Why many Americans realize Spanish is da fastest growing second language in America and don't try to learn it?

Question

Vamos!
Si se puede!

Answer 1

They're too close-minded. Spanish speakers are a huge part of our economy. When will they ever learn?!?!?!

Tambien hay pinche racistas aqui

Answer 2

The vast majority do a simple cost/benefit analysis and decide it's not worth the time it'd take to learn. How often will they run into a person who speaks ONLY Spanish who has the ability to greatly improve their lives AND not have even a makeshift interpreter (like a bilingual child) nearby? The likelihood is just so small they don't bother.

In all fairness, if went to any Central or South American country (except Brazil) and didn't speak a lick of Spanish, I'd look like an foolish, boorish, insensitive American for asking why there aren't enough English speakers and English signs for my convenience. So, sure it'd be the nice (even the "Christian") thing to do, but I think all immigrants and emigrants should realize the impracticality of learning a language you don't need. Tourist industry workers tend to know a little English so English-speakers don't even need to learn much of another language to travel. Plain and simple, one can do quite well on English alone. Maybe that'll change, but right now that's probably the biggest reason why most Americans don't learn Spanish.

For some it seems like a "surrender" to a perceived "invasion", others want to make life as hard as possible for immigrants even if it's to their own personal detriment as well.

Lastly, Spanish unfortunately has a distinctly "lower-class" stigma around it. In my experience, French carries a upper-crust cachet--wine and cheese and all that--followed, probably, by German and Italian, with Japanese being for nerds). There seems to be an unspoken attitude among those with the fiscal and educational werewithal to learn other languages, that if you're learning Spanish you're just "talking to the hired help". Not my feelings, but just what I've observed.

Answer 3

Probably the same reason a lot of Spanish-speakers don't learn English -- it's a certain amount of work, and easier to maintain the status quo. (I live in El Paso, Texas, a city in the US, which is about 80 percent Hispanic. About HALF the residents don't speak English -- even city employees. If Spanish-language TV wasn't so God-awful, that would probably be an incentive for English-speakers to learn Spanish.

Answer 4

Learning other languages is work. Knowing other languages is enormously interesting and fun. Only by reading foreign lanuage papers can you get the truth about U.S. foreign policy. Knowing only one language keeps you uninformed.

More people speak Spanish as a first language than speak English as a first language across the globe.

Why do I find so many exponents of "English Only" who speak their mother tongue so poorly with such horrible grammar?

Wherever there are mixed language areas, public service institution need bi-lingual employees. In those areas nearly all the bi-lingual people are from the minority since only they learn the other language. They get the jobs. For example, Miami Police department and Post Office.

Answer 5

The reason I haven't learned it is because I have nobody to speak it to. Nobody in my family speaks Spanish and I generally don't hang around with people who speak it. Also, because of my appearance, nobody is going to walk up to me and speak that language to me. However, I would like to mention that we are not a much of monolingual morons. Everybody in my family speaks at least some German and I have several relatives who speak it fluently. I'm all for people learning other languages but they shouldn't be forced to learn a particular one because a large group of immigrants don't want to learn theirs. I used to live in South Florida and I encountered many adults who made no effort to learn English even though they have lived in this country for years. They use their children to translate for them.

Answer 6

Because many of the Spanish speaking population don't even bother to learn English. I see adults have there children translating for them. It can get annoying after awhile. Many Americans think why should we learn Spanish when they don't bother learning English?

Answer 7

I'm going to assume you are attempting to speak to US citizens.

What other countries speak Spanish? What other countries speak English as a first or second language? Who do we do business with? Why do we need to learn to speak a language that is not going to advance us?

Seriously. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings. Spanish is a beautiful language but it is not a profitable one unless you are marketing to Spanish speaking people in the US or very select populations in other countries.

Answer 8

Americans don't have to learn your language,pal.
Just keep that in your corrupted country.

Answer 9

Although learning it would be the smart way to go....this is still America where the FIRST language is English. If that's the case, all south Floridians must learn creole, spanish, and mandarin chinese.

Answer 10

Because they hate to death Spanish, people who speak Spanish, immigrants, Catholics, and some other people as well

They consider a mortal offense to be told to learn Spanish. They rather crush their, etc, etc, toes

Answer 11

LOL, well actually I think knowing english is most important that knowing spanish cause not many people know spanish, almost everyone knows english!