Why should we learn spanish in the USA

[DrPizza]

Why is it expected that many of us learn a second language - solely so we can speak to other citizens in our country who can't speak English?!

Prompted in response to this thread.

I have absolutely nothing against learning a foreign language... I took several semesters of Spanish and a year of French. I think it's great that everyone should learn a foreign language, especially children. But, it seems that eventually, a rift is going to develop in our country between the Spanish speaking segment and English speaking segment. Will we one day develop a kind of country within a country mentality, much like Quebec in Canada?

Also, no one seems to disagree that Spanish is a "foreign" language... thus, it's NOT an alternative primary language in the U.S. A common language or learning the common language is what bound together the collection of all the different immigrants over the last centuries. Why do we make the latest wave of immigrants to be deserving of special treatments which perpetuate the non-necessity of learning English?

*sigh* not meant to be flame-bait, I hope you guys aren't in a flaming mood.

 

[Mo0o]

I agree that we shouldn't be forced to learn Spanish as a second language , but it doesn't hurt to know it anyways. Having a little booklet at a Sonic isn't going to destroy our culture, but ill definitely protest if we ever tried to impliment spanish as requried curriculum in our schools.

 

[FoBoT]

knowledge is power

i see no problem with everyone learning both. if i had time to do it i would like to learn some spanish

 

[anxi80]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
I agree that we shouldn't be forced to learn Spanish as a second language , but it doesn't hurt to know it anyways. Having a little booklet at a Sonic isn't going to destroy our culture, but ill definitely protest if we ever tried to impliment spanish as requried curriculum in our schools.

well put. i mean, its been this way for awhile now. so why now to make a fuss about it? its not like its destroying our culture or anything. but i understand spanish, so my opinion may be a little biased.

 

[b0mbrman]

I want to learn Spanish (wait, already did in high school) but you're right that we shouldn't be forced to.

Wait, a better way to word it would be that funds that might be spent by the government on forcing us to learn Spanish should be diverted to teaching immigrants English.

 

[FleshLight]

Where in the US do we need spanish to communicate? I can be in Hispanoblante capitol of the world East LA and everyone still understands a bit of english.

 

[PoPPeR]

what are you referring to here; requirements to take foreign languages in high school & college, or the expectation to know another language for things like jobs and such.

If its for high school/college, I think it's more of a learning device than it is actually wanting you to learn a second language. Like math; everyone always asks why do we have to learn math when you never use any of it. Well its a way of testing problem solving skills and develop your ability to think. I think of foreign languages in school as the same way. They really dont expect you to be fluent in the language even after 4 years of it at high school + 1 or 2 classes at college.

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Why is it expected that many of us learn a second language - solely so we can speak to other citizens in our country who can't speak English?!

Prompted in response to this thread.

I have absolutely nothing against learning a foreign language... I took several semesters of Spanish and a year of French. I think it's great that everyone should learn a foreign language, especially children. But, it seems that eventually, a rift is going to develop in our country between the Spanish speaking segment and English speaking segment. Will we one day develop a kind of country within a country mentality, much like Quebec in Canada?

Also, no one seems to disagree that Spanish is a "foreign" language... thus, it's NOT an alternative primary language in the U.S. A common language or learning the common language is what bound together the collection of all the different immigrants over the last centuries. Why do we make the latest wave of immigrants to be deserving of special treatments which perpetuate the non-necessity of learning English?

*sigh* not meant to be flame-bait, I hope you guys aren't in a flaming mood.

I don't understand who "expects" anyone to learn Spanish?

 

[Ronstang]

If people want to come live in this country they need to learn English...it is that simple. All the discussion about this topic is useless because the answer is simple. No other country would accept you not speaking their native language if you want to get along there so why should the US be expected to constantly cater to people too lazy to learn English? It shouldn't.

 

[Descartes]

Spanish speaking peoples are so great in number in areas that you simply haven't any choice. They bring their families to the US and remain bastions of Mexico refusing to assimilate.

When my grandfather and his family immigrated to the US from Germany they had two mentalities: Those that saw Deutschland as the fatherland, and their visit to the US as exile; those that wishes to become a "real" American. You can imagine the rift between the two respective groups, and those that wished to remain Germans in America rather than German-Americans still remain in a town of mostly Germans.

Anyway, the point is that I can understand the plight. How do you remain Mexican, Spanish, German, or even English in another country? If you immigrate in exceptionally small numbers you really haven't much choice, but given the great number of mostly Mexican communities they largely haven't any need to learn English. Would you?

My tupence.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
If people want to come live in this country they need to learn English...it is that simple. All the discussion about this topic is useless because the answer is simple. No other country would accept you not speaking their native language if you want to get along there so why should the US be expected to constantly cater to people too lazy to learn English? It shouldn't.

But most countries dont have the rate immigration we do. Obviously in an ideal world every immigrant that comes in will be speaking fluent english in 6 months, but in some areas of teh country that simply isn't possible. So it's either cater to them by translating signs and the such or completely ostracize them. And in a capitalistic society as ours, i doubt any business wants to exclude anyone.

 

[Cobalt]

I have no problem learning another language; however, we shouldn't be bending over backwards because Mexican immigrants refuse to learn English.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
If people want to come live in this country they need to learn English...it is that simple. All the discussion about this topic is useless because the answer is simple. No other country would accept you not speaking their native language if you want to get along there so why should the US be expected to constantly cater to people too lazy to learn English? It shouldn't.

Too lazy? Try living below the poverty line, immigrating to another country, and then finding the resources to learn the native language. Many of the Mexican immigrants are already working illegally. How the hell do you expect them to learn? They barely make enough money to support themselves, and the rest is sent back home.

 

[AnyMal]

I thought the whole idea behind United States and the reason why this country exists in the first place so that people can come here and live without fear of being persecuted and discriminated against, regardless of their ethnic, religious, or political background. That includes speaking the language of their choice.

Nowhere can I find a reference to English having a constitutional monopoly over other languages.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: Ronstang
If people want to come live in this country they need to learn English...it is that simple. All the discussion about this topic is useless because the answer is simple. No other country would accept you not speaking their native language if you want to get along there so why should the US be expected to constantly cater to people too lazy to learn English? It shouldn't.

But most countries dont have the rate immigration we do. Obviously in an ideal world every immigrant that comes in will be speaking fluent english in 6 months, but in some areas of teh country that simply isn't possible. So it's either cater to them by translating signs and the such or completely ostracize them. And in a capitalistic society as ours, i doubt any business wants to exclude anyone.

100% correct.

 

[elmer92413]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Spanish speaking peoples are so great in number in areas that you simply haven't any choice. They bring their families to the US and remain bastions of Mexico refusing to assimilate.

When my grandfather and his family immigrated to the US from Germany they had two mentalities: Those that saw Deutschland as the fatherland, and their visit to the US as exile; those that wishes to become a "real" American. You can imagine the rift between the two respective groups, and those that wished to remain Germans in America rather than German-Americans still remain in a town of mostly Germans.

Anyway, the point is that I can understand the plight. How do you remain Mexican, Spanish, German, or even English in another country? If you immigrate in exceptionally small numbers you really haven't much choice, but given the great number of mostly Mexican communities they largely haven't any need to learn English. Would you?

My tupence.

Invasion...
...
If you come to this country you are American...
Not African-American...
Not German-American...
Not Asian-American...
Americans...!!!
And until people relize this there will always be racism...
And questions like this...

 

This is going to be a thread full of flames and pompous ignorance.

America is one of the few countries that rejects learning the cultures of other countries in the world. Then bitches when other cultures don't conform to it's ways.

 

[mwtgg]

Originally posted by: cobalt
I have no problem learning another language; however, we shouldn't be bending over backwards because Mexican immigrants refuse to learn English.

Winner.

 

[artikk]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
knowledge is power

i see no problem with everyone learning both. if i had time to do it i would like to learn some spanish

We should learn second languages to understand others and so they could understand us.
However, I learned English in US but i don't require americans to learn russian though.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: elmer92413

Originally posted by: Descartes
Spanish speaking peoples are so great in number in areas that you simply haven't any choice. They bring their families to the US and remain bastions of Mexico refusing to assimilate.

When my grandfather and his family immigrated to the US from Germany they had two mentalities: Those that saw Deutschland as the fatherland, and their visit to the US as exile; those that wishes to become a "real" American. You can imagine the rift between the two respective groups, and those that wished to remain Germans in America rather than German-Americans still remain in a town of mostly Germans.

Anyway, the point is that I can understand the plight. How do you remain Mexican, Spanish, German, or even English in another country? If you immigrate in exceptionally small numbers you really haven't much choice, but given the great number of mostly Mexican communities they largely haven't any need to learn English. Would you?

My tupence.

Invasion...
...
If you come to this country you are American...
Not African-American...
Not German-American...
Not Asian-American...
Americans...!!!
And until people relize this there will always be racism...
And questions like this...

Huh? Sorry, but the idea of a societal melting pot is rather nascent compared to the millions of years we spent in relatively isomorphic units (e.g. tribal, chiefdoms, whatever). I see nationalism (in the non-political sense) as a mere manifestation of this.

I've never immigrated, so I have to give credence where its due; it's not easy to trade all that your family has known for centuries for another. All I am saying is I can empathize with the plight of retaining one's identity.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: SampSon
This is going to be a thread full of flames and pompous ignorance.

...

America is one of the few countries that rejects learning the cultures of other countries in the world. Then bitches when other cultures don't conform to it's ways.

You're right

 

[Baked]

Because, you fool, if you know what the hell they're talking about, you can diss them back and pwned their ass in their own language.

 

[yllus]

I think that a good amount of people boil it down to 'racism' without thinking about the issue in a larger context.

Language is a very strong part of any culture. You could argue that the mass immigration that America is apparently recieving seems to have led to a considerable replacement of 'American' culture in some regions of the country. I also tend to consider immigrant communities that do not try to tie into the rest of the country as detrimental as a whole - in my opinion often quite insular and racist. Multicultural societies like those in Canada and the U.S. do respect all cultures, but it's only reasonable to require one dominant language of communication throughout the nation.

You can draw some parallel with the measures France is taking in recent times against dark-skinned, Muslim Moroccan immigrants. You have a mass amount of migrants who have little interest in learning the history, culture or language of the land - and then slowly start an inexorable climb towards becoming a majority. What is to become of the prized French roots and history? Is today's Frenchman supposed to just let all of that wash away over time? The solution isn't reactionary laws like some they've enacted, but they do have a valid concern for the country they know and love.

What I do know, though, is all-Spanish signs or other documentation in the U.S. aren't a good thing. They're divisive and isolating. Are these people expected to never leave that portion of the country? Rather short-sighted if you ask me.

 

[Ornery]

Some of us (red state voters) are trying like crazy to make English the official language. Tell your nitwit blue state leaders to get with the damn program!

 

[paulney]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Some of us (red state voters) are trying like crazy to make English the official language. Tell your nitwit blue state leaders to get with the damn program!

:thumbsup: