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And yet their children born here are not- since they're already citizens by virtue of being born here.
Pam
Calm down, dude.
Pam
So, one in 133 jobs requires Spanish-English bilingualism.
Then they should speak our ****ing language. This isn't complicated. Nobody is interested in your fascist policies of forcing children to learn spanish. I, like most Americans, don't want to talk to illegal immigrants. If they want to get along in our society, learn English, or tough titties.
And yet their children born here are not- since they're already citizens by virtue of being born here.
Pam
Oh, that immigrants should learn the common language in their new home is a no-brainer. Of course they should. For a gazillion of reasons.
It does. Requiring any specific alternate language does not because it is the student who makes the decision regarding what specific market they will compete in.It makes sense to prepare students to compete in the job market.
Pam
Genau. I moved to Germany, so I learned German and have made an active effort to integrate. This would be the equivalent of Germany forcing everyone to learn Turkish because there are so many Turks. It's ridiculous.
Absolutely.
Now I think at least one foreign language should be required for students in school, but not for the purpose of conversing with immigrants who are too lazy to learn the language of their new home.
Absolutely.
Now I think at least one foreign language should be required for students in school, but not for the purpose of conversing with immigrants who are too lazy to learn the language of their new home.
Oh, that immigrants should learn the common language in their new home is a no-brainer. Of course they should. For a gazillion of reasons.
I agree. I don't think it hurts at all to require a foreign language, as long as there is a selection. I still remember my parents saying to me in middle school when I picked German "We support you regardless, but... Why don't you learn Spanish? When are you ever going to need German?" I still laugh at them about that today. In fact, my mom just started learning German so she can do Ok when she visits.
^^ This is a 55 year old woman who is making an attempt just so she doesn't seem ignorant on vacation trips. I have zero ****ing pity for immigrants who want to live in the US and refuse to attempt to learn English.
That's great!
And I have to applaud you for the mastering of the German language, based on the couple of times you demonstratred it. I don't think immigrants need to be able to master their new language on Shakespeare- or Goethe-level, but they should be able to get along in everyday life. I guess your German is better than my English. And German is probably a more complicated language to learn.
As for Turks in Germany ... I guess it's not bad when German students have the option of chosing Turkish as second foreign language. Makes sense. It's not bad when we take an effort to learn the language of our largest immigrant group. But that doesn't mean Turkish immigrants here should not take efforts to learn German. IMO, that's really basic when you come here. You don't need to become another Goethe, of course, but you should really know enough to be fit for a job here.
I think you overestimate my German. I make a LOT of mistakes, and my accent is absolutely atrocious. But you know what? I made an effort, and people can understand me well, even if I'm not an elegant speaker.
All I ask is that immigrants solidly try to learn the language, and not expect us to bend to them.
EDITED: This is old data that used to be contained on the Wikipedia site on Spanish language in the U.S. (link below) The site has changed, and no longer gives those percentages by state (although it does give percentages by country, as does this link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spanish_in_the_United_States_by_countr.gif ) I'll try to find another link.
The 2004 American Community Survey (from the U.S. Census Bureau) these are the percentages of Spanish speakers living in the U.S., by state:
New Mexico: 43.27%
California: 34.72%
Texas: 34.63%
Arizona: 28.03%
Nevada: 19.27%
Florida: 19.27%
New York: 15.96%
New Jersey: 13.89%
Illinois: 12.70%
Colorado: 12.35%
The remaining states have less than 10% of their populations speaking Spanish.
Spanish language in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spanish is also predicted to become the world's second most spoken language (after Chinese) by 2050.
newamericamedia.org/2011/02/us-will-be-biggest-spanish-speaking-country-by-2050-says-scholar.php
Should Spanish be a required subject in school? If so, for which states and starting in what grades?
Pam
I'm not asking whether they ought to require the study of a foreign language. I'm asking whether they ought to require the study of Spanish, specifically.
Pam
I wanted to ask you for a while ... what do you think of the practize of dubbing non-German movies and tv series with the German language here?
Most Germans envy Scandinavians and Dutch for their English language skills, and I wonder if the reason why they're so good in English is less because of their schools, and more because they don't dub English language tv programs, but broadcast them in the original with subtitles. I guess my English would be much better, if I had had the chance of watching all my favorite programs in English with subs ever since I was 6!
We've had the technology for decades to be able to select the language track on TV signals, so why choose? Why not have it with the click of a remote you can watch it dubbed or in the original language?
Should Spanish be a required subject in school? If so, for which states and starting in what grades?
EDITED: This is old data that used to be contained on the Wikipedia site on Spanish language in the U.S. (link below) The site has changed, and no longer gives those percentages by state (although it does give percentages by country, as does this link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spanish_in_the_United_States_by_countr.gif ) I'll try to find another link.
The 2004 American Community Survey (from the U.S. Census Bureau) these are the percentages of Spanish speakers living in the U.S., by state:
New Mexico: 43.27%
California: 34.72%
Texas: 34.63%
Arizona: 28.03%
Nevada: 19.27%
Florida: 19.27%
New York: 15.96%
New Jersey: 13.89%
Illinois: 12.70%
Colorado: 12.35%
The remaining states have less than 10% of their populations speaking Spanish.
Spanish language in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spanish is also predicted to become the world's second most spoken language (after Chinese) by 2050.
newamericamedia.org/2011/02/us-will-be-biggest-spanish-speaking-country-by-2050-says-scholar.php
Should Spanish be a required subject in school? If so, for which states and starting in what grades?
Pam
That's great!
And I have to applaud you for the mastering of the German language, based on the couple of times you demonstratred it. I don't think immigrants need to be able to master their new language on Shakespeare- or Goethe-level, but they should be able to get along in everyday life. I guess your German is better than my English. And German is probably a more complicated language to learn.
As for Turks in Germany ... I guess it's not bad when German students have the option of chosing Turkish as second foreign language. Makes sense. It's not bad when we take an effort to learn the language of our largest immigrant group. But that doesn't mean Turkish immigrants here should not take efforts to learn German. IMO, that's really basic when you come here. You don't need to become another Goethe, of course, but you should really know enough to be fit for a job here.
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