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I never said we had an official language but English is our national de facto language. All of our federal government documents are in English and our Constitution is in English. The overwhelming majority of Americans speak English as their primary one of usage.
Your clue is "used to". Mexico doesn't own one speck of the United States anymore and hasn't since the mid 1800's. So what does that have to do with Spanish usage in the U.S. today? It is mostly due to the millions of illegal aliens in our country that is the prime reason we keep hearing it today and also Latinos are allotted the highest quotas by far for legal immigration into our country to. What happened to diversity in our immigration numbers? When you have so many from one ethnic group they colonize they don't assimilate. If these people in your former neighborhood still haven't assimilated linguistically into our society yet then you are only proving my point. We will always have first generation Spanish speakers in our country if we don't stop the flow so what's the point about their kids learning English then?
If English speakers decide to move to a foreign country I would expect the same thing from them. It would be rude for them not to assimilate into the country they chose to move to. It's a whole lot different when you are among those who speak the same language that you do in privacy but it is rude when the natives of said country are all around you and they have to listen to it.
I think if you were Spanish speaking and living in New Mexico, you might feel a little differently.
What it has to do with today, is similar to what indigenous people feel. Language and culture that existed in the land before it became the US, has validity.
Having to listen to foreign languages really shouldn't frighten you. Judge people by their actions. That group you hear speaking whatever, may be more integrated than you think. You are projecting onto them.
I think if you were Spanish speaking and living in New Mexico, you might feel a little differently.
What it has to do with today, is similar to what indigenous people feel. Language and culture that existed in the land before it became the US, has validity.
Having to listen to foreign languages really shouldn't frighten you. Judge people by their actions. That group you hear speaking whatever, may be more integrated than you think. You are projecting onto them.
This nation has been around since 1776 and we adopted English as our national de facto language when are people going to embrace that instead of living in the past?
Where did I say I was frightened? Yes, I do judge people by their actions and those actions are rude. No, they aren't integrated if they feel the need to speak something other than our nation's language around native English speakers.
No, they are ethnic business neighborhoods they aren't mainstream America. Does that have to spelled out to you?
Yes, it does.
Because "ethnic" is almost everywhere. We (Hawaii) are part of America, and Caucasians are a minority. You know that "browning down" of America you said you hate? Yeah, that's here.
I think many Americans live in microcosms, and don't travel much. It leads to a restricted view of the country, and a lot are fearful of change.
Most places I have traveled to have ethnic restaurants and markets readily available (I know, you said you don't need ethnic food like plantains).
So, people will speak whatever languages they like, even outside of "officially designated areas."
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Well I do because it's an non-assimilation factor to me and makes one feel like they are living in a foreign country. Hearing a foreign language occasionally is not the issue it's when everyone around you is speaking a foreign language and in this case it's usually Spanish. I couldn't care less what language they speak at home though.
The lady in the attached link feels the same way. As do I. My husband and I experienced similar behavior at a McDonald's on lower Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, NM. We went inside and were ignored for at least ten minutes, had Hispanic people behind us waved ahead, and were finally helped by a young woman who pretended not to know English. The assistant manager just stood there and did nothing. This kind of behavior goes way beyond employees chatting with each other in Spanish. Their disdain was palpable.
Because "ethnic" is almost everywhere. We (Hawaii) are part of America, and Caucasians are a minority. You know that "browning down" of America you said you hate? Yeah, that's here.
I think many Americans live in microcosms, and don't travel much. It leads to a restricted view of the country, and a lot are fearful of change.
Most places I have traveled to have ethnic restaurants and markets readily available (I know, you said you don't need ethnic food like plantains).
So, people will speak whatever languages they like, even outside of "officially designated areas."
Yes. I suspect this is the pro-American culture they are fearful they will lose because I have yet to hear what is American culture other than speaking English. When I worked for a company that brought Europeans to work temporarily, I always had to "translate" for Texan dialect. I just used non-accented English. Chances are that any person who never grew up with these "country boys" could not understand. I wonder if that is American?
Knowing how to speak English with no accent did not help me, a Hispanic female, in certain parts of the country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Axiomatic
The lady in the attached link feels the same way. As do I. My husband and I experienced similar behavior at a McDonald's on lower Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, NM. We went inside and were ignored for at least ten minutes, had Hispanic people behind us waved ahead, and were finally helped by a young woman who pretended not to know English. The assistant manager just stood there and did nothing. This kind of behavior goes way beyond employees chatting with each other in Spanish. Their disdain was palpable.
Oh, so you just experienced this recently? I have experienced this my whole life and in places where the employees only spoke English. If I want to receive service, I have to come walking in with a big "Texas" smile and greeting the store employees rather than the other way around. Otherwise, they ignore me. I usually don't say hello when I am just shopping around. If they can't be polite and greet me, I walk out. You can do that too. That is the great thing about diversity.
I have yet to hear what is American culture other than speaking English.
Instead of waiting to hear about it, why not try and figure it out for yourself? How do Americans tend to differ from people in other countries? What patterns do you see?
Instead of waiting to hear about it, why not try and figure it out for yourself? How do Americans tend to differ from people in other countries? What patterns do you see?
Well, thank you for asking. I would say the Constitution, that makes us unique. What is causing friction for some is their interaction and what their own culture taught them (or not) about how to interact with others. Interactions, and the rules associated with them can be found pretty much through out the world.
We recently had multi-cultural day at my daughter's school where she is a minority. She looks White. She wore American colors to represent the American flag. I wore my Alamo shirt, with my Texas socks. My shirt says "Never surrender or retreat." I am very proud of Texas and it's history and I call myself Texan before I call myself American but our history is not unlike others.
When I visited the Alamo, there was a monument donated from the Japanese. With it was a poem that described a Japanese war that reminded them of the Alamo. Also, when you enter the Alamo, you find many flags from different states and countries. These represent the people who fought at the Alamo.
So what exactly do I celebrate? Accomplishments and connections. Japanese history connected to Texas history. People from all over the world coming to fight for Texas Independence, not just one group.
Oh, so you just experienced this recently? I have experienced this my whole life and in places where the employees only spoke English. If I want to receive service, I have to come walking in with a big "Texas" smile and greeting the store employees rather than the other way around. Otherwise, they ignore me. I usually don't say hello when I am just shopping around. If they can't be polite and greet me, I walk out. You can do that too. That is the great thing about diversity.
I think you're missing my point, Elyn.
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