Speak English

[Joopster]

Joopster ~ I had a teacher once say we were not really a melting pot since everyone does not conform. When things are melted together it becomes one big mess and everything is the same. He said the U.S. was more of a mosaic with all our diversity. What do you think?

I can agree with that.

The term is just old and probably, as you stated, not 100% correct.

 

[ade34]

In his DEFENCE,What about when people speak a foreign language in front of someone who doesn't know the language? How's that for rude?

Hi Disney,

Now that would depend on if the other people could and chose not to speak in a language everyone present was able to understand.

Years ago my Father and I went into a pub in Wales we ordered some drinks, and everyone was talking Welsh. We thought nothing of it until after we got up and had a second drink they started speaking English! Just after the door opened a man and woman walked in they were surely strangers as the conversation switched to Welsh again.
Rude? Yes but we were in their country what could we say or do. Nothing except not give them the satisfaction of being driven out of the Public House! However if this was in England i'm sure we would of let them know how rude they were.

Now if a person is unable to understand in your own country and the only way of communicating is via the third party who is lucky enough to speak more than one language. Well this speaks for itself.

Ade

 

[ade34]

A couple of quick thoughts.

First off, anyone here that is from another country that was forced to come here is exempt. That would include slaves from the early 1500's through about 1870 or there abouts. Yall still hangin around, you are excused.

Every body else, I am assuming you CHOSE to move here. Thats nice, and we are glad you are here. Now that you have been welcomed there are a few rules we live by here. WE dont hit our wives, we dont molest our children or dogs. We have laws to govern those that have no morals....learn them. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

Learn our language. It is much easier for you to learn English than it is for 300 million of us to learn well over 1000 different languages and dialects. Hell, if you really want to know the truth, theres a bunch of us that cant even learn one really well.

Next off, get a job. I am supporting a family of my own, and am having a tough time making ends meet. So get used to the idea you will have to work. And maybe momma too.

For getting a job, we will let your kids go to our schools free of charge. At school they will learn English. And maybe some of it will rub off on you. More than likely, they will also be qualified for free insurance. Not you, but momma and the kids. You are just out of luck there, so dont smoke, do drugs, in other words stay healthy.

Now, if you can handle the responsibility of living here, we will allow you to become a citizen. But understand. That is something of great honor, to be valued as much as any other right, even more so. We expect you to live by the golden rules, helping your neighbor and your neighborhood. And pay taxes........welcome to the USA!

And if you come and work for me, yeah, I will learn some of your language, but I sure as hell will help you learn ours.

d

BTW, I turned down a free trip to Japan this year. I know that where we would be going, it is a great token of respect for your host if you know at least some basic communication skills.

And it is that knowledge of respect and the flip side, the disrespect that has people like me really up in arms against those that would attack our way of life. It is a point of great disrespect to intentionally not learn the language, and they use it as a great source of national pride. In that case, show your national pride back where you ran from, we dont want it here.

Dannyboy

I agree with what you have said here 100%

It is polite to learn a few words, it is always welcomed and if you get it wrong, yes you may be laughed at but at least it is to your face you will have tryed and you aren't just inother ignorant person passing through!

 

[jetset]

Years ago my Father and I went into a pub in Wales we ordered some drinks, and everyone was talking Welsh. We thought nothing of it until after we got up and had a second drink they started speaking English! Just after the door opened a man and woman walked in they were surely strangers as the conversation switched to Welsh again.
Rude? Yes but we were in their country what could we say or do. Nothing except not give them the satisfaction of being driven out of the Public House! However if this was in England i'm sure we would of let them know how rude they were.

Ade,
Your in WALES in a Pub with WELSH people you don't know.
How is talking in their NATIVE language in their COUNTRY Rude.

If you are unable to make your own conversation and rely on listening to the conversation of strangers.Then learn their language.

YOU contradict everything you say about people living in our country who don't speak English.

And if you want my opinion.
If you want to live in my country learn my language. If you then choose not to speak it thats up to you.
Build you churches and practise whatever religion you wish, I don't care.
Dress as you please. I do.
Obey our laws, I have to

 

[ade34]

Years ago my Father and I went into a pub in Wales we ordered some drinks, and everyone was talking Welsh. We thought nothing of it until after we got up and had a second drink they started speaking English! Just after the door opened a man and woman walked in they were surely strangers as the conversation switched to Welsh again.
Rude? Yes but we were in their country what could we say or do. Nothing except not give them the satisfaction of being driven out of the Public House! However if this was in England i'm sure we would of let them know how rude they were.

Ade,
Your in WALES in a Pub with WELSH people you don't know.
How is talking in their NATIVE language in their COUNTRY Rude.

If you are unable to make your own conversation and rely on listening to the conversation of strangers.Then learn their language.

YOU contradict everything you say about people living in our country who don't speak English.

And if you want my opinion.
If you want to live in my country learn my language. If you then choose not to speak it thats up to you.
Build you churches and practise whatever religion you wish, I don't care.
Dress as you please. I do.
Obey our laws, I have to

Jetset,

Why did i see this as rude? It wasn't the fact they spoke Welsh, it was the way they switched between English and Welsh to make 'new' customers feel unwelcome.
And to this day i still hold true to that opinion.

As for the way you see things, I do see where you come from, but I still think what is the harm in helping someone who is unable to use the language you use?

Stay safe, hope to speak soon.
Ade

 

[DS]

Maybe Tie can give me the answer to this one.
You del to a resi,sig req`d,and the person speaks absolutely
no English at all.The address on the pkg has no name,
just the address.You use sign language to get them to
sign.What do you type in the board as a sig clarification.
I usually type in whatever seems relavent at the time...
like nospeakadaenglish,or nounnastanda,illiteratemoron.
Whats the proper procedure?

 

[rushfan]

I had an interesting experience: I speak spanish fluently, my ancestors are from England and Denmark. One day, I went into a business who has a help counter for english speakers and spanish speakers. No one was in the spanish speaking line so I went there. The person behind the counter was peaved that I went to that line and spoke about my problem in spanish.

 

[STLFeeder]

I have to believe those that imigrate here from Mexico would like to speak english. Mexico has made spanish its official Language, and outlawed any school from teaching any other language. They also will not give a non citizen and kind of state aid or health care.

If they could of learned English in their country when they were childre, I believe they would have. It is hard to learn a different language as an adult. I know many people who immigrated here from Mexico and other countries who are doing their best to learn our Language to make their lives a little easier.

 

[clancemandoo]

Tell me 'The Traveler', if you were to move to a differant country wouldn't it be easier for you to learn that language than to have the people who are native to that country learn yours so they can accomodate you. The US is being invaded by millions of illegal aliens who can not speak the language and have no intention of learning it. When that happens in the UK maybe your opinion will change some.

 

[solitarysiren]

My blood is boiling as I'm reading these posts. I understand the sentiment that immigrants to a new country should learn the language. It's a matter of survival. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Develpmentally speaking, it is incredibly more difficult for adults to learn a new language. It's not by choice that older immigrants have great difficulty learning English. Their children attend American schools and are placed in a very difficult position. They become the link between their old way of life and the new. This is something that is nearly impossible to understand unless one has been in this situation.

What angers me the most about the "everyone-should-speak-English-or-bear-the-stigma-of-'illiteratemoron'" mentality is that I only hear it from people who have never been outside of the country, let alone their own state. Judgments such as this are easy to make when you are always in your comfort zone.

My parents were illegal immigrants. They came in search of a better life. They were never on welfare. They found honest work. Yes, they were janitors. My dad was always very proud that he did everything honestly. Yes,they both learned English, reaching native fluency. Despite that, there was still plenty of discrimination to be found simply because he didn't 'look' American or because of his accent.

I was born in Los Angeles and raised in the U.S. all my life. I grew up in that cultural limbo, at times playing interpreter for various family members and friends. I am more than happy to help out strangers when the need arises. I help people willingly because I know some of the difficulties that my parents went through. I know some of the obstacles that they overcame. I also know that my parents arent' the only ones to have experienced this, nor am I the first generation to bridge two vastly different worlds.

I have learned three other languages to date: French, German, and Hebrew. I have traveled abroad alone and gained first hand experience what it is like to have to fend for yourself with limited working knowledge of the language. This was not a life or death situation for me. I didn't flee my home land to escape tyranny, poverty, or despair. I even had the luxury of learning enough of the language to get by on my own. Nevertheless, living in a foreign land starting from scratch is perhaps one of the scariest things to do. You cannot understand that until you experience it for yourself.

I guess my point in all this is that people have no compassion for anything that they don't understand. The world isn't black and white. There is so much for people to learn from one another, but we're too busy nitpicking at the irrelevant details that all we do is put up walls and create voluntary enemies.

But hey, to each their own, right? My little tyrade won't change anyone's mind or create a revolution, but I'm free to say it, right? Well, I have my parents to thank for that.