Why, with so many new technologies to help one learn a language, do so many immigrants fail to learn English?

Question

It seems that so many who currently live in other nations manage to speak English even though they're not surrounded by it, but so many immigrants who come here can't answer an interviewer's question after being here 5-10-15+ years.
Why is this? Is a common language not important?

Answer 1

lack of interest.. they have their culture here too.. so no need to invest time in ours!

Answer 2

A lot of immigrants are already adults who never had the opportunity to learn English while still young in their native countries. The people you refer to are usually from a poorer background and are not necessarily great speakers of their own language, let alone able to pick up a second one with remote alacrity. Often they do not have the time or energy after working 10 hour days (or longer) to go to classes. As an ESL teacher, I can say that many try, and work very hard, but will simply never be able to speak well enough to carry on a full conversation.

As to a common language not being important -- of course it is. Without some means of communication society would fall apart. But a common language can have several channels. "Common Information" is probably a more realistic term. Immigrants who live in a place where they can carry out their entire lives in their native languages have no need at all to learn English, though they usually do know all the same information. When you wander into their neighborhoods, you are the outsider who doesn't speak the common language.

Answer 3

They don't want to. Many live here for years and do not speak English. Those that do will speak for work in Engliah and then turn to their friends in the same room as you and start talking about stuff in Spanish right in front of you because then they can talk about everyone and we can't understand them. It's really rude.
You can go in lots of neighborhoods in Phoenix and see only Hispanics and all the signs are in Spanish only and all the listings in the grocery store and no one in the store not even the salespeople or managers can answer your questions. And I am talking a large supermarket not just the little local carnaceria.
I just could not believe it at first.
Do you know that 617 out of 1700 schools in the state of AZ are failing this year because they had to include English Language Learners in the test scores???
Those schools will now get fined when it isn't even the schools fault that all those people are moving in there.

Answer 4

Your question is a valid one but the answer is elusive.
Some people want to learn the language but pride get's
in the way. They don't want to made fun of or laughted at.
We don't know what their education level is, so it's hard
to asses a starting point.
Some people learn the phonetics of the language but can't
read or write it.
Some people come here to work, and only work, if they are
lucky enough to acqiure a job, thinking they don't plan to
stay here permemantly. All they want is to work, earn some
money to send home. Then, when things are going good,
they start to send money to build a house in the country
they came from. All the while, thinking they are going back
to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Some do, some don't.
Some don't want to forsake their origens by learning another
language, another culture.
Some just snub and thumb their nose at their host country
as if the world owes them something.
Sometimes it's just politics.
Sometimes it's just to exploit the freedoms that this country
has to offer and theirs does not.
If you feel strongly about this, don't let yourself be manupulated
into learning their language in order to communicate with
them. I wish you well.

Answer 5

Language is a way or a tool for communication in the society among people who have different culture,religion,habit and language.If most of the people in the streets,in the markets,in public places and in the offices use English language,this condition will force the immigrants to learn English language.If the condition did not force them to learn a new language,they will prefer to use their own language. and have no difficulty in relationship with a very limited people who have same language.

Answer 6

properly I communicate 3 distant places languages - and none are Spanish - initially by using fact i've got by no potential had any pastime in Hispanic subculture, yet now I refuse to learn it as a count number of concept. of course I understand a sturdy deal yet there'll by no potential come an afternoon that i'll learn yet another language merely by using fact human beings invaded this united states of america who're too proud or too LAZY to learn English. The variety of jobs that require the certainty of Spanish or a minimum of choose it extremely is an attack on my rights as a citizen. childrens in school are in general getting to grasp Spanish by using fact it extremely is seen a clever pass, leaving all different languages contained in the dirt. So once you're saying a "2nd language," i assume you mean Spanish - which a lot of human beings ARE getting to grasp out of necessity. i'd say that the yankee college device would desire to learn from better advertising distant places languages mostly, considering language classes are genuinely approximately getting to grasp different cultures. yet I accept as true with others that it is not precisely a necessity by using fact English is the language of world commerce and politics.

Answer 7

And yet, of all the US-born school kids barely any learn another language (except Spanish).

Technology may help, but it still takes brains & effort - as with pretty much any subject - otherwise the US, despite all it's technology, wouldn't be falling behind in education, compared to the rest of the world.

Answer 8

Because we are making it to easy for them not to learn. Kids have to learn a foreign language in high school, and I don't think anyone should be force to learn a new language(If you speak English, cuz we live in AMERICA!) I am not raciest, in fact I am Mexican, But I believe that we live in America, we should ALL know English. I HATE when people who don't/can't speak English get pissed at people who don't speak there language like I should be forced to know what the hell your saying! We live in America and English is #1 language! learn it or take your HAPPY @ss's back to where ever it is you came from. i hate when people say... oh they don't have to cuz they live in a house(Normally 1bed room with 50 people living in it) with all people who speak there language so they don't need english. WRONGO!!!!!! When they come to my place of bussness and can't speak to me because they never learned due to every family member only knows there language, there is something wrong with that! I shouldn't be forced to empoly spanish speakers just because they live in our country and "Don't have the time" to learn the real first language here!

Answer 9

Why? Because they will get children who will learn the language. Let the interviewers put their questions to the children. When you go abroad do you speak the native language there, like Danish, or Swahili or Hindi?

Answer 10

Actually a lot of them dont know how to read and write, and when you counsel them where they could go and learn some go some dont because to them WORK is the first and foremost priority, they got along w/out reading and writing this long why start now, right?
and how do you learn a new language w/out reading and writing ?

your guess is as good as mine.

Answer 11

There is no reason for them to learn English. HAve you noticed when you go to the DMV they write the test etc in your choice of language(s)