What has happened to Miami?

[lulu]

Last year a report came out on Peru in the Spanish paper here that was fascinating...their second language is becoming Mandarin...& not English, since they are doing lots of business w/China. Latin America has lots of Chinese immigrants, too and they are the ones teaching the classes which is easy cause spanish is their second language...and all this trading with communist China here, givies me "hibbie jibbies...".
I don't know if it's me but I'd rather pay $50 for a pair of sneakers once a year by our very own people from the U.S. (w/the nostalgic proud label- 'Made in the U.S.A.", remember those?? & 'made in China' (even Japan) back then was junk?) than pay $10 for a pair and end up with 20 pairs that I really don't need??? Whom are we really rewarding?? Is the extra cheap stuff we buy really necessary? What's the real cost to us in the long run?
I live in Miami where the majority breathe politics 'day in & day out'...looking at this from a Miamian point of view/perspective, & since we have this soooo..close to here, we have an embargo w/commie Cuba but not commie China?? Doesn't make sense to me.

[lulu]

South Miami area next to the Grove area is good, too. Miami beach has some beautiful neighborhoods, too.
Then you've got the Islands...and also, Williams Island, Fisher Island, Key Biscayne. Though, these are really expensive...

[MrTudo]

The average American graduate would use even less Mandarin, since Mandarin isn't exactly the language of global commerce.[/quote]

All of that is in your opinion of course. More people communicate on the internet in Madarin than in English and while English has become compulsory ( you say ) in all of China, it gives the Chinese a definite edge in being able to communicate both ways whereas the average American is stuck with either a language that is NOT used in global business ( Spanish or other) or can not differentiate between "let's charge this rube X amount of dollars or "hi how are you"? over a simple business dinner.

Further still, in "modern" China, the vast majority of people absolutely cannot understand or speak English and so it's a mute point if discussing the business of the day.

[lulu]

You know...I just wish I could translate all the spanish newspapers here in Miami. Some might say..."you've got to be kidding me... no way! I've just had it with all that oye's and si's & all that jazz!!" but I read both and I tell you both are different, most things that happen in Latin america, Caribbean or other parts of the world are not reported in the English version - only top headlines type of things, but not the inner stuff. We already lost our innocence from one culture & we don't need others to follow.
On a personal level...I wish I knew 400 languages or more if possible to open up more windows to the world ..to know what people are up to or talking behind my back .

[sunrico90]

The topic if language is very interesting because the ownership of many large businesses is now owned by wealthy professional from Japan, China, and other oriental countries. We normally don’t experience an oriental language because of our location and the populace of our area. But don’t be surprise that many of the large business in Miami are own from oriental professionals.

According to Wikipedia, chinese is a language (or language family) that forms part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. According to Guinness World Records 2006, Chinese, with 1.4 billion speakers in the Mandarin dialect alone, is the most commonly spoken language in the world. About one-fifth of the people in the world speak some form of Chinese as their native language.

See below for results from surveys done in 1998 & 1999.

The Summer Institute for Linguistics (SIL) Ethnologue Survey (1999) lists the following as the top languages by population:
(number of native speakers in parentheses)
1. Chinese* (937,132,000)
2. Spanish (332,000,000)
3. English (322,000,000)
4. Bengali (189,000,000)
5. Hindi/Urdu (182,000,000)
6. Arabic* (174,950,000)
7. Portuguese (170,000,000)
8. Russian (170,000,000)
9. Japanese (125,000,000)
10. German (98,000,000)
11. French* (79,572,000)

The following list is from Language Today (Vol. 2, Dec 1997):
(number of native speakers in parentheses)
1. Mandarin Chinese (1.1 billion)
2. English (330 million)
3. Spanish (300 million)
4. Hindi/Urdu (250 million)
5. Arabic (200 million)
6. Bengali (185 million)
7. Portuguese (160 million)
8. Russian (160 million)
9. Japanese (125 million)
10. German (100 million)
11. Punjabi (90 million)
12. Javanese (80 million)
13. French (75 million)

However, in terms of secondary speakers, Weber submits the following list:
(number of speakers in parentheses)
1. French (190 million)
2. English (150 million)
3. Russian (125 million)
4. Portuguese (28 million)
5. Arabic (21 million)
6. Spanish (20 million)
7. Chinese (20 million)
8. German (9 million)
9. Japanese (8 million)
Thus, if you add the secondary speaker populations to the primary speaker populations, you get the following (and I believe more accurate) list:
(number of speakers in parentheses)
1. Mandarin Chinese (1.12 billion)
2. English (480 million)
3. Spanish (320 million)
4. Russian (285 million)
5. French (265 million)
6. Hindi/Urdu (250 million)
7. Arabic (221 million)
8. Portuguese (188 million)
9. Bengali (185 million)
10. Japanese (133 million)
11. German (109 million)

[ana m]

Hi Lulu:

Regarding a reverse exodus, It all depends when Cuba is free
and for some people it will depend on what government takes over.

I do know that there are some Cubans that would return without
thinking about it too much, why? because they never adjusted to
this country and they never will.

Some of us think they would never leave this country, are very greatful
to be here and are a productive part of this community.

What I do know is that the Cubans that have been arriving recently
compared to the Cubans who arrived 30-40 years ago, are very different.
When my parents arrived here they did not know anyone, and had no family or friends to help them. Through much work and sacrifice they succeded. Most of the Cubans arriving now have much help and for some reason think that it should be this way and expect things to come easy.

For now, We will have to wait and see what will come.

Take care,

Ana

[ana m]

Elfyum:

Wow, How fortunate you are to be able to commute at 1,2,3,4,A.M.
and (12-4) P.M., you are so so lucky!!!

I guess in that aspect I am not as fortunate as you, or am I?,
You know what? I am fortunate, you know why?

I am fortunate because I have an option, and the resources to
make good choices for my family.

And guess what? I have driven in Manhattan

By the way, where do you get your LOCAL NEWS on CNN? Do you
use the same tactic to obtain local news as you do when you are
getting around traffic? at 1,2,3,4 A.M.

[lulu]

Yes, I do agree they are very different. I get the sense that at times they feel the originals owe them for their "lack of...", too - like if everything brought upon them all these years is their fault & they don't need this. The original ones had principals, religion & believed that hard work was a badge of honor. They had to leave everything behind (families/homes/cars) to those thieves, so their kids could have a chance of freedom again. Thanks to those parents sacrifice & the open arms of the U.S., they had that chance here again, unlike the other parents whom decided to stay with their selfish envious idealogy. Unfortunately, too much time has gone by and these people/generations grew up with a different mentality. Plus, they come in and within no time at all, they go back taking stuff, visiting families like if it were a trip to the Bahamas or Acapulco. While the originals never were able to see their families ever again. I get the sense that Fidel has become like a permanent fixture to them like the mountains, beaches and that he's just a normal part of the landscape & the people can't or don't know how to differentiate the two - it's all one & unfortunately many will mourn/cry his passing. I'm sure we'll see that on T.V. It's just very sad this has let on so long without any push or help. I just hope that if it were free one day, that the originals stay & the others go back and fix their parents mess and that no more new ones come in.
When it's fixed, if I'm alive of course, I'd like to visit at least once since I've never been there....I hear the beaches are the most beautiful in the world w/transparent waters. I'd love to do some snorkeling there one day before I end up in a wheelchair.
Anyway, you don't have to feel like you have to write back...let's just hope that you find your paradise somewhere within Florida .

[lulu]

This reminds me moons ago...I used to have a 11pm to & 7am shift and it was the best!!!!!! Of course, before I married & all the stuff that follows... Oh, but it was like I owned Miami. I'd leave for work and come back home and the streets were all mine, mine, mine!!...plain lovely. Plus, I had Weds. & Thurs. off and I could go to the beach when nobody was there, parking was a breeze...no lines at the banks, could go to the doctors offices, shopping, etc.
Like the song goes...."What a feeling!..." la, la, la...