What is up with harping on illegals about learning English all the time??

Question

Yes, they need to learn English...BUT, does anyone know how hard it is to learn a language over night? It seems to me that is what everyone wants. Americans just want all spanish people to be able to speak English overnight and that is ridiculous. English is one of the HARDEST languages to learn and it can take years and years and years to master. And I hear all the time everyone arguing that illegals "demanded" that we accomodate their language but I've never seen a spanish person demand for us to learn their language. In fact it seems to me that our country made the CHOICE to accommodate those that spoke spanish willingly. Any time a government sees the potential to make more money from a group of people, they go out of their way to make it happen. Which OUR government did...

The point is, if they are attempting to learn English or TRYING in any way, then they are doing what they need to do.

Ok, I don't have a clue what I'm talking about??? Out of all the people on this post I bet I have more a clue than most of you! How many of you have spent a considerable amount of time with someone that can't speak English or any illegals?? My husband is a mexican american and I have spent a lot of time with all of his hispanic friends-illegal and legal and all of them welcome trying to speak English. All of them know that I don't know a lot of spanish(though I am learning slowly) so they accommodate me. Most people that are hating on illegals or hispanics in general don't even know any or care to get to know any so give me a break!! To truly know you have to actually immerse yourself in the culture and open your eyes people.

Whiz, I am learning their language(and happen to speak decent spanish now) so that argument doesn't work.

Answer 1

I back your statement up 100%.
I know many who were once illegal but have either gotten their permanent residency and some have become US citizens and most can speak English just as fluently as I can, and others may not be perfect but they've learned enough to be able to engage in conversations.
I think it has to do with how so many Americans are RACIST.
And have this pompous attitude that English is the best language and the USA is the best country around.
Total arrogance.
And to those who complain about having to push 1 for English when prompted must be the same people who are too lazy to lift their finger to put on their blinker when driving.
How hard is it to push "1" on the key pad?
I mean give me a break!
English is a very difficult language for an adult or adolescent child to learn. Spanish is much simpler. They don't have a dozen different words that have the same meaning or words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently. They do not have letters that are sometimes silent. I mean, the list goes on.
But the fact that they make the effort is good enough in my book. Otherwise life would be rather difficult for them and they know this.

Answer 2

You make a good point, BUT, you have to realize that legal immigrants that came here in the past, wanted to be part of the American Dream, and English was their second language before they came here. I would venture to say, that this is mostly still true today.

It's really private business catering to Spanish speaking people. State governments also. I shouldn't have to press 1 for English at the ATM. Go to a DMV in California, you can take the driving test in at least 6 languages.

In my opinion, if you allow 20 million ILLEGALS in to your country, and they don't assimilate and learn english, you're going to have huge problems.

I know of Spanish speaking families raising their kids speaking Spanish. Those poor kids will have a hard time getting through school.

Also, I heard an interesting thing about education not being considered as that important by Mexican immigrants here in the USA. The dropout rate is really a problem from what this talk show host was saying.

FYI, if you go to Mexico, Germany, France, or any other non English speaking country you have to learn the language to function their. Don't you think it should be that way here in America also?

To luvin3nino's, your hatred of American's is seeping through. We're not racist. What part of Illegal don't you understand? Good point about being lazy though when teaching kids language. Those kids that don't learn English first are in for a tough road in life. At least until they learn English.

BTW, the USA IS the greatest nation on God's green earth! Learn the language if you want to stay. No way should we support many languages. Not having a common language separates us.

Answer 3

When there's a job listing that says "must speak Spanish" it's a back door mandate to learn Spanish. When bi-lingual means "spanish" in our schools.....it's a back-door mandate. When signs are in English and Spanish and in some areas just Spanish.....it's a back door attempt. If they've been here 25 years and still need a translator,,,,,who are you trying to kid. If their kid has gone through our school system and still can't muster a sentence at graduation.....somethings not right. Either they know and won't speak it so they can use it as an excuse or they aren't really trying. Ketsup please is hardley a demanding word when you're working at McDonalds. I'm not expecting them to decipher legal documents. Just "thank you" at the end of a transaction. "Excuse me" when they barrel you over. But they won't go that far around here. I can deal with accents....words not in the correct order or right tense. I know the difference between people "trying" and those that down right refuse to. I have the patience of a saint when people are trying and I know when they are purposly refusing to. I know many are trying because I know English is a hard language to learn. I've heard the 2nd generation thing and all that.....but where's the incentive when they don't HAVE to? We didn't have "bi-lingual" education and signs to cater to any other group of people who immigrated here. Think it's tough? Try having to learn a script and alphabet and everything else that is totally foreign. Like Chinese or the Middle-East.

I don't care if people want to cater to a group for awhile. But it's shoved down my throat to where people who are "bi-lingual" can't get a job because they don't speak Spanish....but a person can get a job and not speak English. I'm not on a "border state". Our states OFFICIAL language is English. But that's not even good enough because they take over a community and REFUSE to speak English or even have their signs in English. That's a problem.

Answer 4

English is not hard at all assuming you study it. Of course, it requires some time. I know some people who are legally in the country, but never bothered to learn English (and they are from Europe). Do you think, of example, Mexicans would bother when everything around them is in Spanish... Why bother... A country should have only one official language, not two... Why Spanish? Why, then not use Russian or Chinese language as #3 and #4 of the official languages... What makes Spanish so special?

Answer 5

I feel the pass judgement on for a difference used to be correct on, however I did not learn anyplace that they had been unlawful, might be they had been, and might be now not. Anyways, we make it a ways to effortless for persons to return right here and now not gain knowledge of English. I reside in a the town with an excessively prime populace of Hispanics and the whole lot that's written is in each Spanish and English. If you are taking the Spanish clear of them utterly, they'll gain knowledge of English a lot quicker. I'm sorry to peer the entire Mexicans right here that are not able to talk English, even after two decades or extra. The most important factor is it's costing the tax payers approach to a lot cash to position the whole lot in a couple of languages.

Answer 6

Failure to communicate is inherantly hostile. It is also quite an entitled, snotty attitude.

When I traveled as a child, I had to learn to say "please" "thank you" "excuse me" "where's the bathroom?" and how to order food in a restaurant ANYTIME we traveled outside of English-speaking countries. It was a matter of respect and common courtesy. Didn't matter how hard the language was or how long we were there.

We spent summers overseas and had to speak FLUENT French or we had to stay inside. It was unfair to expect people of another country to accomodate us by learning our language. We were in THEIR country afterall.

Yes, there is a strong DEMAND from people here illegally that we provide services in Spanish. If you don't think it's demanded, you obviously haven't been in a public school in the South West. Gifted and talented programs are being edged out by ESL programs.

It's being demanded of every government program - and believe me, we're not making money by funding illegals.

The point is, you haven't a clue as to what you're talking about. There are people who have been here illegally for generations. They don't speak English and have no intention of learning it.

Answer 7

Overnight. Yeah, right. That is why we're annoyed. The fact is that I know Mexicans who have been in this country for over a decade and still do not know English. Most try very little to assimilate, if at all. Don't insult my intelligence by trying to insist otherwise.

Answer 8

Apparently you haven't been around this site very much.
Read some posts and you'll find it's the other way around (like the poster above me).

And while we're at it, learn some Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Tagalog, etc. etc.....
Why are you only mentioning "learning some Spanish"??

Why don't you learn some of the languages I mentioned to "communicate with them too"??

We have one common language here, English. Learn it if you live here.

Answer 9

Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble alot of illegal immigrants get mad when someone doesn't understand their language and think we owe them to learn their language and they aren't even here LEGALLY in the first place.And thats bogus.I can see if I went to Live in Mexico then yea I'd say I should learn spanish.But I don't live there.And If I did I'd make sure I knew alittle bit of Spanish or atleast attempt to learn.I know it's hard to learn a new language especially for adults,but thats no excuse.No ones forcing them to learn anything.But we shouldn't be forced to learn a language to accomdate them.Alot of people here speak English so either learn the language or don't get pissed when you walk into a store and they don't understand you...
Thats like me going to France and Speaking English and Demand they speak to me in English and I'm in THEIR COUNTRY!AND HELLO!THEIR ILLEGAL!Do they really have a right to say whats unfair and complain?Go register to become a citizen before you actually ***** about the unfairness.

Answer 10

I agree with clouds. You gotta speak the country's language. If you go to live in Germany (where I am right now), you need to learn German because it's their country and their language.