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English teacher, 7th grade. Taught about diagramming sentences. Most kids didn’t care, but since my parents could barely speak English, I absorbed it all as a challenge. Completely forgot about her, but when I retired from programming, I then realized that parsing English sentences and writing code are the same concept. Break everything down into components and get to the point.
From shack to “mansion” in one generation. Thank you.
I took this quote from Did your elementary teachers have an effect on your life? and started a new thread in order to avoid controversy on an inappropriate thread. This poster is Exhibit "A" as to why immigrants or at least their immediate children need to learn English rather than relying on the language of their ancestral homeland. Granted, that would soften and eventually erase the power of "community leaders" but it's better for the people.
There are admittedly some Yiddish-promoting (my background) leaders, but very few. There are no leaders that I know of that vocally promote the use of Russian, Ukrainian, Polish or Magyar, other elements of my past. Neither me nor my parents were saddled with having to think in two languages, while their parents and/or grandparents did.
Time for people who choose to make this country their home to learn English and learn the culture.
Except that they do. Get out of Hayseedville once in a while and out in the real world and see for yourself. I also don't need to mention the countless numbers of American immigrants to other countries where they don't bother making much of an effort to learn the language of their country
Except that they do. Get out of Hayseedville once in a while and out in the real world and see for yourself. I also don't need to mention the countless numbers of American immigrants to other countries where they don't bother making much of an effort to learn the language of their country
Yes, statistics show that hispanics are learning English as quick, or quicker, than previous immigrant groups.
I took this quote from Did your elementary teachers have an effect on your life? and started a new thread in order to avoid controversy on an inappropriate thread. This poster is Exhibit "A" as to why immigrants or at least their immediate children need to learn English rather than relying on the language of their ancestral homeland. Granted, that would soften and eventually erase the power of "community leaders" but it's better for the people.
There are admittedly some Yiddish-promoting (my background) leaders, but very few. There are no leaders that I know of that vocally promote the use of Russian, Ukrainian, Polish or Magyar, other elements of my past. Neither me nor my parents were saddled with having to think in two languages, while their parents and/or grandparents did.
Time for people who choose to make this country their home to learn English and learn the culture.
Oh Lordy! Bilinguals are not saddled by using two languages. There has been study after study showing the benefits of being able to speak two or more languages at native level.
Except that they do. Get out of Hayseedville once in a while and out in the real world and see for yourself. I also don't need to mention the countless numbers of American immigrants to other countries where they don't bother making much of an effort to learn the language of their country
Hayseedville? Most immigrants don't settle in rural areas they settle in the big cities where the jobs are. Sure many do learn English but many also won't speak it unless they have to. They don't seem to want to make it their primary language of usage out in mainstream. Unfortunately, in this country they aren't encouraged to do as they pander to in their native tongues instead.
If an American is truly an immigrant to another country which means they have moved there permanently then of course they should learn and speak the language of the country they migrated to. Two wrongs don't make a right, you know.
Oh Lordy! Bilinguals are not saddled by using two languages. There has been study after study showing the benefits of being able to speak two or more languages at native level.
I do not think anyone is saying people should not speak more than one language. Of course it can be a plus. Look at our presidents wife, she speaks 3 languages. The point is: if you want to live in a country you should be able to speak the language. I remember back in 4th or 5th grade, young boy came in to our class as a new student. He was directly from Italy. His parents and older sister had only been in our country a few weeks. He spoke absolutely no English and there certainly were no classes for foreign students. by the end of the school year he spoke perfect English as did his sister. His parents opened a small Italian restaurant in town. They never were proficient in English but learned enough to make a go of the restaurant. This was in 1947.
My husband's parents immigrated from eastern Europe in 1950. They never learned to speak or comprehend English, despite being employed, paying taxes, owning property and becoming citizens. They chose to settle in an ethnic neighborhood and perceived no reason to learn English.
They, like the majority of Europeans, were fluent in multiple European languages.
Their children learned English in school.
First generation immigrants have a historical tendency to live in clusters and avoid assimilation.
I'll take a non-English speaking worker in various food service vocations over an unemployed English speaking loser hoping for a Trump-gifted job any day.
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