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You do know that Latino's will become the Majority in the U.S. w/out illegal immigration, right? Arrogant colonizers?! Not that is a good one, I wonder what they were called here in Texas?
The difference is in time. The vast majority of latino births here are births from illegal immigrant mothers and they pop out 4 kids at least. And then those pop out 4 kids as well. If the federal government kicked out the illegals, the latinos-will-become-the-majority spiel would be pushed back to 2100 most likely at least. None of us here would be alive by then.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Visvaldis
Maybe Americans could even learn to speak (and write) English correctly?
It's pretty sad that English is my 2nd language, and I write it better than many Americans
You do, of course, realize that 2 years of a foreign language is a standard graduation requirement in most US school systems, especially for College Prep?
I agree with the others. Why should we learn another language to accommodate immigrants to the US? Which is your real point in starting this thread.
I thought the question was rather obvious: Why don't we as Americans place more emphasis on education, in particular language?
Well that's different actually. You don't normally use your passport for any domestic affairs, only international where English is spoken by just a handful of countries. Across the world if a people doesn't understand English most likely they will understand French. I've heard it being said before that English is the language of business, and French is the language of diplomacy.
Ok, I'm Puerto Rican and Spanish is my native language yet I needed to learn English to survive here, despite Puerto Rico being a US territory. Do I feel mad because I was forced to learn it? Heck no, in fact, I'm quite glad. I think ALL latinos should learn to speak PROPER English (Northern or Southern dialect), good day to you
-from a Puerto Rican
Ok I'm gonna pick apart your silly posts, paragraph by paragraph, as the native born latino that I am
Most of the hardships we are facing are due to OUR OWN MAKING. There are no Spaniards oppressing us anymore, not since the 1800s. I don't see any movement to "renativize" the latinos do you? Last time I checked, most latinos proudly wear the Spanish and Catholic badges and have no qualms about it, so this paragraph is complete bunk.
Yeah I'm very glad about that. Glad that most of us are putting behind our lust for military dictatorships and civil wars that, by the way, were not caused by the Spanish, but they were ideological wars caused by the clash between capitalism and communism.
DOn't get me wrong, I love my culture, but, sorry to other latinos on here but what intellectual genius? What have we invented that was so earth shattering and significant to human progress? Nothing that I'm aware of. And inventing something in the USA doesn't count either. Sorry but I don't think we are as smart as, or any smarter than Americans if we only have our educational systems to go along with. It still stands that people who really want to get ahead in life, get educated in the U.S. or U.K. That's where much the intellectual genius comes from outside of Germany.
Seriously, please drop the multicultural holier than thou attitude. It reeks, and it makes you look ridiculous, not to mention callous. And WE Americans are not the only country that doesn't learn another foreign language. Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. don't learn another language either, yet no one ever accuses them of being xenophobic or backwards
Since you are from Puerto Rico,
You should most probably just sit this one out! To see an imposed language and religion upon Latin America and see it anything but demeaning is illogical.
To say that Latinos have done more against themselves than anyone else is also illogical, given their highly recorded and public history.
Then finally, the utmost of all insults. To attack the Latino genius, the very nucleus of your ancestral pride and dignity is just absolutely unforgiveable and treacherous!
Two:
Um, I'm not sure where you got your American history lessons, but you do know that the Spanish owned the land West of the Mississippi and most of S. Georgia and Florida right? They owned b/c they explored and mapped the areas. The Mexican government received the land from the Spanish and French in treaties and land deals/exchanges.
You might want to dust off that Social Studies/U.S. History/Geography book.
And the French owned the land from the Mississippi River to Montana, so what? Should we give it back to them because we bought it from them when they were financially vulnerable?
You should most probably just sit this one out! To see an imposed language and religion upon Latin America and see it anything but demeaning is illogical.
To say that Latinos have done more against themselves than anyone else is also illogical, given their highly recorded and public history.
Then finally, the utmost of all insults. To attack the Latino genius, the very nucleus of your ancestral pride and dignity is just absolutely unforgiveable and treacherous!
You are my napkin!
I blow my nose and spit. Then I wipe!
You don't happen to be Hispanic-American are you? You sound just like another poster on here named Borikua, another Hispanic supremacist (coincidentally born and raised in the USA) that talks about all this hyperbole about Latin America without having been born or lived there. The truth is far less rosy than you make it out to be. We only have ourselves to blame for our problems, NOT the Spanish. And I'm proud to speak Spanish, and I love being Christian. I don't believe in that santería or voodoo nonsense.
Seriously, most real latinos that come from there, would look at you puzzled for thinking about us the way that you do, when many of us don't think highly about ourselves because our countries are inflicted with so much corruption. Most of the legal immigrants and Puerto Ricans that moved here in recent decades, are proud and glad to be living here to having escaped the poverty, drug trafficking, and outright political corruption that takes place.
I'm proud to be latino, but I'm not so nationalistic to be so foolish to think I belong to the greatest race on earth. Maybe that's why so few of us are too busy living in poverty because we're too busy being nationalists than embracing elements of a successful culture (you know, something along the lines of, what some blacks call, "acting white")
In America why learn German if you're never going there or will probably never have to serve any Germans?
I agree with those who have pointed out that the reason many Europeans can speak more than one language is because most of their countries are surrounded by countries with different langauges so there's a neccessity in many European countries for knowing more than one language. With this being the case Europeans are often having to actually use those other languages. In the U.S since we're not surrounded by other foriegn speaking countries other than Mexico few Americans have no real need to learn several languages and if they did they will rarely have to actually use them like people do in Amsterdam or France who may have to interact with foreign speakers daily.
A few years ago, I was sitting in an Amsterdam restaurant. My very slender brunette waitress greeted my party by saying, "Hello Sir, allow me to present you with a menus. Will you be interested in drinks while we prepare your meals?". We therefore ordered our meals and our drinks. We were immediately served our drinks with a warm smile and a quick, "And this is for you..." as our drinks were deposited before us, individually. We were conversing with one another when suddenly, I noticed our very same waitress approaching another table. This time the table consisted of french guests and she was speaking fluent french.
I continued speaking with my friends, when I observed her speaking german to someone a the counter being served. It was obvious that this guy was some type of a regular. They seemed already quite familiar with one another. Soon a couple entered the restaurant and were seated directly behind me and my party. They were quite obviously speaking spanish. My first thought was, "Oh no! Don't tell me this same girl is going to wait this couple's table and speak spanish too!". Sure enough as anticipated, this young lady approaches the table and begins to address this couple in fluent spanish.
I began to think about the number of possible languages this girl could speak. The young lady asked us if everything was alright. I was most certainly NOT alright. I was overwhelmed with curiosity! I therefore, raised my hand as for assistance. The waitress promptly appeared before me with an enthusiastic spirit, ready to serve. I said to her, "You know, I have been observing you speak most pleasantly to all of your guests and all of your guests speak different languages. How many languages do you speak?" The young lady replied, "This is Amsterdam, most of us here speak at least four languages, I speak seven! Everyone else here speaks six!". She then casually walked away. I was absolutely floored speechless! Four languages! Seven languages! Eight languages!
I interrupted my party's conversation with a hand gesture. They all looked at me, readily observing that something immediate has just taken place. My lady friend asked, "What's wrong? What just happened?". I continued to wave my hand as I gathered my composure. Finally, I told them the news. I said, "You see that lady right there? That lady speaks seven different languages! She says that the average person here in Amsterdam speaks four languages, and all of the other waitresses here, speak six different languages!"
Why can't we as Americans speak spanish? If we were to speak spanish, we could eliminate much cultural dissonance between many ethnic groups here in the United States. Especially here in the southwestern portion of the USA. It could proved to be the glue that might bring many of us closer together. Afterall, we not only have a large population of Mexican-Americans, there are also many other Americans from Latin America legally residing here. We also have Cubans, Puerto-Ricans, Columbians, Nicaraguans, Hondurans, Panamanians, Peruvians, etc.
If the rest of the world can speak english as their second language, then the least we could do, would be to welcome our legitimate American Latin brothers and sisters in their native tongue until english becomes just as comfortable to them, as spanish will soon feel to us.
Buenos Dias!
heres an idea, what if all immigrants coming to america learn how to speak, english! omg what a concept!
Why not Native ( Amercian) . These people are the true owners of this country.
Because it would be completely useless?
Wouldn't it be wiser to select a language based on utility instead of a misguided notion that a culture that hasn't been significant in 200 years owns something?
Wouldn't it be wiser to select a language based on utility instead of a misguided notion that a culture that hasn't been significant in 200 years owns something?
When my grandparents came here from eastern Europe early in the 20th century, the first thing they did (even before applying for citizenship, which is a totally different issue) was sign up for English-language classes. They had the apparently irrational notion that if you couldn't speak the language, you wouldn't be able to participate in the society.
Now apparently everything is turned upside down. Bending over backwards to accommodate people who come to this country (we won't say a peep about citizenship) and pretty much refuse to learn English--mostly because they've already been told that they won't have to--has become the norm.
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