse their rudeness, if they yell in English? Ought we to take greater offense, because they choose to use another language?

Last edited by ohio_peasant; 02-20-2019 at 04:45 PM..
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