Latinos, U.S. Largest Minority

And with this fact I was watching a debate last night titled "Angry White Men, English Only" or something like that with Phil Donahue. There were people angry that you can choose whether you want to hear something in english or spanish, claiming that English is the primary language.
If the United States is supposed to be the melting pot, then why is something like this an issue, if you don't know spanish learn it, is it that hard? People can be so closed minded and ignorant sometimes.

I agree with Negro Lindo that the people in the US should learn at least one foreign language, rather than continuing with the attitude that people will speak English everywhere they go in the world. Even when they find people in other countries who speak English, many Americans aren't happy. Good example is the American vacationing for a week at the new hotel in Sosua. He complained to the owner of a local restaurant that nobody at the hotel spoke "real English".

But I don't agree with the rest. English is the language of the US and people who wish to make their homes there should be expected to learn English. Yes the US is supposed to be a "melting pot" and one of the functions of such a pot is to take various things that have been put into the pot, melt them down so that they intermix and become one.

Neither do I think that the foreign langague that I think all Americans should learn must be Spanish because Hispanics are the second largest group in the US. We are fast becoming a global community and there are many more languages out there than English and Spanish.

The argument that people should be allowed to maintain their own culture is not the same as the melting pot analogy. But even there, it seems to me, there must be a common language so that all people can communicate. Either one language, or allow all to maintain their own language, giving them the choice of listening to one of 15 or 20 different languges.

If you are white with blue eyes and you are from argentina, venezuela etc, you are not white, you are hispanic. If you are all black (almost 100% african) and from DR or puerto rico, you are also hispanic (not black).
If you are half black and look almost white and speak english (born in usa) you are black. If you have any black (african american) blood in you (may that be 25% and look totally white but live with black folks etc) you are african american.
See my point? Its not so simple to define who is hispanic or african american.

Ken, I agree with you. Although I can't speak for the US it's the same over here in England - the English travel to the far corners of the globe and expect to be able to communicate in English. It's just so so lazy!!

I also agree that people should be allowed to maintain their own culture regardless of where they choose to live, but only to a certain degree, i.e. within their own community. In England we have many many different nationalities, religions, cultures, and whilst I do not object to any of those people I do object to the fact that a lot of them - and please don't ask me for any statistics because I can't give them - do not speak English.

If people want to live here then they should at least make an effort to learn the lingo.

I agree. No matter where one goes, if you want to live there you should learn their language. No one should feel it their 'right' to have their native language spoken in another country. This is happening more and more often here in the states. When I lived in the DR I rarely spoke english outside my home and I certainly didn't expect to be attended to in english wherever I went. Why is it that the spanish people feel they have the 'right' to be attended to in spanish here in the US? I love the latin culture and spanish, but the official language of the US is english.....or have I missed something!

My opinion is that the Americans are hurting themselves by not learning another language of two. They should start teaching a language when children are young.In every other country they have to learn some other language, usually English.
It's so amazing to me how narrow minded most Americans are. I was a narrow minded American and didn't even know it. I wish I had learned some language when I was there but just never saw the need. I thought everyone in the world could speak English so why bother. Now I know better.

I watched Phil Donohue also. I think the "angry" men didn't understand what "these people" (what a joke) were trying to say.
I work in the ESL department at a Community College.
Every single student, from the 16 year olds and older, is very eager to learn English. There is no question that English is necessary and should be learned.
The problem is that it takes a generation to be fluent in English. In the meantime, how does someone function in and exclusively English speaking environment? My guess is they would spend their money where they are comfortable. Some place where someone speaks their language! How do we quickly teach the children in this fast-paced society?
The real shame is that in that generation, the customs also begin to disappear and pretty soon, we are a melting pot, but we can't identify the flavors.
The other point was that part of our problem, here in the US, is that because the majority of Americans don't know another language, we aren't sensitive to others' points of view. By learning other languages, we open our minds.
That's what I wish they had gotten last night on Donohue.
mk

When in Rome do as the Romans

In the US, the language is english. If you move there, learn it and speak it in your public life.

In the Dominican Republic, it is spanish, If you move there, learn it and speak it in your public life.

I personally am sick of having to hit an extra button on every ATM machine, looking on the wrong side of a package etc. trying to find the language that built this country... Public schools being required to have teachers who speak the native language of all the students etc....

Not so

The largest minority is actually Irish-Americans, or perhaps English-Americans, or even German-Americans.

At least 2 of these groups is entitled to minority status, since there can be only 1 majority of anything.

Jan i agree with you to a point. People in the US should learn another language, but not because we have to in order to communicate in our own country. I am fluent in spanish and so is my 7 year old son. It is great that it allows us to communicate with more people and learn other cultures, but why should I feel like I have to speak spanish in an english culture?! I shouldn't! Tell me what other country has been required to post everything in a second language? Some places in Europe do it just for tourisms sake. I would venture to say that their would be alot more narrow mindedness by latin countries if they were told they had to start speaking another language and post everything in english along side spanish. It would never happen.

In America you shoulld learn English if your living there. And also living here I'm trying to learn Spanish. Its not easy since I was never exposed to any language before and I'm over 40 now. But I'm trying.
But don't you think that other countries are getting more of an advantage by speaking more than one language? In business and personal life it definatly helps to know more than one language and in USA not many people have that advantage. But then most don't care.

The English are very ignorant in respect to languages, I know, I'm one of them The joys of being an island, just across the water the rest of Europe embraces languages and most Europeans I meet speak 2-3 languages.

Fortunately for many newbies to the DR, more and more people are learning English, most kids that attend private schools can speak English, many fluently by the time they graduate. I'm sure the language landscape will be different here in 10-15 years.

You are already starting to see English appear in mainstream advertising in the DR. Not sure why, maybe it makes the company look more sophisticated?

Bottom line, when you can communicate, the experience is greatly enhanced...

Tell me what other country has been required to post everything in a second language?


What other country? Canada (your neighbors, remember us???)! English and French, although I would say only about 20% (rough estimate, correct me if I'm off-base) of Canadians speak French (I speak very little French, only the basics, and what you read on the cereal box). However, we are supposedly a completely bilingual country. Whichever way you look at it, learning a new language will only enhance your personal growth, and should never be looked upon as a negative thing.

I don't think it's so much that American's expect everyone to speak English as much as it is people in general (not just Americans) not viewing the world "as it is" but more so "as they are". Expecting everyone to conform to your way is as absurd as expecting a bull not to charge at you because you're a vegetarian.

I can't relate why we even draw these lines of distinction; Latino, African, etc. Who does this really serve?

Do these new numbers mean that the Latino's get first dibs on what day they can have their annual parade?

And for the love of god, why are you people watching Phil Donahue? It's insane enough that the morons who believe in "English only" are even given a forum to discuss their ludicrous beliefs.

If you're watching this crap on TV, it's arguable that you're as moronic as they are.

trina said:

Tell me what other country has been required to post everything in a second language?


What other country? Canada (your neighbors, remember us???)! English and French, although I would say only about 20% (rough estimate, correct me if I'm off-base) of Canadians speak French (I speak very little French, only the basics, and what you read on the cereal box). However, we are supposedly a completely bilingual country. Whichever way you look at it, learning a new language will only enhance your personal growth, and should never be looked upon as a negative thing.

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Another example: Belgium. Everything is posted in both French and Flemish. And if memory serves me (it's been a few years since I was last there), in Switzerland most things are in French, German and Italian.

Regards,
Keith

"Born In The USA!",but live and work in the DR!

I have worked long and hard to be able to speak Spanish,and then longer and harder to be able to understand and speak "Dominican"!I have what can be considered a "good" job in the Dominican Republic, not only because of my "business" skills,but because I can put those skill to work in the Spanish/Dominican speaking world! If you live and work in a country where you were not born,or where you don't speak the language, you will never be part of,or understand the politics or culture of that country!!!! This is why many of the posters on DR! who have lived for many years in the DR,and speak the language,and because of that can read the newspapers,and understand the news broadcasts,radio/TV,go balistic when someone who spends 7 nights at an "AI" starts telling us all about the DR,and even more irritating,it's people!!!!!!! For me the same holds true of peopl who emmigrate to the USA! If they don't learn "American"they will never be part of the "System"! They will suffer economically becuase the can't communicate! Teaching classes in foreign languages only serves to prolong the agony! Nobody taught the Italians or the Poles,or the Germans in their native languages.They learned "American",and they learned fast!!! Just as the Welfare system has only served to destroy the Black Culture,failure to learn "American" is destroying,or at least delaying the advancement of the non-English speaking minorities!.........AZB,If you speak Spanish where you came from,you are an "Hispanic" no matter what color you are.Just like if you are Cape Verdian" you are white(Portugese) no matter how Black you are.I have noticed that at least 1/2 of all the people in the world,the women, are pink on the inside.So I guess that means that "underneath" we are all the SAME!!!!! Live with THAT!!!!!....."AZB" learned English (Well almost!!!..Just kidding!)in NewYork,and I bet no one taught him in Pakistani at the same time!!!CRIS "Ariva Derchi","SawaDee",.."Bon Appetit",COLON

No doubt the "official" language of the States is english, and I agree that everyone should be able to speak it here, I don't think Americans should be made to learn spanish to accomodate anyone, but don't complain when someone speaks spanish or becuase businesses and ATM's offer services in spanish.
I believe if there is a "second" language of the states it would be spanish because we have so many spanish speaking people here.
People in Curacao would sometimes get an attitude with me because I would speak to them in English, and they would say "this is Curacao, we speak papiamento so you have to speak papiamento, if I come to america I have to speak English" I was only there for three months though and could not learn it that fast, I learned phrases and greetings and stuff. I wasn't closed minded to the idea though, and I that's what I'm trying to say. If you don't know it be happy in your ignorance and don't complain.
It would do "us" good to learn other languages.

I'm sure I've read somewhere or other that Spanish is the 3rd most widely spoken language in the world. Also, I think that some other nationalities, whose first language is not spanish, find it easy to understand - such as the Italians and Portugese.

I have worked long and hard to be able to speak Spanish,and then longer and harder to be able to understand and speak "Dominican"!I have what can be considered a "good" job in the Dominican Republic, not only because of my "business" skills,but because I can put those skill to work in the Spanish/Dominican speaking world! If you live and work in a country where you were not born,or where you don't speak the language, you will never be part of,or understand the politics or culture of that country!!!! This is why many of the posters on DR! who have lived for many years in the DR,and speak the language,and because of that can read the newspapers,and understand the news broadcasts,radio/TV,go balistic when someone who spends 7 nights at an "AI" starts telling us all about the DR,and even more irritating,it's people!!!!!!! For me the same holds true of peopl who emmigrate to the USA! If they don't learn "American"they will never be part of the "System"! They will suffer economically becuase the can't communicate! Teaching classes in foreign languages only serves to prolong the agony! Nobody taught the Italians or the Poles,or the Germans in their native languages.They learned "American",and they learned fast!!! Just as the Welfare system has only served to destroy the Black Culture,failure to learn "American" is destroying,or at least delaying the advancement of the non-English speaking minorities!.........AZB,If you speak Spanish where you came from,you are an "Hispanic" no matter what color you are.Just like if you are Cape Verdian" you are white(Portugese) no matter how Black you are.

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Good points, CC