Can you see America speaking a second language in ten years?

Question

Yo Mama..good for you..an open mind and welcome spirit. I live in a country that we willingly speak a second language its a shame that the US thinks a second language is a shameful thing.

Tardis...good for you too well stated and another opened minded person good for you! It is to everyones benefit to learn Spanish.

Answer 1

Despite political and social stigmatization, Spanish continues to grow exponentially in the United States to the point where in many places, it's hard to get by without it. However, becoming bilingual is neither easy nor quick. Due to the amount of time and effort involved, the majority of those who reach their adult working years without developing workable bilingual skills are unlikely to become truly fluent in Spanish (or anything else) without strong motivation to do so.

Right now, there is still a lot of social resistance to the idea that being bilingual is advantageous, and a lot of people grow up thinking "I'm never going to use it", so the motivation is not there. As these people pass into adulthood, it becomes more difficult to find the time and motivation to put in the effort to do on their own what the schools were willing to do for them freely.

As the number of Spanish-speaking people increases and it becomes more a matter of course for students in school to acquire bilingual skills, it is only a matter of time before a "critical mass" of Spanish-speaking people and people with acquired bilingual skills is reached, and it will become a natural part of being a literate, educated person (particularly when one wants to compete for jobs). We've seen this happen in other countries--people as a whole will learn and use whatever language that it makes sense for them to learn.

While I see this emerging in our country, there is still stubborn resistance to this happening, and I don't see us being a truly bilingual nation within ten years. However, the children born ten years from now will probably have a much easier time developing bilingual skills, and by then, it will be far more expected that those skills will be taught (and taught effectively) in school. THEY may be the ones to usher in a bilingual society. But there will always be monolinguals...on both sides of the language barrier.

Answer 2

Spanish as a second language should have always been taught in schools, especially California and Texas, Arizona and New Mexico and anywhere else where people congregate(i.e. vacations, study, visiting relatives in another state). However, my Mother always thought that us kids should only speak English and my Dad acceded to her wishes. My Dad was Greek. I see no reason why Spanish or any other languages shouldn't be learned by people in America today. More languages learned, more knowledge gained, in my opinion. Now, if I could learn another language that would be great, but I am over sixty and having a hard time just understanding some of the questions on YA? I totally agree with almost everything you said though. Good Question. You get a star from me for actually asking a question that makes sense.

Answer 3

Personally, i do speak more than one language,
like many other people in the USA.
is that what you mean by America speaking a second language?
If you allow me to guess, i believe you mean America adopting Spanish as a second language
No, i don't believe that will happen, i rather think Hispanic people will learn English as it will become the international way of communication

Answer 4

We are already the fourth largest Spanish speaking country in the world due to a minority of immigrants from South America. This has been going on for a while. Why is it a problem? I think that being bilingual is a mark of excellence. Many people in Europe do this to converse across national boundaries.

Granted, Mexico is like a whole different world compared to the U.S., and rife with police corruption, not like the differences between England and France. But I think open communication is important in this century. Breaking down language barriers is an important first step.

We are not losing English, we are simply adding to the number of languages available at any given time. National identity isn't all about language, anyway. And I do think all immigrants should be required to learn English, also to aid in communication.

Answer 5

nicely technically they won't discriminate in accordance with what language they talk... and highway indicators could be pointed out by shade and shape... no longer each physique contained in america can examine that could force besides... so there's a flaw on your good judgment in spite of each thing america is the 5th greatest spanish speaking inhabitants contained in the international additionally specific states have greater suitable than one langauge: at the same time with New Mexico have declared that Spanish be an respectable language with in that state and Hawaii has Hawaiian I comprehend why you assert this yet they are no longer think to discriminate.

Answer 6

hmmm...I'm an immigrant and I'll never give up/forget my first language (if that's even possible). Besides, I enjoy having 2 languages. I'll learn Spanish if I have the time.

However, I think we owe it to America to learn English. We were allowed to stay here after all, it's the least we can do.

Answer 7

Many languages are already the official languages of many of the countries in America.
Everyone who has had to learn English, or Spanish, or French, or German, etc. can tell you how difficult it is to learn a second language to fluency.
Why can't we all meet halfway and learn a language that is neutral, phonetic, regular, and fun to learn? (and you can be fluent in it in less than a year)
Millions of people in over 100 countries have already learned it. I use it everyday in my jobs as a teacher and as a translator. (It's the ideal bridge language!)
And... it makes the learning of ethnic languages much faster and easier!!
Wouldn't that make so much more sense?

Answer 8

No. If the Spanish speaking people already here don't eventually learn English, their kids will definately know how to speak English. They are just playing dumb because some of you people make it so easy for them.

Answer 9

Why do you say ten years? It already happens now.

Try finding an ATM that doesn't have the Spanish option. If you don't think illegal mexican immigrants are using benefits, why are the forms in spanish and english?

Answer 10

more than likely but will i be speaking it no im just to lazy to learn so me and a whole bunch of people will live under ground and build a community were we can all understand one another