What do you think about immigrants not teaching their kids English?

Question

I can't beleive how many kids that are born in the US can't speak English. Despite their parents being able to speak it they insist on having the kids speak some from of foreign "jibberish". Do you think these parents should leave their culture behind instead of forcing their kids to be "immigrants" too?

Answer 1

America is world renown as the most successful nation in achieving the integration and assimilation of people from diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, and religions. It is significant that our national motto, E Pluribus Unum, translates to . . . Out of Many . . . ONE! As Americans, we have collectively prided ourselves on our unique ability to acculturate and assimilate all new immigrants. As a nation, we have jointly shaped a culturally blended society reflective of our well know 'melting pot' metaphor. Unfortunately, there is a widening rift appearing in the fabric of our society. It is causing the temperature of the melting pot to approach the boiling point. Ponder This:

One wonders what the Mexican government and its citizens would say, think, and do, if twenty million Americans were to illegally invade Mexico and expect the Mexican government to provide free medical care; supply them with free education and automatic Mexican citizenship for their children; require bilingual interpreters at all hospitals and courts; insist on bilingual government forms; demand that Mexico accept American IDs and provide us with sanctuary cities that would ignore our multiple lawbreaking and allow us to remain free from arrest; expect Mexicans to learn English so we wouldn't have to learn Spanish; fly the US flag from our homes and cars; insist on courses in American culture at our local schools; demand local driver's licenses and in-state college tuition; balkanize their cities and towns; insist that police officers speak to us in English and require them to hire American bilingual officers that are culturally acceptable; and permit the American government to have 47 consulates in Mexico to subversively serve those American illegal aliens What would most Mexicans say about that?

Wouldn't Mexicans vehemently object to such insulting arrogance, insolence and obvious lawless anarchy? There is no doubt that we Americans ALL know the answer to that question because it is what we are FORCED to live with every single day. We categorically and overwhelmingly object and reject the massive illegal immigration that has been taking place in our country for the past two decades. It has become a human tsunami and lawless invasion that borders on anarchy. Our lives are being impacted everyplace and everywhere. We also realize that contrary to our founding principles those 20-23 million illegal aliens, along with many legal immigrants, are not integrating and assimilating into the our uniquely blended American culture and society

"We The People" are noticing more and more every day and everywhere the balkanization of our communities into burgeoning, divisively isolated, ethnic enclaves. We know that such rapidly appearing enclaves are being generated by the unchecked "human tsunami" of illegal aliens flooding into our country at a rate of 10,000 per day. Their massive numbers also encourage LEGAL immigrants to follow their lead of non-assimilation and ethnic and linguistic isolation, spurred on by the insane dogmas of multi-culturalism, diversity and pc (political castration).

"Illegal immigration has imposed a catastrophic impact on taxpayers and seriously crippled our public school system," said Mike Antonovich, a 21-year member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. "While we need legal immigration, which is essential, illegal immigration has been detrimental to the economy and to our quality of life."

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Most I've seen can't speak English themselves so they depend on the children to do the translating. Yet at the same time there seems to be an increasing number dedicated to not speaking English. I've seen kids being pushed into more of an adult role by constantly pressing their children to do things they should be doing themselves because they won't learn the language. They would certainly help in the transition if they would take more an active role in learning the language and speaking it at home as well. It angers me that a kid can graduate from school here and still not put together a sentence. Sometimes I seriously wonder if they really can't or if it's easier to play stupid and won't.

Answer 4

I don't think they should leave their culture 'behind'. I think we all enjoy the culture we came from. However, I think they should embrace their new culture as well, and definitely learn English.

Not all immigrants' children don't speak English. In fact, I have never met a child of Chinese or Korean or Polish or Japanese or Russian immigrants who did not speak English. Often there is a Granny back home who doesn't speak English well, but those kids can keep up with the class. In English.

Answer 5

I came to the to the u.s when i was 4 and I am more than happy to speak Spanish/English. Kids are very smart and if they stay here they learn English no matter what English is needed for every day life but our foreign language is not we belong to 2 country's i still speak to my cousins in mex and they don't speak English so I have to speak Spanish. My babies are born in the u.s they speak with there grand parents also so they have to speak Spanish we cant leave our culture behind because it runs Thu our veins i LOVE this country as much as i love Mexico even if I've never lived there
and i want to share that same love with my kids they know there Americas but they know to respect other peoples cultures and to love there own(2).

Answer 6

Usually it is the other way around... the parents cannot speak English, and the children learn it in school! The kids have to be the translators for their parents wherever they go... This is a situation of choice... the parents and their children can both learn English and still use their own language at home if they want to... They can still keep their own culture and adapt to a new one where they live! IT's not such a hard thing to learn!

Answer 7

My mother is from Iran. I was made to speak English only. I now am struggling to learn farsi and teach my kids. I think the immigrants of the 70s were of the mentality that American kids need to learn English. The tides seemed to have changed on this though. There should be a good balance to keep the birth culture and learn the new as well.

Answer 8

Kids that are born in the United States do speak English; they learn it in school. Their parents are the ones who don't speak English and maybe they won't because when they come to the US they are already grown-ups. It will be more difficult for them to learn it; besides, they only socialize with the people of their own community and feel that they don't need to learn the language.

Answer 9

It's only parents' right to decide how and what to give to their children. Each situation is different; sometimes parents don't know English at all, or only a little, therefore they can't teach their children English. Some families don't teach English to their kids because they plan to return to their native country in some future, etc.
There are many reasons, but also I believe there are more families who DO teach their kids English than those who don't.

Answer 10

Most of the children whom I experience within an ESL classroom ususally speak a combination of the two that results from their parents often speaking some form of Spanglish and dealing with cultural clues that are both in English and Spanish.

Most adults experience language fossilization which means that once you are beyond your teens and early twenties it is harder to acquire new language and thus it is easier to speak in your L1. Thus one would assume that they would speak to their child in that language. Also, I know many Italians, Irish, Poles, etc who wish their parents had kept and taught their native tongue and taught them as it part of their cultural heritage.

I'm not saying what is right or wrong, but you are making a lot of assumptions right now.

Answer 11

They don't care.

They should leave culture out of things and help their kids to have a future in America, which speaks English.