Does the US make it too easy....

[*Eve*]

to not learn English?



I bring this up only because I spent close to 40 minutes on the phone with a client who told me how terrible my company was because there were no consultants that spoke Chinese which is what she was more comfortable speaking. A good friend of mine whose family is of Cuban decent says that several of her relatives don't want to learn English because they don't have to. Yet they live in the US. I am all for children learning a second language in school in order to communicate with the growing population of non english speaking people in the country. I would like to learn another language, however, if you go to the DMV you can take your test, in any number of languages, you can get your tax forms in a number of languages, ATM machines have more than one language, the self check out aisle machine has more than one language. I am not against accomodating non english speaking residents, however if I were in a non english speaking country like China for instance, not to visit but to live, shouldn't I attempt to learn chinese?

 

[JazzManJim]

Yes, it does, mostly by insisting that there never be a National Language.

 

[Monazwx]

Being in FL, I totally agree with this.
If I told you about the many times I as a customer couldn't get proper service because I didn't speak Spanish . . .

 

[Chicklet]

i feel like a terrible person cause it annoys me so damned much to have to choose a language at the ATM's

 

[Pyper]

On the flip side, I think it's very sad that American children aren't taught any language other than English. In most of Northern Europe, children grow up speaking four or more different languages. Here we have this idea that English is good enough and we really don't need anything else.

 

[bknight2602]

IMHO there should be only one language standard, others may be used but not pushed. Most of our predessors came and learned the language and got along fine.

 

[*Eve*]

i feel like a terrible person cause it annoys me so damned much to have to choose a language at the ATM's

you're not a bad person, I'm sure other people have felt that way but have been scared to say it. That doesn't annoy me, but I was annoyed talking to a woman who spoke perfectly good english yelling at me because I didn't speak chinese that was a pain.

 

[JazzManJim]

On the flip side, I think it's very sad that American children aren't taught any language other than English. In most of Northern Europe, children grow up speaking four or more different languages. Here we have this idea that English is good enough and we really don't need anything else.

It's not compulsory, but it's readily taught in most schools: Spanish or French or (when I was in school) German and Latin.

I think that most people don't learn another language because there's no compelling need to do so. English is the main trading language of the world and they could spend their energies learning something else. At least that's my theory.

 

[Guest]

 

[*Eve*]

I STRONGLY agree that children in the US should be taught English (and proper English at that...none of this lame Ebonics excuses for lazy teachers and parents)....I also strongly agree that we should put a larger emphasis on learning a second language at a young age when it's easier...

They usually do teach a second language in school, unfortuanetly it's not stressed that strongly

 

[sweet soft kiss]

They usually do teach a second language in school, unfortuanetly it's not stressed that strongly

I get upset with people when people who live here, use services, get superior medical care (such as organ transplants, which is the are that I work in), but refuse to learn the language. Unfortunately it makes it much harder for them. They can get by in everyday life, especially here in Southern California if they only speak Spanish, but it encumbers their lives. It leaves them at the mercy of always hoping someone can communicate with them.

On the other hand we should teach foreign languages much earlier than we do, starting with the youngest children, even as young as pre-school. Facility for learning languages is very high in small children, but by the time they are middle schoolers it is mostly gone.

 

[Xander]

On the flip side, I think it's very sad that American children aren't taught any language other than English. In most of Northern Europe, children grow up speaking four or more different languages. Here we have this idea that English is good enough and we really don't need anything else.

Always learn the language of the country you live in, its common courtesy IMHO. Or at least attempt to.

I grew up in Denmark, a little small northen european country and I presently speak 5 languages. 2 of which I had to learn by law. No way around it. English had to be passed before we went to what is equal to High School here. German had to be passed in my first year of High school. If I passed them I could choose to take a "bird" class in the languages for the remainer of the years. But I had to have them regardless.

 

[Agent99]

There are only 2 instances I can think of where I would insist that people speak English.

1) The doctor in the ER or operating room when he tells me what he is going to do to me.
2. The Publisher's Clearing House guy who tells me that I've just won $20 million dollars but only if I subscribe to Field & Stream and have the winning numbers in my possession

I agree that we should include multiple foreign language requirements in our schools, but to be truly effective they must start prior to school @ the age of 3-4. Xander made a great point that we should learn the host country's language as a matter of courtesy. But we have been egocentric in assuming that our language was superior to everyone else's.

My biggest pet peeve is calling a company (any company) and talking to their customer service department and not being able to understand a single word because they have outsourced this job to other countries. Very frustrating.

Mamma mia! That's annoying!

 

[Xander]

Please note. English is NOT the most spoken language of the world. I believe that Spanish is still the top Language.

Yes calling in somewhere and not understanding a damn thing of what is said to you is annoying. I mean I know I have an accent...but jeez sometimes.

 

[Pyper]

Please note. English is NOT the most spoken language of the world. I believe that Spanish is still the top Language.

Yes calling in somewhere and not understanding a damn thing of what is said to you is annoying. I mean I know I have an accent...but jeez sometimes.

Actually, it's Chinese. English in second, Spanish in third.

I was going to add that I believe the second-language requirements in American schools are inadequate, as they should start much earlier, like preschool, but many other said it for me.

 

[Guest]

I do know 2

English

Amercian Sign Language---which is use by deaf people in almost all countries a few have different signs but for the most part they are close enough to understand what is being said or signed

 

[VincentFloyd]

i knew a russian girl in high school who knew five languages: russian, english, french, german and I believe italian and then she was learning spanish

she told me it was required to learn english and one other language

it would be great if they had the same attitude here

hell, I learned some russian to impress her (it worked!)

 

[Cleopatra]

When my ancestors came to America from Germany, Ireland, and Czechloslovakia, I'm fairly sure they didn't speak English. But they all learned, or their children did. I think if you choose to live in America, you should learn English and use it.

My school taugh French at 3rd grade, spoken first, then written later, and I think that has helped me retain it much better than if I had learned it later in life.

 

[Spinaroonie]

IMHO there should be only one language standard, others may be used but not pushed. Most of our predessors came and learned the language and got along fine.

Only because the first immigrants forced everyone to use their language.

 

[Purrde Flower]

I don't know what school you all went to but learning another language was a requirement in any jr high and high school that I went to.

They have even started teaching Spanish in pre-k.