If you were stuck in a country for 25 years...

[alkemyst]

I agree with much of this, but requiring someone to become a citizen if on a green card is BS. If they're paying taxes and whatever it really makes no difference. The only difference between green card and citizenship is the right to vote (Fed). That should be the real impetus to take up citizenship.

On top of that, some countries do not allow dual citizenship. I see no reason why someone should be forced to give up their native citizenship simply b/c the US requires them to do that at no greater benefit for the US or for the individual,

I call that malarkey.

Speaking the language, though...that's completely different.

QFT...my wife has no desire to give up her Japanese citizenship.

However, she learned our language and even took a year of extra classes once here.

It's BS that we have to deal with spanish and creole down here.

 

[Nintendesert]

By only speaking to your kids in Spanish and having them translate everything to everyone for you while you live in an isolated world you created for yourself because you're to scared or intimidated to learn English.

Their grammar is probably as good as yours.

 

[fatpat268]

I managed to learn a majority of a language in a month.

But, I had a lot of help. I was ~8 years old, and I moved to germany with my mom for a little over a year when my dad was deployed to S.Korea for a year. My mom and grandparents taught me nearly everything.

That's not to say I didn't have difficulties. I didn't go to an american school in germany, I went to a german school. I was pretty overwhelmed with everything because I started school two weeks after I arrived. It's pretty remarkable now that I think about it, and I'm not sure if I could do it again. Me being young at the time probably helped.

 

[nageov3t]

It's BS that we have to deal with spanish and creole down here.

take your business elsewhere?

 

[AstroManLuca]

I spent a year in China in 2006-07 and I never got very good at speaking Chinese. And forget about reading or writing.

Then again, I had a lot of friends who knew it better than I did and could cover for me; meanwhile, a lot of the Chinese people I knew had pretty good English.

If I was truly on my own and I had more time I'd probably get better at it, but I've always been horrible with languages. I've forgotten most of the Chinese I knew when I was there. I do remember how to pronounce it though, I just don't remember most of the vocabulary.

Actually, that's always been the most difficult part of learning a language for me. I can remember grammar rules for Chinese and Spanish years after having spoken either language, but I was never good at remembering vocabulary words in either one and I'm even worse now.

 

[zokudu]

Why would they get angry? Nothing I said was hateful or disrespectful.

Because people get all upset when you bring up the idea of illegals.

 

[guyver01]

HELL NO!

I would form a group of others like me, and insist that the government force everyone to learn my language, or hire others from my country to talk to me when i call any business i want to deal with. If they don't, i'll go on the local news and tell everyone they're being insensitive to foreigners, and that's why their economy is collapsing.

 

[zinfamous]

haha, yeah ^ (at astromanluca--damn you people for posting too fast!)

one thing that is tough for a native English speaker trying to learn another language is that while living abroad, everyone else wants to improve their English ( I say improve, b/c most have some grasp, or at the very least a desire to learn it). So you are then seen as their resource to learn English, and they only ever want to speak English with you.

:\

 

[Lummex]

Of course. This happens in a shorter amount of time than 25 years. I'm going to the peace corp, and so I've talked to people in the peace corp. They are fluent within the two years in their respective countries.

 

[lord_emperor]

25 years? Yes. If there is really no english translator readily available I give it less than one year for any european language, more for others.

This thread makes me remember how stupid it was forcing high school students into mandatory language classes. There is no way you can learn a new language in three years by being "taught" 2 hours per day. The level of mastery comes down to:

"I like your blue shirt."

"Please call a doctor, I have diarrhea."

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

If I was stuck in a country for 3 years I'd make it a point to learn the language.

 

[zinfamous]

HELL NO!

I would form a group of others like me, and insist that the government force everyone to learn my language, or hire others from my country to talk to me when i call any business i want to deal with. If they don't, i'll go on the local news and tell everyone they're being insensitive to foreigners, and that's why their economy is collapsing.

This is the sum-total of "Russian discrimination" in the Baltic states.

:sneaky:

 

[nageov3t]

25 years? Yes. If there is really no english translator readily available I give it less than one year for any european language, more for others.

This thread makes me remember how stupid it was forcing high school students into mandatory language classes. There is no way you can learn a new language in three years by being "taught" 2 hours per day. The level of mastery comes down to:

"I like your blue shirt."

"Please call a doctor, I have diarrhea."

it's up to the students how much they take out of it.

I took 2 years of French in high school and 2 years of Spanish in college.

if I found myself stranded in Paris or Los Angeles, I could do the important stuff like order food to keep myself from starving and ask/understand directions.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

25 years? Yes. If there is really no english translator readily available I give it less than one year for any european language, more for others.

This thread makes me remember how stupid it was forcing high school students into mandatory language classes. There is no way you can learn a new language in three years by being "taught" 2 hours per day. The level of mastery comes down to:

"I like your blue shirt."

"Please call a doctor, I have diarrhea."

Even with not gaining any sort of usable language out of it, I still think it's good to take some foreign language classes. You get a start towards learning the language and gives some general language learning skills one wouldn't otherwise appreciate.

 

[fatpat268]

25 years? Yes. If there is really no english translator readily available I give it less than one year for any european language, more for others.

This thread makes me remember how stupid it was forcing high school students into mandatory language classes. There is no way you can learn a new language in three years by being "taught" 2 hours per day. The level of mastery comes down to:

"I like your blue shirt."

"Please call a doctor, I have diarrhea."

Yea, I ended up taking german classes in high school, and it never transitioned past what a 5 year old could say. The only ones that finished with some fluency were the ones that already had at least a basic grasp of the language.

 

[bfdd]

Their grammar is probably as good as yours.

derp a der nice one cowboy

 

[bfdd]

it's up to the students how much they take out of it.

I took 2 years of French in high school and 2 years of Spanish in college.

if I found myself stranded in Paris or Los Angeles, I could do the important stuff like order food to keep myself from starving and ask/understand directions.

I don't speak Spanish and I get around Los Angeles just fine. My whole life in fact.

 

[KMFJD]

Came to Canada not knowing a word of english and learned it very quickly, french however was an entirely different matter, never retained any of it despite 12 years of it in school.

 

[MotionMan]

If you were stuck in a country for a quarter century, and you had no access to your native language whatsoever, do you think you'd eventually learn the local language? Not just memorize a few mispronounced words here and there, but actually hold fluent conversations?

Apparently, this is not possible to do in Southern California.

MotionMan

 

[sandorski]

If I had to, ya. If not(large English speaking community), maybe, maybe not.

 

[zinfamous]

25 years? Yes. If there is really no english translator readily available I give it less than one year for any european language, more for others.

This thread makes me remember how stupid it was forcing high school students into mandatory language classes. There is no way you can learn a new language in three years by being "taught" 2 hours per day. The level of mastery comes down to:

"I like your blue shirt."

"Please call a doctor, I have diarrhea."

After my 2 years of High School Japanese, 12 years ago, this is my mastery:

"I understand Japanese very little, please treat me nicely!"

 

[sjwaste]

Fuck that. If you come to the US on a green card, after 5 years you should be REQUIRED to apply for citizenship...and be required to pass the test and become a citizen by 7-10 years. If you don't want to be a US citizen, why the fuck are you here? We're not the "jobs store."

Are you serious? People on green cards are people who pay the same taxes as you, but with far less rights. If they don't want to become citizens, who gives a shit?

A green card is not the same as coming in illegally, or overstaying a visa, and working under the table. A green card basically gives you all of the obligations of a citizen without all of the rights that come with it.

 

[bfdd]

After my 2 years of High School Japanese, 12 years ago, this is my mastery:

"I understand Japanese very little, please treat me nicely!"

I have like 2 1/2 years of Japanese under my belt and the more I learned the more I realized that language sucks. I retained enough to let them know I don't speak Japanese and to ask if they or anyone else speaks English. Also where to find prostitutes as I figure that one would probably be important if I ever went to Japan.

 

[Scotteq]

I have like 2 1/2 years of Japanese under my belt and the more I learned the more I realized that language sucks. I retained enough to let them know I don't speak Japanese and to ask if they or anyone else speaks English. Also where to find prostitutes as I figure that one would probably be important if I ever went to Japan.

My experience in Japan would indicate that visitations to/with Prostitutes are not necessary. There are enough willing women available.

 

[zerocool84]

I worked in Mexico aka Home Depot for a few years and learned how to speak perfect Spanish within the first year I worked there. I'd imagine living in a different country you'd have to learn the language. My brother moved to Tokyo 3 years go and speaks pretty damn good Japanese now.