No English Required

kidzndogznme

A closed mouth gathers no foot
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This is crap, IMHO. An airport in Texas was going to implement a requirement that all their workers speak fluent English. They were even going to offer a free course to help people who weren't fluent. Then some PC guy said it was racist and they have decided not to pursue this requirement further. I say this is our country and we are an English speaking country. I know there is no "official" language but we are, "unofficially" an English speaking society. What a bunch o crap. I am sick of walking on eggshells, lest some poor thin-skinned milkatoast be offended. Boo hoo.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,235778,00.html
 
hhhmm..... is this the new citizenship test for the USA.....???
 
reb said:
hhhmm..... is this the new citizenship test for the USA.....???

It certainly should be! I would never think of taking up residence in Mexico or France or Germany, AND EXPECTING EMPLOYMENT THERE without first learning their language! Nor would I expect to vote or drive on their roads without first EARNING THAT PRIVILEGE by learning their language fluently.

We should demand the same in our country.
 
Pepper said:
It certainly should be! I would never think of taking up residence in Mexico or France or Germany, AND EXPECTING EMPLOYMENT THERE without first learning their language! Nor would I expect to vote or drive on their roads without first EARNING THAT PRIVILEGE by learning their language fluently.

We should demand the same in our country.

If your requirement has been in place in the past, Pepper, we would have 3 groups of people in this country: the English and their descendants, the descendants of black slaves and (a few) Native Americans. Maybe a few Latinos, but most of them might have been forcibly exiled to Mexico.

The USA would be a poorer, and certainly duller, place.

Learning a language takes years. Few immigrants could or can wait that long to earn a living.
 
hey guys, that was a joke-- i was asking if "NO ENGLISH REQUIRED" was the new citizenship test for the US..... lol
 
windovervocalcords-- i think it's too late and now we're too scared to... at this point it would probably cause race/ethnic/religious riots... and most of our armed forces are in iraq.. it would be quite a mess. plus the govt would have to deal with thousands of lawsuits from offended people...
 
Nova said:
If your requirement has been in place in the past, Pepper, we would have 3 groups of people in this country: the English and their descendants, the descendants of black slaves and (a few) Native Americans. Maybe a few Latinos, but most of them might have been forcibly exiled to Mexico.

The USA would be a poorer, and certainly duller, place.

Learning a language takes years. Few immigrants could or can wait that long to earn a living.
Nova, from past posts, if I remember, you left South Florida years before I did. Miami became so multi-cultural that English was demoted to third place. I couldn't go down town to shop without being addressed first in Spanish. I had to enforce an English for Business in my office. Out side of a few phrases and words, I couldn't speak Spanish and I had no clue if business was being handled or it was idle chit chat. I was told repeatedly to go back where I came from, this was their town now and I had no place there. Then we had a massive influx of Haitians. Creole spoken with no knowledge of English or for that matter, even Spanish. But, given all that, at least they found jobs. They did yard work, washed dishes, bussed tables, mopped floors and some slowly learned English. Miami is vulnerable because of its tropical climate, so much like what they had back at home. They feel comfortable. Comfort can create arrogance and perceived entitlement.

Now, me not speaking Spanish well, but traveling to Texas and lost in an airport, I'd like to be able to ask directions and have it understood so that I get help. Same for a hospital. My mother's nurses at one rehab center spoke only Creole and they kept moving her leg after a hip operation. She told them to stop, but not understanding what she said, it caused her to come "unhooked" and required another surgery to correct it. On the other hand, when I travel outside the US and English is not spoken as a rule, I don't expect someone to speak it to accomodate me. I make an effort and have gotten along pretty well considering. Just knowing how hard I am trying, if someone speaks English they came over to help.

I wanted to take Spanish in school, but my mother insisted I have four years of Latin. It does allow me to understand by reading some words of a romance language.
 
BarnGoddess said:
Nova, from past posts, if I remember, you left South Florida years before I did...

BG, I left South Florida in 1977... And moved to Manhattan! Then I moved to Southern California in 1985. I now live about 100 miles from Mexico.

Trust me, I know a little about linguistically diverse communities.

For better or worse, English is the closest thing this world has to a universal language. I have no problem with airport workers who deal with the public being required to speak it reasonably well.

I was only responding to the notion that immigrants be required to learn English before they are allowed to work anywhere. That could work only if all immigrants were highly cosmopolitan and highly educated.
 
...than you ever will...

My "immigrant" grandparents on my Dad's side spoke, wrote and read the following languages:

Armenian, Turkish, Arabic, English, and French... (also, some Russian) I have a copy of my Grandfather's rare2 volume set of "Les Miserables" that is in both French and Armenian...not bad for a guy whose parents were farmers in the Caucusus mountains...

On my Mom's side: German, Polish, Russian, Yiddish, and English

Most Americans whose families have been here for hundreds of years don't even have a decent grasp of English...

I speak, read and write, English and French fluently, and know something in the following languages: Russian, Armenian, Polish, German, and Italian...

So, just knock off the bashing of the immigrants who don't speak English very well crap; I'm really getting sick of it...
 
cappuccina said:
...than you ever will...

My "immigrant" grandparents on my Dad's side spoke, wrote and read the following languages:

Armenian, Turkish, Arabic, English, and French... (also, some Russian) I have a copy of my Grandfather's rare2 volume set of "Les Miserables" that is in both French and Armenian...not bad for a guy whose parents were farmers in the Caucusus mountains...

On my Mom's side: German, Polish, Russian, Yiddish, and English

Most Americans whose families have been here for hundreds of years don't even have a decent grasp of English...

I speak, read and write, English and French fluently, and know something in the following languages: Russian, Armenian, Polish, German, and Italian...

So, just knock off the bashing of the immigrants who don't speak English very well crap; I'm really getting sick of it...
It used to be that getting a good education involved learning a second language. Now we are so arrogant that we are offended that we may need to learn more than one language in our country in order to meet the needs of all of our citizens.

I wish I had taken spanish instead of latin. (forgive me dear Catholics)
 
...truthfully, most of the people that you folks are damning, speak more languages... than you ever will...

Word.
 
windovervocalcords said:
Have we made english the officical language?
In an English speaking country, why not?

I think the least they can do is try and string a few words together, I would do the same if I lived in a country where English wasn't the first language.

I must be racist, funny I don't feel racist lol

I couldnt even grasp French, lucky I like living in a country where most everyone talks English!
 
another huge point to this whole thing-- isn't it a SECURITY ISSUE that everyone be able to speak english AT AN AIRPORT......????
 
windovervocalcords said:
I wish I had taken spanish instead of latin. (forgive me dear Catholics)

BG and wind, it's not too late. It's a beautiful language.

And they say learning a new language is one way to postpone the mental slowing associated with aging. (Not saying you guys are old. Just saying.)
 
narlacat said:
I think the least they can do is try and string a few words together, I would do the same if I lived in a country where English wasn't the first language.

Nearly all immigrants do try and most do learn quite a bit. Every once in awhile a son or daughter of immigrants (usually Chicanos) decides to speak only the parents' tongue. And it gets a lot of press here. Then economic reality sets in and the kid goes back to speaking English.
 
They say to keep your mind active as you get older, it doesn't have to be that you learn a new language..
 
America is a land of great opportunity for many. Some that are serious about becomeing citizens and becomeing "one of us" if you will, will get around to learning the language. I hope anyways.

Just an aside. The 1st perdiatrician my kids saw was from Africa. I honestly don't know if it was the meds or what but I could not understand her. I think it is great she could come here and make a good life for herself and have a medical practice but how far can her career go if there is such a language barrier? She could have told me told me my child had a life threateneing disease or the room was on fire and I wouldn't have known b/c I couldn't understand her. I asked her why my child was on oxygen for 2 hours and didn't know what she said, a nurse had to tell me later.
 
I just spouted off Nova. I have no problem with immigrants working before they're fluent or can even speak a few words. If they're willing to work and not come in demanding welfare, great. As I said, early Cuban refugees and now the Haitian "boat people" do the jobs many Americans wouldn't stoop to do. Many have become very successful after their hard work.

Cappicuna, I go along with not speaking English very well, doesn't bother me. I just can't tolerate the refusal to speak it and being arrogant about it.
 

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