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Thread: English as a 2nd language and since English became a language...

  1. #1
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    English as a 2nd language and since English became a language...

    Either today or yesterday, there were some postings here about Spanish as a second language for this part of N. America. Its inevitable. There are very many people in the USA who have Spanish as their FIRST language as they learn English. *The Spanish-speaking population is growing rapidly here...

    Go to any shopping mall near the border with Canada. You will often hear French spoken by Canadians who come here by the buses loads! Many Canadians speak at least two languages very well...

    In S. America, English is also known and spoken even though Spanish is their native language...

    With Canada to our north and S. America down south of us, here in the USA we are more and more surrounded by French and Spanish words...

    In all developed countries, the people speak not only their native tongue but also speak and understand English...

    It is very interesting that even in underdeveloped countries, some people living in poverty still can somewhat speak and understand English!

    Yet here, as big as this country's population has grown with *people from another land who intend for their children to use their own country's language first, we in the USA still think we can get along with only one language...

    Besides that learning Spanish has become a necessity here, English, after all, is a combination of MANY other languages including French and Spanish.

    Much of the basics of Spanish are so similar to English, it is easy to READ Spanish and get the gist...

    Although some people in the USA balk at accepting needing to learn a second language, whether it becomes a second nation language or not, that is not true in the schools. This county's young are learning Spanish and other languages as basic education on a much greater scale than older generations here ever thought they would need to. It seems that we in the USA need to accept Spanish as a possible second national language...

    ~~Because it is becoming necessary to have a discrepancy as the world gets smaller, I like to refer to those living in the USA as something other than Americans since "America" does not apply only to the USA. I think of us as USAers, USAens or USAions/ions as in a USA nation~~

    How to get the gist of Spanish as it becomes common in this country"? I do it this way:

    When I have a booklet of instructions for putting something together, those languages are basically word-for-word the same-meaning and sentence structures; those are basic wordings everyone uses. Remember that those languages are the top ones for purchasers of products we ALL use worldwide--I try learning the basics that way...

    Another way. Many online sites now give a choice of languages. I could copy a page of information in the language I speak. Then copy one or two other languages that I hear around me. Then try to compare and learn them at least basically. French is harder to learn this way then Spanish...

    When I am with or near people who are speaking a language I don't understand, I listen, ID and try to understand... No LOL here. It works, well, it works basically. (Don't you just hate it when a group people you are speaking WITH switch to a language you don't understand? In my experience, that has been Spanish. Rude that! Calls for going gist getting.)

    ----------
    --> --> --> -->goal surpassing in progress-->

  2. #2
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    English is the world's language, not just ours.
    First Amendment rights are like muscles, if you don't exercise them they will atrophy.

  3. #3
    Member run4it's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mesue
    English is the world's language, not just ours.
    Wow...how incredibly egocentric! (oh, and wrong as well)
    But your being a dick
    ~Wnyresident

  4. #4
    Member bornandraised's Avatar
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    Having US citizens learn a 2nd language, after they master english, is a good goal. The school systems have to reinvent themselves in this area as they are still teaching German and French in most high schools. I don't think we will be going to war against these countries any time soon. Arabic and Chinese would probably serve the school systems and our communities, better for the future.

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    Member Velvet Fog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bornandraised
    Having US citizens learn a 2nd language, after they master english, is a good goal. The school systems have to reinvent themselves in this area as they are still teaching German and French in most high schools. I don't think we will be going to war against these countries any time soon. Arabic and Chinese would probably serve the school systems and our communities, better for the future.
    I wouldn't say that kids have to master the english language-I'm pretty sure no one truly masters anything but teaching a 2nd language at the same time a child starts school is the best idea. I agree with you about Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish. German and French are a waste.
    Peace Out Funky

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    Quote Originally Posted by run4it
    Wow...how incredibly egocentric! (oh, and wrong as well)
    Quote Originally Posted by mesue
    English is the world's language, not just ours.
    That was told to me by a business man. A fairly wealthy one at that. I don't know how wrong he is. A lot of the world speaks English. So, it isn't my ego, it's business. Maybe I need to be a bit more egocentric, then I'd have an IRA a new car and schwanky house, new doo, nice clothes ...

    (unsubscibing to this thread, so no further response from me)
    First Amendment rights are like muscles, if you don't exercise them they will atrophy.

  7. #7
    Townsfolk
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    U.S. Constitution in English; Bill of Rights in English. If you don't want to speak in English, feel free to return to the crap hole of a country you left behind. Push 1 to proceed in English; push 2 for deportation.

  8. #8
    Member Velvet Fog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Townsfolk
    U.S. Constitution in English; Bill of Rights in English. If you don't want to speak in English, feel free to return to the crap hole of a country you left behind. Push 1 to proceed in English; push 2 for deportation.
    So you don't think kids should learn a second language?
    Peace Out Funky

  9. #9
    Member bornandraised's Avatar
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    English 1st

    Quote Originally Posted by Velvet Fog
    So you don't think kids should learn a second language?
    I think kids should learn a 2nd language, but Americans have to speak English 1st and English should be the official language of the USA. Companies should not have to spend millions on printing bi-ligual forms and phone messages. Seeing more and more signs in English and Spanish is really starting to get my goat. This is the US. We only should have english on our signs/information. This will enforce the need for all citizens to learn English. A 2nd language is good, but the 1st priority has to be on English.

  10. #10
    Member Velvet Fog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bornandraised
    I think kids should learn a 2nd language, but Americans have to speak English 1st and English should be the official language of the USA. Companies should not have to spend millions on printing bi-ligual forms and phone messages. Seeing more and more signs in English and Spanish is really starting to get my goat. This is the US. We only should have english on our signs/information. This will enforce the need for all citizens to learn English. A 2nd language is good, but the 1st priority has to be on English.
    I agree. But why is it that all these other countries speak English but yet we don't really learn or stress learning a 2nd language? Thats the question.
    Peace Out Funky

  11. #11
    Member run4it's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bornandraised
    I think kids should learn a 2nd language, but Americans have to speak English 1st and English should be the official language of the USA. Companies should not have to spend millions on printing bi-ligual forms and phone messages. Seeing more and more signs in English and Spanish is really starting to get my goat. This is the US. We only should have english on our signs/information. This will enforce the need for all citizens to learn English. A 2nd language is good, but the 1st priority has to be on English.
    No private business is required to offer any service in any language (including English). You can run a business as a blind/deaf-mute if you so desire. Offering services in different languages is simply a business decision designed to reach out to more customers. Do you really want to start telling private business owners how they can or can't market their wears?
    But your being a dick
    ~Wnyresident

  12. #12
    Member bornandraised's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by run4it
    No private business is required to offer any service in any language (including English). You can run a business as a blind/deaf-mute if you so desire. Offering services in different languages is simply a business decision designed to reach out to more customers. Do you really want to start telling private business owners how they can or can't market their wears?
    No, but having forms, voice mails, etc in several languages costs the businesses $ and that cost is past on to us. They often have to offer bi-ligual information to 'keep up with the Joneses' and the more this is done the more goods/services will cost.

  13. #13
    Member Velvet Fog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bornandraised
    No, but having forms, voice mails, etc in several languages costs the businesses $ and that cost is past on to us. They often have to offer bi-ligual information to 'keep up with the Joneses' and the more this is done the more goods/services will cost.
    No one costs us, the citizens, more money than our government. Besides prinitng costs I don't see where all the extra expenditures are...When you press 1 your sent to India anyways. If you press 2 you get a spanish spaeking american.
    Peace Out Funky

  14. #14
    Member run4it's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bornandraised
    No, but having forms, voice mails, etc in several languages costs the businesses $ and that cost is past on to us. They often have to offer bi-ligual information to 'keep up with the Joneses' and the more this is done the more goods/services will cost.
    So then patronize a business that doesn't offer bilingual services. That should make their prices less, right? Or does it work out where bilingual services actually gets the business enough customers that they can afford to lower profit margins and sell their items/services for less?

    ...and this is an honest question: do you own your own business?
    But your being a dick
    ~Wnyresident

  15. #15
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
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    The only time a second (or third or fourth) language hurts you is when you don't have one. Learning any of the Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) will help you understand English grammar better since all of them are based on Latin and use the Latin-style grammar. On the other hand, learning German will help you understand a lot of the idiosyncracies of English homonyms and spelling because English is an old Germanic language overlaid with medieval Norman French.

    I took French in high school and college, and then added Spanish in college. I used to be able to read both very well, and can still get by with them. I used to speak both passably well, but after 30+ years of mostly not speaking them regularly, I've lost that skill .

    I'm working on at least getting a reading of knowledge of Italian now, since I'm thinking of going to Italy to do a little geneological research when I retire.

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