Fresh Off of FOX News

I think that our children should be taught a second language. Into today's increasingly global marketplace America needs more bilingual professionals to be competitive. I'm not talking about the half-hearted attempt I got but a strong program resulting in fluency in a language other than English.

 

:thumbs:
Excellent reply!!

Regards,
BiR

 

I believe that when someone desires to "legally" come to this country and become an American, they should be told that in the USA we speak English, and they will be required to learn to speak English if they want to live here.

For Mr Obama to say that it is important that kids in this country learn to speak Spanish is completely insane.

I add that to the list of reasons why this supremely un-qualified candidate for the Presidency should not be elected.


:godisgood:

 

The problem with this theory is America has no official language.

 

Well, thanks to the lack of enforcement of the laws on the books by the Justice Department (which evidently serves at the pleasure of the POTUS), there is a possibility that the English-only population will be in the minority. I travel extensively, and practically every city I have visited over the past five years has a very large Spanish-speaking part of town. Go to Wal-Mart on Saturday afternoon, and notice how many Spanish-speaking people are there. If we get a third Bush term with McCain, it will get even more pronounced than it already is.

I feel the same way about John McCain. Actually, all of the candidates in the GOP primary were pathetic.

Indeed He is!

Regards,
BiR

 

One of the points he made was that he contrasted the idea that we don't have to worry about an english only, but that we "Have" to teach our children Spanish. Why not Russian, mongolian and all the other languages of the legal immigrants? He is speaking to the spanish illegals that vote in my mind.

I think legal immigrants are required to speak english before they become citizens.

 

Easy answer: because much of the country, as well as the Western Hemisphere, speaks Spanish.

Regards,
BiR

 

Good post. I agree!

 

All children should be taught second, third and fourth langauages. It is rather embarrassing when in Europe to see how all younger people, at least in the big cities, speak several languages. There are jokes about Americans being only able to speak English.

We live in a very small world now and we need to prepare our kids for it. One way is to teach them other languages. And, yes, there are large parts of our country where Spanish has always been spoken, and yes there are many new Spanish speaking people here now. And yes, it would be good if they spoke English, but also good if we would learn to speak Spanish. Si?

 

The predominant language in the world is English.

 

No they're not, but they should be! If they cannot speak English, questions are read to them so they can get a driver's license!

When I was in school, Latin was the second language of choice , not Spanish.

Maybe we need to rebuild Ellis Island where our ancestors had certain requirements to meet before being let into the country...

 

It used to be all you needed in this state to get a driver's license was an address. The DMV would be packed on any given day with people who couldn't even speak enough English to take the test, and people were driving in from other states to get a driver's license (needed to get a job in most cases). Thankfully, that has changed.

love,

Sopranette

 

Quote:
I think legal immigrants are required to speak english before they become citizens.

No they're not, but they should be! If they cannot speak English, questions are read to them so they can get a driver's license!
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Not sure what getting a drivers license has to do with it?????

One of the requirements: "knowledge of English and ability to answer basic questions on U.S. history and government." from: http://www.uscitizenship.info/citizenship-lib-general.htm

 

When I drove an 18 wheeler, 80,000 max pounds of 'on the road terror', many hispanics on the road driving trucks and many on the loading deck. Normally, no problem......... However

Sometimes road signs are not as simple as the standard signs like speed limits, or warnings of schools, deer, curves, slippery road, crossings.

Preceeding complex construction zones and sometimes detours are complex signage..... electronic........in English. It is difficult enough to get the message and the instruction and watch the road and other traffic. A person who can't speak English is at a disadvantage: A sign in Spanish would compete for the attention of all drivers.... who may not read Spanish and who are looking for information in English.

Only at one dock did I have a problem with Spanish speaking workers regarding a safety issue. No comprende.....no inglesh. It wasn't until I found an English speaking dock worker that I could make it clear that I would not dock my trailer until the green light was on for movement and backing. (The green light was burned out..... but the Spanish speaking workers knew a light was supposed to be on: Everytime I started my back, they'd turn on the red...... which signifys someone or obstacle is in the way and to stop movement of the truck. )

The other ocassion I had in a Mexican Restuarant in town: I was invited to join a pastor and his friends who were already seated and were receiving their service of food: I placed my order, but was never given table-ware until their meal was half over.....lol......I requested a fork....and got everything else until Brother Johnson intervened for me. (The restuarant was newly opened and many of its crew attended the services in Spanish, held at alternate times in 'his' church but officiated by their own minister.)

A second language is great...... be it French or Spanish.....on another..... but English is spoken here and communications regarding instruction and safety should be understood in English.

Some may not know this, but we already have laws which requires every hospital and medical facility provide translators in a person's own native tongue when examing or presenting legal docs for accepting treatment to a client/patient who is non-English speakign.

 

English is spoken over a large portion of the earth, but it is not the language that more people speak than any other. See below

The following list is from George Weber’s article “Top Languages: The World’s 10 Most Influential Languages” in Language Today (Vol. 2, Dec 1997):

 

If they have to read the questions for a legal immigrant to get a driver's license, then they have to read the questions for them to become citizens...

 

So what. I have entered a message that is to short.

 

So you were wrong .... again.:laugh: