How does this make you feel?

[chaser]

The majority of immigrants are actually legal, the illegal ones are few (on average) and I've never heard of someone being forced to learn a different language. However imo, if you come to a live in a different country, you should accept and take on the language,culture, ethics etc of your destination. If you aint willing to integrate then go home. But thats just me.

Lol you should come to Texas... Or Arizona or either of the other 2 states that border Mexico.

[coombz]

why the hell would anyone want to go to Texas 

[1sum41]

why the hell would anyone want to go to Texas 

Becasuse it's the best place in the world!

[Motherland]

Makes me remember how disappointed I am that I can't speak Spanish

[zack1234]

why the hell would anyone want to go to Texas 

I owned you in Scenario Big slagg and I am poo

Have you been praticing?

[kilo2]

It reminds me how ignorant America is.

You got that Nathan guy all wrapped up.


I agree. This is one of the reasons why people from around the world give the united states so much crap. Too many xenophobes 

[mthrockmor]

America has become the land of convenience and guilt. We feel guilty for everything. Apparently we are the cause of all the worlds ills, thus the guilt. One prominent economist noted that multiculturalism really translates into worship everything that is not American, attack everything that is.

The convenience thing is what will kill us. We have put a large amount of convenience on the credit cards. The GAO notes that our total debt broke $16 trillion. That is chump change to the real problem, which is future outlays. What is projected in our life time ABOVE anticipated revenues from taxes exceeds $100 trillion! Some flat line estimates (flat lines never happen in life, at some point they always deviate) put it at close to $200 trillion.

Immigrants (both legal and illegal) bring great benefits to America in many ways. The cost and loss is associated with our guilt and convenience. This leads to spending much money where some old fashioned 'get with the program' toughness would do. The cost of pandering for votes in other languages via services that should be done in one language would do just fine.

Immigration is great. How we pander to it is the problem.

Just my two economic cents.

Boo

[jimson]

I agree. This is one of the reasons why people from around the world give the united states so much crap. Too many xenophobes  

Say what you want about Americans, but my Bosnian friend thinks we are the opposite of what you say, compared to Europeans.

It's not a good thing to have language barriers in a society. Since the majority here speak English, it's appropriate to expect immigrants to learn it rather than expect Americans to accommodate everyone who speaks Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Arabic, etc.

I don't know how many immigrants you know, but I know several who have lived here for 20 years or more and have not made any effort to learn English.

When Americans choose to emigrate, I am guessing that you would consider it rude and arrogant if they don't make an effort to use the primary language of their host country, but when others come here, we are rude and arrogant if we don't bend over backwards to ensure that they never have to learn the primary language used here?

What a bunch of horseshiite!!

[zack1234]

If anyone cannot speak English I don't care, people at work used to go mad when Polish people spoke polish in front of them

They used to say is disrespectful, and what are they talking about?

They were talking about the usual nonsense wives,football and cars

I add a conversation with a bloke who thought I was Polish I just nodded my head at everything he pointed to in the newspaper, It was about terrorists,we both had the same view of them I believe.

He had a Uncle who had been in America for 50 years and owned a bakery, the guy could not get in though

Image that having been saddled with me all night, it was rather unfair to him I assume everyone agrees

[bj229r]

If your goal in life is to mow rich people's yards, and go to the emergency room on the taxpayers dime every time you or your kids get sick, by all means don't learn English. Every minute someone is in this country not bothering to learn English is wasted

[LCADolby]

I live in a place heavily populated by 'Polio' and 'Pork and Cheese', The Polish and the Portugese have no idea what I'm on about 

[cpxxx]

I don't know how many immigrants you know, but I know several who have lived here for 20 years or more and have not made any effort to learn English.

Isn't that what America is all about? Having the freedom to get on with your life pretty much as you see fit without anyone forcing you to do anything you don't want to do like learning another language. Even if that include restricting your opportunities by failing to learn the language then so be it.

But otherwise it's a good point. If you move to another country you should learn the native language. It's only common sense. Although it has to be said. In some countries nearly everyone learns English and won't let you try out your few local phrases, interrupting with English.

Having said that, don't bother learning Irish if you move to Ireland. There are more Polish speakers here than Irish speakers. I heard of one guy, Japanese who took the trouble to learn Irish before he arrived and was extremely puzzled when hardly anyone knew what he was talking about! He might as well have been speaking Japanese.

As for the original. In all seriousness who is forcing who to learn a language other than English? It's just a troublemaking patch.

[VonMessa]

If anyone cannot speak English I don't care, people at work used to go mad when Polish people spoke polish in front of them

They used to say is disrespectful, and what are they talking about?

They were talking about the usual nonsense wives,football and cars

I add a conversation with a bloke who thought I was Polish I just nodded my head at everything he pointed to in the newspaper, It was about terrorists,we both had the same view of them I believe.

He had a Uncle who had been in America for 50 years and owned a bakery, the guy could not get in though

Image that having been saddled with me all night, it was rather unfair to him I assume everyone agrees

That is not a big issue to me.

What is a big deal, however, is when business transactions have to be conducted or when routine work duties have to be performed.  There should be clear communication  and the native tongue (even though it is not official) should be spoken.

My grandparents spoke German a lot at home.  When they conducted business or were dealing with the public, they spoke English.

This theory can be applied to any country, any language.  I had a friend that moved to Japan for work.  He learned Japanese, even though most of his colleagues knew English.  

[zack1234]

Everyone learns English and if you don't want to I could not care less, its not my loss.

Germany was the most common language in America at one point they had to bring laws to force people to learn English.

[VonMessa]

Everyone learns English and if you don't want to I could not care less, its not my loss.

Germany was the most common language in America at one point they had to bring laws to force people to learn English.

There are no laws about the language we use here.

The U.S. does not have an "official" language, per se.