Geno's Owner Defends 'Speak English' Sign (Philadelphia, Portland: credit, buy, living in)

[cynicalwench]

This is America and Geno's absolutely has the right to post that sign. Just as I have the right to buy my cheesesteaks from Pat's, which I will do from now on. I did love Geno's but I can not support their attitude.

Personally I don't believe anyone attempts to order in another language, I believe they have a thick accent which most thick headed people can't get past. Hard to understand because many people from south Philly also have an accent.

[andreaspercheron]

Ok, I'm sorry as I know I'll get a lot of recourse for this comment but we do live in the USA, our language is English. When I visit other countries I either find a translator or really do my best to study up on some basic conversational words / phrases. It absolutely drives me nuts if I'm in line somewhere and the person ahead of me doesn't speak a lick of English or understand it hence holding everyone up. I feel if you are going to make your life here, fine, no problem but do it the right way, do it legally and learn the language! I was at the drivers license center one day updating my license and there was a woman there trying to get a license and no kidding, did not speak a single word of English. The employees there was so annoyed, and not that they are the pictures of personality themselves but come on! I think the cheeseteak guy has every right to ask people to speak English. It's his business and to be honest I'm glad he did it. I feel bad that it's turned so ugly but he does have that right and maybe he got fed up with people ordering and not understanding them. Who can blame the guy? You know what they say, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" - Speak English if you are in the United States of America!!

[Love Cobb]

Or better yet, how about the foreigners who own restaurants who speak broken English. My coworkers spent 15 minutes on the phone trying to order food from the Asian cooks at a restaurant called "American deli". Obviously they were having trouble understanding the English speaking customers.

[BereniceUK]

I was on holiday in the US from England last month and had a few days in Philadelphia. A friend played tour guide and one of the places she took me to was Geno's and, while she got the drinks, I went to order myself a Philly cheese steak. I couldn't understand what the guy serving was saying to me! My friend had to come and translate! So perhaps Geno's should ensure that their staff can speak understandable English before judging others.

[JHG722]

Originally Posted by BereniceUK

I was on holiday in the US from England last month and had a few days in Philadelphia. A friend played tour guide and one of the places she took me to was Geno's and, while she got the drinks, I went to order myself a Philly cheese steak. I couldn't understand what the guy serving was saying to me! My friend had to come and translate! So perhaps Geno's should ensure that their staff can speak understandable English before judging others.

That's how we talk. Sorry, but the British accent is incredibly difficult to decipher, especially compared to people from other countries.

[BereniceUK]

But the guy behind the counter had no difficulty understanding what I was saying. If he had I'd have said so in my post. And this was the only time in my four US visits that I haven't been able to comprehend what an American was saying to me.

[JHG722]

k

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

Those poor, oppressed Anglophones...their culture is dying.

Really? The International language of business is ENGLISH. If you want to climb the socio-economic ladder in the U.S. you must speak ENGLISH. Go anywhere in the WORLD and Air Traffic Control and pilots must speak ENGLISH.

Allowing immigrants the ease of speaking their native language in the U.S. dooms them to the lowest jobs avialalbe in society and is a huge disservice to them.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by JHG722

That's how we talk. Sorry, but the British accent is incredibly difficult to decipher, especially compared to people from other countries.

I have no problem with proper UK English. However, I do have difficulty with some southern U.S. accents. South Philly, not a problem, but I've heard it all my life.

[nickels]

Originally Posted by supersoulty

That's actually a gross over-simplification. Alot of first generation immigrants actually never learned English at a conversational level. They lived in ghettos where they didn't have to.

People don't really understand that, after the age about 12, it is very difficult for someone to become "native" in a language, and after about 20 real fluencey in a near impossibility. The human brain is tuned into picking up language at a very particular age. There are individuals who do much better, but they aren't very common.

Of course, if you achieve multi-lingualism at an early age, then it becomes far easier to learn new languages later in life, but, again, most people, even in Europe never learn that much.

How ironic that you make a statement about over-simplification, and immediately follow it with one of your own.