Should Americans be expected to learn Spanish?

Question

I mean there are 12-15 million illegal immigrants about to be given amenesty.
Should we futher give them a big "Welcome to your new country" gift by flattering them by learning thier native tongue

Answer 1

Read "Who are We", in certain areas of the U.S. if you want a job, you need to be bilingual. Employers in those areas prefer bilingual speakers, but if they can't find those, they prefer Spanish speakers, since they can communicate with their Spanish speaking customers.

But here's one Spanish word we should all become familiar with, "Reconquista", because it's happening right now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconquista_(Mexico)

Case in point, Nicole E (below) admits to being loyal to another country (dual citizenship, not even willing to fully accept U.S. citizenship by renouncing her other country, yet she refers to Texas as "my" state) and is proud of the fact that she will take a job from a native born U.S. citizen who only speaks English. That's sad.

Answer 2

Absolutely not. Coming to America means following AMERICAN norms- meaning speak ENGLISH in America. Those that are immigrating to America are doing so because they like what America has to 'offer' right? But yet it seems that they are all coming here trying to change what we have to 'offer'. We offer the English language, if they want to speak Spanish then maybe America isn't the best country for them to live in. There are several other countries that speak Spanish- I'm sure they would make a lovely place to live also!

There is no such thing as learning "at least a little bit" of Spanish for healthcare providers. I'm a nurse and I know first hand that knowing "a little bit" of Spanish is unacceptable. There have be incidents with physicians and other healthcare providers that know "a little bit of Spanish" have been sued because that "little bit of Spanish" wasn't enough and errors occurred. You all are thinking get a translator, right? Getting a translator in an emergency room that is overcrowded with illegals seeking non-emergent medical care is not as easy as we would like. But that's another question, another time.
Speak ENGLISH in AMERICA!

Answer 3

First of all not all 12-15 million illegal immigrants are hispanic... there are chinese, indians, etc as well...
And to learn a new language is something nice and for personal enrichment, so don't take it as an insult.
Believe it or not, Spanish is a beautiful language and much much more complicated than English. So I don't think all americans will learn it, too difficult for you specially the accent.

Also I think it is amazing that the US didn't have an official language until last year. Not even a third world country had that situation before...surprising for me, an admirer of the American dream....
Accept it, the US have no roots or culture, no folklore at all
..sooner or later this country will adapt to all diverse cultures of immigrants (legal or illegal) living here and then you will learn spanish, chinese, pakistani etc etc in order to be an american.
Learn spanish, Su casa es mi casa gracias USA!!

Answer 4

No Americans should not be EXPECTED to learn Spanish. They should have a choice. It is always good to learn a new languange, however when you have to in order to keep a job or to get one, then that is too much. If they want to be here they should learn English, and if I ever want to go into Mexico, and live there illegally, I promise I will learn Spanish.

Answer 5

From a strictly practical standpoint, it might be a good idea for me to learn some Spanish if I intended to live in a part of America that has a high Hispanic population (the illegal immigration issue aside). That said, I am very much opposed to illegal immigration and believe that anyone who seeks citizenship in our country, regardless of place of birth, has an obligation to learn English. That is one vital thing that my forebears had to do when they came to America through Ellis Island in the immigration wave to America that lasted from the 1880s to the 1920s. The English language is the binding element that holds disparate elements of our culture together, and to not require this of would-be citizens is truly a recipe for trouble. I would also assert that to not require resident aliens (who are temporarily in this country) to learn at least passable English is bad not only for the native born but for the resident alien as well. And I firmly reject the notion that it is "racist" for Americans to not learn Spanish, or, for that matter, any other foreign language, although not knowing any language other than English might be inadvisable to those who want to engage in international business.

Answer 6

NO, they should not, but what's the harm in learning?

I live in SE Texas, in a town dominated by Mexican-ish people. Some are Mexican, some are American of Mexican descent, some are South American, Cuban, or misc. other.

They cannot always speak English, so what is wrong with being able to show them a little respect and trying to learn to speak with them.

I don't think it should ever be a requirement, however, some European countries have mandated that their children learn English. If that is the case in other countries, it is feasable for us to do the same.

Those who can, do, those who can't find ways to complain.

Answer 7

NO! That's about as bilingual as I care to be. NO is a word that is understood and a part of both the English AND Spanish languages. They have no reason to say they don't understand....the answer is NO!

Answer 8

maybe not spanish but we should have to learn more than one language... we are the only industrialized nation on the face of the earth to not require this (2 years in high school doesn't cut it)... and couple that with our boorish attitude and complete lack of understanding of the world beyond our borders... you people wonderwhy we are hated. Naturally of course we should demand that immigrants come here learn the language eventually because they want to use our services and live our dream. Remember though, no group that has come here, other than the english of course, has spoken our language at first... the succeeding generations always pick that up though.

Answer 9

Your #'s are wrong. It's more of like 30mil illegals about to be given amnesty. And NO I will not accept having to learn Spanish in a country founded on the English language. If I moved to a foreign country, I'd expect myself to learn the language, not the other way around.

Answer 10

Here's the deal. English is the language of the United States of America. ANyone who chooses to come here to live, should make a serious and concentrated effort to learn the language.

ANd if I got to a Spanish speaking country for any period of time, I should do the same.

But I shouldn't be expected to learn spanish due to an influx into the US. They should be expected to learn english.

But PS--there is a big difference in being EXPECTED to do something, and the free and willful choice to do it. I just may learn to speak spanish one day--for when I travel. Not for when I stay home.

Comprende?

Answer 11

I am not going to pull any punches with this answer so this is from a 'White' perspective. What other position can I take... it is my culture?

Norte Americanos are... people from the Common Wealth of Canada, United States of America and... are your ready for this... United States of Mexico. Check it out. So... when you say Americans you literally mean all of those people. But what I think you mean is US citizens.

The US needs a common language, the language of government, the language our fore fathers used when this country was created. Have you travelled from the North to the South or from the East to the West in this country? Have you noticed how 'White' people who speak English speak it with different dialects and accents? Was it hard to understand what was being said? You bet! And yet we speak the same language. Differences within the 'White' social system makes it difficult to communicate effectively. Look how hard it is for 'White' people to understand (And I truly mean understand with passion and emmotion) 'Black' people. As a 'White' do I really understand what it is to be 'Black'? I try but the answer is no. We all speak English (or American as some people say) and yet it is hard to be clear and understanding. Hmmm. Now imagine different languages being spoken by different races etc. It would be chaos.

I have spent several months working in Mexico and as a guest in that country, I made it a point to learn and speak the national language of Mexico, Spanish. I did not speak it well and every Mexican let me know it by constantly correcting me. It got to the point were I was corrected so often, that I gave up. Imagine if we corrected every Mexican on speaking English correctly? We US citizens would be correcting every word out of their mouths because of their accents and improper word usage. Why are we so tolerant when they are not?

In this day and age, I shouldn't have to press '1' for English or '2' for whatever. My service providers should already know my language preference and accomidate me accordingly. I am puzzled with this because I receive my bills in English and yet get asked if I want to speak in another language... every single time. If I wrote my checks in Spanish drawn from a Mexican bank and paid in pesos would they be honored? Why not? Mexico accepts US dollars... but makes no attempt to accomidate the English language on roads signs or teach its public servants English so when you get pulled over for whatever reason it can be explained to you in a language you understand.

You know... the more I think about it the more upset I get. It's English or get out. Period.

One final comment. 'White' people have all the power in this country and they make the rules. The second you open your mouth and can't speak English without an accent you are placed into a lower social class. Thats life and it isn't going to change soon. SO... is this 'White' peoples way of keeping other cultures under their thumb? Is language being used as a barrier to succeed in this country? I think so.

I have a friend (naturalized citizen) who refuses to speak Spanish but refuses to do so in public. At home yes but in public no. He wants his family to be able to communicate with friends and relatives back in Venezula. And, he doesn't want to be percieved as an immigrant, he worked to hard to become a US citizen and doens't want to be classifed as anything other than. So whats my point? He obviously knows something.