Do you believe that a group of people who move to a new land should have to learn the native language?

Question

If yes, do you think Europeans should have learned Native American languages?

Also, if you are in support of preserving English, should we preserve true English, or the neo-English that Americans invented. For example "colour" and "color". (Yahoo! Answers doesn't even recognize colour as a word)

For the record, I want everyone to have to learn English, and I don't want to learn any new languages, because I am selfish.

pee_nuss: lol. True, it is the best on earth. the word 'boobs' just doesn't seem as cool in another language.

Answer 1

Absolutely. If I were to move to Mexico, or France, or Germany, or Russia, and were to want to stay there, I would be expected to learn the language or not be able to function at any level of their societies.

Those Europeans that went to live with the Native Americans DID learn their languages because they wanted to be able to live with them. The rest of the Europeans just wiped 'em out and subjugated the tribes. A nomadic, gathering style of culture cannot compete with a stable, farming/urban culture.

If Germany had won either WWI or WWII, Europe's language today would be German, not the conglomerate of languages that it is today.

All languages evolve. The English spoken by Americans is OUR language and therefore the language of the land. Even the language spoken in England now is different from the English spoken in the times of Elizabeth I. I don't hear too many "forsooths" on the BBC, do you?

Answer 2

Europeans were far too arrogant to learn the language of the "savages."

I think everyone in America should be required to speak English and another language of their choice fluently before graduating high school or being granted citizenship.

Why? Because it's practical. If English is the only language we all speak we are at a disadvantage with dozens of other nations in the world.

Answer 3

Of course they should. If I were moving to another country, I'd certainly learn the language even before I left my own country.

Just as an aside, does anyone else think that American and European college students who use every excuse to write "Amerikan" appear just plain ignorant? As an educator, I've always been a little surprised that they want to openly advertise the fact that they are so callow. You would think they would at least pretend to maturity in an anonymous environment where their youth doesn't have to be so obvious. Anyway, that's just me. What do you think?

Answer 4

Hello aviator haven't seen you around in a long while.

Yes I believe.

No I don't think Europeans should have learned Native American languages.

Answer 5

nowadays the group of people moving to new land are moving for education, and job .they have to learn English for their benefit to mix with the people.
Europeans didn't learn native american language because they moved in with their guns and killed all simple redindians to establish their territory.
the neoenglish is weired as it cant be understood by outsiders

Answer 6

Of course not. everyone should learn every language.
press 114 for Farsi or, press 1 for English, press 203 for Mandarin, press 204 for Cantonese.

Crap, you go to a country to visit, you should at least a few of their phrases or words out of respect.
You move to a country to live, you should learn the dominant language and become a part of your new country. Demanding that the new country conform to you and change to become more like the culture you left is disrespectful and shows that you should have stayed where you were.

Answer 7

Yes, and Europeans did learn the native languages. However, they came as conquerers, not as unskilled laborers. The illegal alien invasion and the cult of multiculturalism are greater threats to the USA than the Islamic terrorists and the radical Islamic govt of Iran put together.

I want the immigrants to the USA to learn English, and I want our govt to stop catering to illegal aliens. Support making English the National Language of the US govt and Repeal Clinton’s Multilingualism Order -
http://capwiz.com/ef/issues/alert/?alertid=9323616&type=CO

Answer 8

I think it's not a matter of native language as much as national language but yes. If you're moving to the US learn English, if you're moving to Spain learn Spanish, if you're moving to France learn French, and if you're moving to Britain learn to talk like twit from a Monty Python movie. Jolly good Guvna!

Answer 9

Haha, there are FAR too many ways to answer this. My simple answer is "the mass will decide". If the US absorbs Mexico we'll speak spanglish. There is no way to get everybody to learn a language that is not native to that land/ culture. This question is silly, and ridiculous... "i wish you good day sir".

Answer 10

They don't have to learn the language but government should not accommodate them by printing everything in various languages. This costs us extra and lowers the need for them to learn the language. I have been all over the world and it is rare that government prints anything in more than one dialect.