I see a lot of blogging back and forth about people from other countries coming to the U.S. and not knowing English. I've lived all over the world, and let me tell you, we are the ONLY country that caters to those to do not know our language.
In High School, I took French and Spanish. That didn't help me at all when I moved to Germany, so I learned German. I realize it's not easy to learn a whole new language, but it can be done. In Germany, if you can't speak German, you can't talk to anyone or shop anywhere. Yes, a lot of the German's know English, but their outlook is if you are in their country, you need to speak their language.
One of the women I took a class with a few semesters ago spoke English as a second language. She spoke only Spanish when she married her American husband and learned to speak English from watching Sesame Street. It can be done, and should.
This is America. We speak English here. If you want to live in our country so bad, then you should at least know how to speak the language!!
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In order for one to learn a language, they have to have access to the resources needed to learn said language. There aren't a whole lot of capable teachers of ESL willing to teach for peanuts.
"Reality is not for the faint of heart."
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter."
I agree. I think they should at least attempt to learn the language. However, sometimes they don't really get enough assistance in learning the language. They just may not have access to the necessary resources (even tv).
~pyrochica
i think the t-shirt that has that phrase on it is hillarious. Harsh but funny nonetheless. I agree. People need to start speaking English. It make life a lot easier. I dont want to sound xenophobic but when you go to a country you have to learn to speak the language if you want to live there. its imperative to learn and research the language. I cant stand it when people cant speak the language and they have been in the country for like 20 years. What have you been doing? GRRR! Learn English. other languages are cool too.
Peace!
I will be very blunt here. I think you are very ignorant. Just the way you wrote your blog seems to say that you know nothing about the immigrants life in this country. Yes, I am an immigrant, I came here when I was 11 and as of now I am more than fluent in English; and are able to write way better than those who were born here.
My mother does not have any time in her hand. She works during the night, and tries to sleep. When she wakes up it is mid afternoon when she has to do the cooking and get things done around the house. Me and my brother have to chip in a lot around the house. We do basically everything. So without the resources and without the time how are these people able to learn English.
Use common sense here! It is harder to live in the U.S. and have free time than in any other country. Trust me, I too have traveled around the world a bit.
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I never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Mark Twain
First off, I assure you I'm not ignorant. Secondly,you learned English didn't you? So help her out. The best way to learn any language is to be subjected to it and start trying. Speak English to her and help her reply if she needs it. I have no idea how old you are, but if you moved here at 11 and have had time to become fluent in English, then so has your Mom.
I'm not saying people need to be able to speak perfect English, but trying has never hurt anyone.
It's no different than when a child learns to speak a language. Yes, they are going to say things incorrecly sometimes, but if you assist them,eventally they pick up on it.
Bullshit. You can survive in this country without knowing English. If you're that annoyed with people not speaking English, just plug your ears, please.
http://www.progressiveu.org/190000-please-pardon-my-english
"Not another blog on abortion!"
I am sorry but that was hillarious.
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I never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Mark Twain
Who said you can't survive in this country without being able to speak English? That's part of the problem, we just keep catering to it!!
I am not annoyed with people not speaking english, I am annoyed that people attempt to live in America for 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 years, not learn english and just expect everyone to know their language, so they can buy things, understand things and get and keep a job!
I agree. Completely.
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"Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays." ~George Balanchine
*Tatiana Romanov
There very well may be great difficulty in attempting to learn the English language as an immigrant, yet English is the lingua franca of the United States. No government should have to provide every road sign, law, and pamplet in any language other than the lingua franca, nor should it be required to hire agents who can speak the immigrating languages. The ball lies in the immigrant's court, and he must do something about it.
Thank You!
but is totally true
to learn the language is a goos start.
Insert Shameless Self-Promotion Here -- http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ada-castellon
"She spoke only Spanish when she married her American husband and learned to speak English from watching Sesame Street."
I KNEW there was a reason that show existed! Thats really cute.
Although I'm not sure that making EVERYONE learn English is the solution. Yes, they should but in return, we should learn their language too.
"Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays." ~George Balanchine
*Tatiana Romanov
Face it people, if you can't speak the language here, which is English by the way, you're job prospects will be bleak at least. Any good paying job or career is going to require good communication skills. Anyone who comes here and doesn't speak the language is just going to be adding to the poverty level and putting a further drain on society.
My Grandparents spoke German when they came to this country, both worked hard and both learned English within a few years. Oh, and yes they taught their children to speak English, unlike many immigrants I see today who perpetuate the problem by only speaking English when talking to English speakers and slip back into their native tongue when addressing their children.
How is speaking your native tongue to your family causing a problem? If the people are able to decently speak the language of the country they're in, but feel more comfortable conversing in their mother language when they can, I don't see a problem. I know I would probably do the same. I speak a bit of Spanish (not really enough to get by, but I'm working on it) and know for a fact that if I were to live in a Spanish-speaking country, I would still speak English with my friends and family. This would be because I really wouldn't want to forget it, because if you don't speak a language frequently, you tend to start forgetting (not kidding - it's happened to me multiple times over the summer), and I would also want to preserve my own culture, and pass it on to my kids if I had any. I firmly believe that everyone should know all about their own cultural heritage - both where their parents and their ancestors came from.
I don't need drugs - I have genetics.
Everything your said was true. A lot of people have told me to learn Spanish because I'm going to need it later in life... Why should I have to learn Spanish or any other language for that matter???? I was born here I speak the national language... it's not my fault other people can't understand what I'm saying. If they wanna live here and know what's going on. Then they need to learn to speak English.
-Matt
I think it is one thing to say "it will make life easier to know English"--which I think is what you are saying. However, I don't think there should be law saying that it is required to live in the United States that you speak English.
english please!
What about mute people? lol I really think you can live in a place without knowing their language. We will eventually know a couple of words anyway. We have hands and other means for communication. It is helpful to learn the language...but I don't think it's really really necessary as long as you have someone who can understand and speak decent English.
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http://www.mylot.com/?ref=truelife
Full-immersion in English language policy, including English-only curriculum, has been proven successful in contrast to the dismal failure of ESL in public schools. Foreign languages should still be taught in public schools, as they are a gift and an asset to the educational process.
The positive effective results from English-immersion programs in California are as follows: according to a Lexington Institute study, only 25% of the state’s English learners scored in the top two categories of proficiency on the California English Language Development Test. By 2005, 47% scored “early advanced” or “advanced,” an improvement of 22 percentage points.
The negative results from ESL are as follows: English as a Second Language classes have tripled in Kentucky over the past 5 years. Schools have responded by hiring bilingual staff, training teachers in new instruction methods for other cultures, and having teachers visit student’s homes, costing the state millions. Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky spends $5 million a year on the ESL program. Bowling Green spends about $500,000 a year on ESL; in 2003 it received $1.3 million under the No Child Left Behind Act.
It's one thing to be told to learn a language because you're going to be transfered overseas for work. It's quite another to be told you should learn a foreign language because so many people who speak that language have moved into your neighborhood (metaphorically speaking).
I mean, really, how hard is it to at least carry around a Spanish to English dictionary.
There's nothing like a trail of blood to find your way back home.--Nikki Sixx
It may be hard for someone starting out in a new country, but just by being immersed in the language a person should be able to pick it up. i went to Switzerland without having had any German classes, but i was still able to pick-up a few basic phrases and i was only there for ten days, not to mention i was with a group of Americans who only spoke English. The only reason people aren't learning the language is because they are not choosing to. They are not choosing to become immersed and speak English at home and at work/school. Instead the Latinos who can't speak English usually hang out with other Latinos and only speak Spanish. i don't think they are even trying.
People in the United States shouldn't be forced to learn English. They're going to learn it anyways because of the large English-speaking population here, so spending federal money or other resources on ensuring English proficiency in immigrants is like wasting money or time making sure that rain still falls down.
As a descendent of Italian immigrants to the U.S., I'm disappointed to not know Italian. Do you want to know why I don't know Italian? Probably because of people who said, "We only speak English here" made them ashamed of their native language.
Americans should be proud of their multicultural roots and encouraged to practice and maintain their native language. Sadly, being American has tended to mean "fitting in" and sacrificing native languages and food for the poor substitute of English and hot dogs. Rather, we should embrace our roots and be proud of our multicultural beginnings.
It's america, and while there isn't a "national language".... you get the idea that there really is. just because it isnt official doesnt mean its not there ;)
learn english or get out.
Rebecca Jean