Why do people have to hate on spanish?

Question

why is every one so uptight about Spanish? Why would it bother people that another language is popular in the U.S. Many other countries have more that one language. Lots of people go to the extent of refusing to learn Spanish, and refusing to let their children learn Spanish. Does that make sense to most of you.

People do learn the language but alot of people prefer Spanish if its their native toung. Lets say youve only spoken French for the past 5 years (broken French) so you move to paris in hopes of that great" job, would you more somewhere where every one hates English (Americans) or would you move into a community of Americans so you can converse amongst yourselves with out feeling stupid about the way you speak French?

Answer 1

Personally, I like the Spanish language - in fact, all of the Romance languages - but bilingualism almost always creates political problems in a country too. Places like Switzerland, Singapore, maybe Paraguay are rare exceptions. But it hasn't worked too well in Canada where many people in western Canada want French language labels off of consumer products. Even in Spain, the use of Catalán and Basque are frowned upon.

Also, there is evidence that humans in general, tend to be monolingual by nature. Those of us who are language buffs and multilinguists are actually in the minority.

I don't believe in passing laws outlawing the speaking of Spanish in the U.S. That would be extreme. However, in the long run, I think that Spanish and French will always be spoken by minorities in North America. Little by little, most Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in the U.S. are going over to English and have been for some time. What's more, the U.S. government is not forcing them to. These people are opting for English on their own simply because it is the more dominant cultural, technological and commercial language on the continent.

Answer 2

First I would like to inform you that I have friends in Miami whose relatives, parents and others refuse to speak or even learn English - just to let you know it goes both ways. Secondly, Language is a touchy subject it's what unites a country builds unity and creates a common bond among the citizens, it is why every great country in the history of the world has had one official defacto language (see Rome, Egypt, Persia, Britian, Spain, France, now the US and China) there were and are other languages and dialects within the cultures however the need for one language to unite the country is paramount otherwise chaos ensues. Also most countries today may recognize other languages, but have one language that is the sole means of communication in media, and at the very most may have two official languages. Last, I think the reason people in the US (as a majority - I myself speak spanish and see it as an important facet of the future US) resist spanish is because it is almost like an invasion people coming in not adapting and speaking a different language, I really don't blame them at all for wanting to protect the way of life their forefathers gave their lives to create. Historically, the US has spoken English and solely english with all imigrants from Germany, Poland, Italy, eventually adapting and learning English - the thing with spanish is that the imigration is so massive it can't fade out. So in final answer to your question I think that a refusal to accept the change does make sense, however, I think that the attitude that resistance intails is a futile and useless one, change comes so embrace it!
These are some pretty chaotic thoughts but I hope this enlightens you a little bit as to why there is so much animosity against the spanish speaking communities.

Answer 3

Many Americans speak Spanish and I'm one of them. I speak it so I can deal in business with Spanish speaking people. However, why don't people make an effort to learn the language of the country that is so much better for them to be in instead of forming entire communities that exclude American born people?

Answer 4

I think the real problem is that people use that as an excuse because they don't want illegal immigrants.

They don't want illegal immigrants because of the welfare system. And if they are working, the Labor Unions aren't getting their dues.

Speaking spanish is a moot issue.

Answer 5

Language pretty much defines how we perceive our world. I can't talk for them, but to me it seems they are afraid that in a no distant future, THEIR language could be relegated by a language they considere is for a ghetto (http://achiral.blogspot.com/2007/04/politically-correctness-times.html ).
As someone already mentioned, the problem can go both ways.
It is like we are not interested in understanding each other.

Answer 6

I agree with sherocks.