Why won't people learn to speak English ?

Toomuchstuff

Toomuchstuff

Member
Location
Wisconsin
I've always been of the thought - learn to speak the language where you live .At least the basics . I just can't imagine living in a world where you can't communicate with other people. I was at the humane society today when a spanish lady and her little son walked in with a sick duck. ( Yes - a duck ! LOL ) She couldn't speak English , so the people at the desk had to scramble to find someone who could communicate with her. It took quite awhile . I wish we could have talked together ! Her and her son seemed like wonderful people . Way back when I was in school, alot of my friends had parents that were immigrants and they couldn't speak the language. Their kids learned english in school and taught them enough to get by.

I remember seeing people with interpreters in doctors offices . I also remember thinking , what if they spoke some obscure language and they couldn't find a translator ? I can't fathom having a medical emergency and not being able to explain to anyone what is wrong.

I'm not writing this to bash any one or sound racist . Today just got me to thinking how terrified I'd be if I lived in a place that I didn't know how to communicate.
 

I once worked at a job where there were many Spanish speaking co-workers. All spoke English but some seemed to be of the notion that We should learn Spanish to accomidate them, not the other way around. One woman seemed proud of the fact that her parents lived in this country for over 25 years and barely knew English and did not want to seem to learn it.
With all the ESL classes there are around today there is no excuse to not learn. Had another coworker, same place, who was German. Had lived here about 10=15 years. Spoke English very well. She told me that she taught herself by buying children's books, with words and pictures and by putting her TV in closed caption mode. Both her children were bi-lingual (both born here) but in the home, the primary language was English, because this is where they live now
 
I, too, would be afraid to live somewhere where I could not communicate because of a language barrier. I have thought that if I am going to another country I would learn as much of the language as I could. I knew a woman who couldn't speak English very well and was in this country most of her life and that was a very long time. Her daughter even spoke to her in the mother's language. I thought the daughter could have encouraged her to speak English but after the woman died the daughter said she missed speaking to her mother in the other language because it kept her skill of the foreign language fresh.
 

Toomuchstuff said:
I've always been of the thought - learn to speak the language where you live .At least the basics . I just can't imagine living in a world where you can't communicate with other people. I was at the humane society today when a spanish lady and her little son walked in with a sick duck. ( Yes - a duck ! LOL ) She couldn't speak English , so the people at the desk had to scramble to find someone who could communicate with her. It took quite awhile . I wish we could have talked together ! Her and her son seemed like wonderful people . Way back when I was in school, alot of my friends had parents that were immigrants and they couldn't speak the language. Their kids learned english in school and taught them enough to get by.

I remember seeing people with interpreters in doctors offices . I also remember thinking , what if they spoke some obscure language and they couldn't find a translator ? I can't fathom having a medical emergency and not being able to explain to anyone what is wrong.

I'm not writing this to bash any one or sound racist . Today just got me to thinking how terrified I'd be if I lived in a place that I didn't know how to communicate.
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We see a longterm language barrier among some immigrants here in Canada also, but usually only among those who arrived at a later time in their lives. Most people make every effort to learn French/English depending on where they live.
 
I don't know, unless it's connected to this 'everybody's own culture' stuff.
It reminds me of a long-ago friend whose parents were immigrants- she told me her kids had to learn Spanish in school, because it wasn't spoken at home.
 
The INS used to give classes in utilitarian English for free to all immigrants who applied for citizenship. Elective driving lessons were also available at no charge. Applicants still had to go to the DMV to obtain a license; the driving lessons were for practice and an introduction to the laws of the road. Civics classes that explained how the government works, how to register to vote, and how to use an election ballot were mandatory, and also free.

Last time I checked, these valuable classes were no longer offered free of charge as part of the immigration process. I wish they would come back.

an aside: it costs over $700 to apply for citizenship.
 
I think most immigrants to the U.S. do try to learn English. But, English is a difficult language to learn, especially for older folks. I suspect that the lady in question will eventually pick it up, especially living in Wisconsin. Here in Southern California, finding a Spanish speaker would be no problema. There are communities where it is the main language. And, there are plenty of radio and TV channels in Spanish. When I shop at Home Depot, the overhead signs are in both English and Spanish.

I have worked with many Hispanic people, and some of them were kind enough to try to teach me their language, with little success. All of them spoke perfect English. A sweet little lady from Columbia even gave me a Spanish/English dictionary. I am still working on it.

The English language is like a sponge. It soaks up other languages. So, it's a weird mixture. There is something called Spanglish, a blend of Spanish and English. It's kind of a stepping stone between languages.

My next door neighbors are from Kenya, and their native language is Swahili. Other neighbors are from India, Viet Nam, Guatemala, and Germany. My mailman is Filipino. He can probably speak Tagalog and Spanish. But, they all speak English.

Don
 
Grampa Don said:
I think most immigrants to the U.S. do try to learn English. But, English is a difficult language to learn, especially for older folks. I suspect that the lady in question will eventually pick it up, especially living in Wisconsin. Here in Southern California, finding a Spanish speaker would be no problema. There are communities where it is the main language. And, there are plenty of radio and TV channels in Spanish. When I shop at Home Depot, the overhead signs are in both English and Spanish.

I have worked with many Hispanic people, and some of them were kind enough to try to teach me their language, with little success. All of them spoke perfect English. A sweet little lady from Columbia even gave me a Spanish/English dictionary. I am still working on it.

The English language is like a sponge. It soaks up other languages. So, it's a weird mixture. There is something called Spanglish, a blend of Spanish and English. It's kind of a stepping stone between languages.

My next door neighbors are from Kenya, and their native language is Swahili. Other neighbors are from India, Viet Nam, Guatemala, and Germany. My mailman is Filipino. He can probably speak Tagalog and Spanish. But, they all speak English.

Don
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Your comment about Spanglish reminded me of when one of my kids was little- one word he came up with (for feline animals) was "Kittygato."
When we went back East, where almost nobody spoke/understood Spanish, they were kinda surprised by the way he blended the languages. :)
 
I worked and lived overseas several years and I'm sure the locals were probably thinking the same thing of foreigners to their country,......"they're here why in the hell don't they learn to speak our language ?"

It's a two way street.
 
The old timers in my family could speak English but they pretended not to understand when it suited them. They also spoke their native language when they wanted to talk privately.

When I used to vacation in French speaking parts of Canada I noticed that people would be friendly and helpful if I made an effort to speak my pitiful high school French but they would be more standoffish when I approached them and started conversations in English.

I think that sometimes the ugly American in us expects everyone we encounter to speak and understand English.

I would appreciate it if immigrants and permanent residents of this country would at least make an effort to speak English.

I guess it depends on whether you see America as a melting pot or a salad bowl.
 
I agree with what I was told/taught when I was a kid- that it's extremely rude for people to talk in a different language if someone who doesn't understand it is present. Two of the locals do this- yakking away in English, but when someone else shows up they lapse into Spanish. Never bothered me much, though, because if people aren't talking to me I don't pay attention to what they're saying anyway. But the old folks thought it was as rude as whispering- to intentionally exclude others.
 
It's especially annoying when these people hold service jobs and screw up your order because they don't understand English well enough to do the job they've been hired to do. I think you should learn the language of the country you live in. All of my grandparents and relatives were bilingual. It helps in life to communicate successfully with others.
 
I lived in Spain for many years...I couldn't speak a word of Spanish when I went there initially to live permanently... and I found it hard at first to learn, and I'm by no means fluent now..but I know enough to make myself understood to most Spaniards...depending on the region of course because in Spain the language varies so much that southern Spaniards ( andalucian , and Murcian) can barely if at all understand Northern Spanish ( Castillian)...Spanish language was not an option when we were at school...only French and German...so I struggled for the first few years learning Spanish from books, and English Spanish teacher, and generally in the markets and with my neighbours...


In the larger towns and tourist areas, most waiting staff etc, speak English, and so most non spanish speakers don't bother to learn any except maybe Una cerveca por favor... or "¿Donde está el baño?"


There are many Bars run by British/German and Dutch Expats...whose clientele tend to be either their own countrymen or Spanish who can speak English...

I'll never forget the day I was in an English bar owned and run by my friends, who could speak literally the most basic Spanish.. when an elderly Spanish couple came in and sat down and tried to order in Spanish, when it became clear to them they were not being understood, they completely lost their temper..shouting and ranting in Spanish to my English friends, that they had no right to be running a customer service based business without being able to understand and converse in the language of their adopted country...


They were right IMO
 
Most Spanish speaking immigrants do make an effort to learn English, it's a plus for getting ahead on the job. Of course, there is little incentive for those in farmworker jobs, as most of their fellow workers are Spanish speakers as well.
 
The mother of a friend lived in the Polish section of Cleveland. I haven't been back there for years, but at that time around the lake there were sections of the city that were inhabited by people of various nationalities, most of them there because their men worked on the boats. My friend's mother was a third-generation U.S. citizen but she didn't speak English because she never needed to learn; her life was in that part of the city and she almost never left. On those rare occasions when she needed to leave home to take care of some kind of official business, she took with her an English-speaking person from the neighborhood.
 
I can't remember buying anything in decades where the labeling or owners manual didn't have both English and Spanish. This nation has people who come from dozens of nations...speaking dozens of languages. Yet, it seems that only those coming from Spanish speaking nations are given the benefit of information in their native language. Is there some reason why only that language is deemed important??? I firmly believe that if a person wants to immigrate to another nation, one of their highest priorities should be to learn the language and try to assimilate into their new nations culture.

Years ago, when the USAF sent me to Germany, the base had German language classes, and I attended them for the first 3 or 4 months I was there. I was able to learn enough basic German to communicate with the locals, and start to get out amongst them. Over time, I began to spend much of my off duty time off base, and had a bunch of local German friends....many of them thought I was French, at first, because I spoke German with a funny accent. Learning the language allowed me to have a really great time in Europe...instead of just sitting on base and griping...like so many of our guys did because they felt like strangers over there.
 
My mother didn't speak English very well. In those days immigrant mothers didn't get out of the house much to socialize.

My father went out to work and he could speak the English language well.

I feel bad that I didn't try to help my mother learn English when I was young.

On the other hand with her speaking to me I learned two languages that I am happy about.

What is strange, is that if I have a dream with my mother in it, she speaks perfect English. I find that really odd.
 
Camper, I suspect your mother speaking perfect English in your dream, is simply because you understood her as clearly as you do English..

The funny thing is , my mother had an accent..but when I think of her I don't hear any accent.. yet I'm sure if after all these years affter her death I was to see a video of her, I'd probably pick up on her accent straight away.

I have a different accent to my daughter...but she doesn't hear it..although she does pick me up on the different pronunciation I have for English words compared to Scottish...but the accent she can't hear at all because obviously from pre birth she's never known anything different from me...
 
Interesting for me is that the English language is definitely different depending on where you live.

There are UK styles of English, Canadian, Australian, and USA English. All are somewhat different and with local expressions that do have different meanings. But close enough to get along where ever.
 
Grampa Don said:
I think most immigrants to the U.S. do try to learn English. But, English is a difficult language to learn, especially for older folks. I suspect that the lady in question will eventually pick it up, especially living in Wisconsin. Here in Southern California, finding a Spanish speaker would be no problema. There are communities where it is the main language. And, there are plenty of radio and TV channels in Spanish. When I shop at Home Depot, the overhead signs are in both English and Spanish.

I have worked with many Hispanic people, and some of them were kind enough to try to teach me their language, with little success. All of them spoke perfect English. A sweet little lady from Columbia even gave me a Spanish/English dictionary. I am still working on it.

The English language is like a sponge. It soaks up other languages. So, it's a weird mixture. There is something called Spanglish, a blend of Spanish and English. It's kind of a stepping stone between languages.

My next door neighbors are from Kenya, and their native language is Swahili. Other neighbors are from India, Viet Nam, Guatemala, and Germany. My mailman is Filipino. He can probably speak Tagalog and Spanish. But, they all speak English.

Don
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I've lived in the Southwest most of my life so it doesn't bother me. Spanglish is often the common link. It can be a challenge sometimes, especially if ordering something at a fast food establishment but we manage. I took 2 years of Spanish in high school but that was not a huge help when conversing with someone from Mexico or Central America and I am sure it's the same thing in reverse for those trying to learn English.
 
"Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning,
And the Hebrews learn it backward, which is absolutely frightening!
But use proper English, you're regarded as a freak;
Oh, why can't the English learn to speak?"

Henry Higgens
 
I come from a family of immigrants who never really had a grasp of the English language, right or wrong, I get it. My grandmother didn’t really speak English, nor any of her cousins, etc. They didn’t need to, they lived in Chicago in their own community and somehow managed. The kids would take them to the doctors offices, etc.
Even while I was working many, many years later (in healthcare), I’d see the same thing. The kids would bring their parents, grandparent, etc and be the interpreter. It is also a law (at least here in Washington State) that an interpreter would be supplied for those who didn’t grasp our language.
While I also fully support the ideal folks need to learn the language of the country they live in, I’m grateful to of been part of a family with such rich heritage.
 
Don M. said:
I can't remember buying anything in decades where the labeling or owners manual didn't have both English and Spanish. This nation has people who come from dozens of nations...speaking dozens of languages. Yet, it seems that only those coming from Spanish speaking nations are given the benefit of information in their native language. Is there some reason why only that language is deemed important??? I firmly believe that if a person wants to immigrate to another nation, one of their highest priorities should be to learn the language and try to assimilate into their new nations culture.

Years ago, when the USAF sent me to Germany, the base had German language classes, and I attended them for the first 3 or 4 months I was there. I was able to learn enough basic German to communicate with the locals, and start to get out amongst them. Over time, I began to spend much of my off duty time off base, and had a bunch of local German friends....many of them thought I was French, at first, because I spoke German with a funny accent. Learning the language allowed me to have a really great time in Europe...instead of just sitting on base and griping...like so many of our guys did because they felt like strangers over there.
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Yes. As in Canada, where the two "official languages" are English and French, America's two official languages are English and Spanish (although, not many northern states recognize Spanish as the country's second "official language").
 
Cap'nSacto said:
Yes. As in Canada, where the two "official languages" are English and French, America's two official languages are English and Spanish (although, not many northern states recognize Spanish as the country's second "official language").
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In California, and New Mexico...the Latino population is the single largest Ethnic group....Arizona and Texas are almost there. I suppose in that part of the country Spanish language is quite common. The SW is all part of the region that the Spanish organization La Raza calls Aztlan...which they feel was taken illegally from Mexico during the Spanish/American war. It appears that since there is little likelihood of "Aztlan" becoming part of Mexico, again, the tactic is to flood that region with Latino's, and create a separate "de facto" nation within the nation.
 

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