Welcome to America... now learn to speak English.

I'm so tired of people moving to America that have no intent on learning English. Seriously... that is absolutely ridiculous.... if you go to spain you have to speak spanish, france you speak french, and so on... why should it be different here?

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my Freshman year of high school I started taking Spanish. Honestly, my Spanish class was A LOT easier to understand than English.

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This is true, what you are learning is pretty much Spanglish, you could barely communicate with anyone in a Latin country speaking the Spanish you learn in highschool.

The hardest language I ever had to learn was Vietnamese, I didn't learn it in a classroom, I learned from people I worked with. I learned because we were unable to communicate with eachother...most of them didn't know much english. I in return taught basic english words....it is not that hard, we are not asking these people to go write novels in English(the reason we learn english for so long), just to communicate....I have learned the basics of several languages, if I can....anyone can.

The government is complaining about all the immigrants but not doing anything about it. I'm so tired of going to the store and not knowing what the guys at the payphone are saying about me.

I definately agree. I can understand how hard the English language is to learn, especially if it's as a second (or third or forth, etc.) language. However, that's no excuse to not learn. If you're going to come here, then learn English. I know that sounds intolerant, but it's actually a survival thing. If you can't express what you want/need to someone in their own language, then how are you going to get anything done? Even if it's just buying a phrase book, or getting someone who knows the language to write down some key phrases for you on placards so you can use them like signs, you need to be able to communicate.

the reason for the spanish not having to speak english. let's see, dont we live in a free country. dont we live in a multi-cultural country. thats what makes america so great, we are all very different and unique. we have variety here. if there was all one language, it would be boring, without any different languages, screw stuff like china-towns in big cities, if they spoke english, they would just be normal, and they wouldn't have different places to live. i totally disagree w/ u.

i agree completely with your rant about how they need to learn our language, but if we try to see it from their point of view we will see that they are these homeless, helpless people who have no idea about how to make a different kind of living from off the streets, whose heritage is the only way that they know how to survive. More and more of them are coming, and there's only so much that we can do to stop them. English and French are the two major business languages, and many cultures feel that English is taking over the world. They are just trying to keeo what they believe alive. So I agree with you, but in a way, i feel for them .

I agree with you that immigrants should make an effort to learn English.However,I think that we should try to help them and not spit on them when they don't know the language. Americans are SO stuck up when it comes to speaking English.Some friends of mine went to Portugal and one was getting really mad at a lady there because she didn't speak English!!! I feel VERY strongly that when we(Americans)go to other countries we should make an effort to learn at LEAST the simple phrases like hello,thank you and such. And a LOT of Americans do NOT do this,and these are the same that say "Mexico has too many Mexicans in it" Gerrr. And Americans are to dependant on the fact that other people in other countries will speak English. Most Americans speak two languages,English and something else,most Eouropeans speak several.So,yes,I think that imigrants should make an effort to learn English but Americans need to make the same effort!

I tottaly agree with you... The only fact is that sometimes people that move to America have money problems and if they have no money to buy food or a decent house... How could you expect them to have monney to pay foy ESL classes? Sincerely celehilerionull

Sorry for the double-post. My computer is messed.

Dj, I was simply implying, on a separate note, that ethics prevent certain individuals from committing crimes such as murder. If murder was technically not written that it violated the law, not everyone would go and murder who they disliked because they would, hopefully, have ethics. In this case, morals are relevant to the discussion because not everything has to be in writing for people to recognize, such as the general, or in this case the "official" language of the US. If you need more clarification, I'll be happy to provide it. I don't think I'm being as comprehensible as I could be.

Dj, I was simply implying, on a separate note, that ethics prevent certain individuals from committing crimes such as murder. If murder was technically not written that it violated the law, not everyone would go and murder who they disliked because they would, hopefully, have ethics. In this case, morals are relevant to the discussion because not everything has to be in writing for people to recognize, such as the general, or in this case the �official� language of the US. If you need more clarification, I�ll be happy to provide it. I don�t think I�m being as comprehensible as I could be.

That's what I'm saying. Thanks GabiVoice

Bye N Have a nice day

Ok...I can tell that basically everyone that's posted has a strong opinion either one way or another. I'm one of those people that is wishy-washy when it comes to this particular topic.

I've lived in America my entire life & have only spoken English. Starting my Freshman year of high school I started taking Spanish. Honestly, my Spanish class was A LOT easier to understand than English. Think about it, even if you've lived in the US your whole life, you have to take English basically all through school (@ least at my school you do!) Each year, we're taught a new rule or a new kind of word. Maybe it's not that immigrants don't want to learn English, but maybe instead they can't learn English. I think a teacher once said that it is one of the hardest languages to learn if it's not your original!!

I don't mean to upset anyone, I just wanted to add a different perspective to the topic.

Hope it makes ya think ~ ~ Ashley

In response to Joey and Gem,
First off, yes of course most would pull that murder is wrong, but it is not Ethics which guide this country its rules in LAW and very simply our country cannot force something upon somebody until it is in law; not to mention murder and a national language are something that I would hardly put on the same level. But also the bringing up of murder is not very relevant in this discussion because it is already in law so therefore holds no sway in this discussion.
Of course anybody with decent deductive reasoning can pull that the general language of this country is English, but you're still not recognizing the point that a certain rule can not be enforced in this country unless it is written into law, that’s the way it is, sorry to burst some of your bubbles.

I agree totally that immigrants to America need to learn English. But that also means that there should be either American government agencies or just volunteering citizens that are willing to help the immigrants learn English. We also need to have a program to teach them skills they may not know like driving, being a sales clerk, basic things. These programs should only be allowed for legal immigrants though...I am sick of paying taxes for our government to take care of people that won't claim our country as their own.

i agree

listen...if you want to go to france you don't have to speak france! But i understand about the moving part. But if you think about it this is about the only country you can move to. Other countries it's you in or you out. Unless you marry someone from that country you cannot get resindentship. America you don't need to marry just apply to be accepted! By you saying what you said you are going back on the very freedoms that makes us America! We are a country of different backgrounds and religions! it's what makes us so great! America is the seed from the rest of the world's flowers! I myself am Italian and some of my family still live there and we keep up with traditions! But i am born in a America and so are my parents. But my parents parents weren't. If they didn't come to America would i be here? Or my smart brother of whom everybody loves? My brother is really smart and someday will make a differance in the world ( small or big) and should of my grandparents not of come here just because they could not speak english? I do! Those people you speak of who don't speak english have or will have kids who will be english speaking Americans and they COULD make a differance in the world or in our country. So be nice to those who may not know english well. Give them a good influence of our country. So they will give it to their kids. Have a little heart. If not for others then for your country!

Okay why did Disturbed quote my "Bye N Have a nice day"?

Back to the subject:

This is what provokes me the most:

If you are talking Spanish and you look Spanish or look like some race that mainly speak Spanish then some people think you only know Spanish then they say things in English like you don't understand.
If you are talking English and you look English or look like a race that speaks mainly English then some people think you only know English then they say things in English too.

Or if your an immigrant coming to America then people in America instead of welcoming you like everyone say they do, they use you and mistreat you and if you don't know English, they will eat you whole.
Or if your an American going to a place outside of America and they speak another language then some people there would mistreat you too and use you too because your American and they think you only know English and they think your an idiot. They con you out of things because you don't know their custom.

It's just plain melancholic how Americans mistreat non-American people and how non-American people mistreat Americans.

If they think your an American then they think your lethargic and you don't know their language and they think your so close-minded that you ONLY know English. If they think your not American then they think you don't know English and they still think your lethargic enough to be mistreated and they think they could get away with that.

It goes both ways!!!!!!!!!


If you are born in America that doesn't mean you should only talk English or American English. If you are born in Spain, that doesn't mean you should only talk Spanish. Whatever country you were born at and whatever language you speak, why does that language have to be the ONLY language that you should speak?

I think we all should learn different languages in school because there's a lot of people out there mistreating others just because of their different language.

It really bites and I should know

People are trying to learn different languages. When people come to America, some really do try to learn English and they don't think that America would change everything to suit them.

However, it's harder for them to learn English and the custom of America then it was for you. Walk a mile in their shoes and then you will understand what I'm saying.

Do you know that saying "You can never teach an old dog new tricks"? Well, studies show that it is harder for someone to learn something when they are older than it is when they are younger. You learned English when you were young, right? Well, these people just started learning English when they were in their 20s. So it's ten times harder for them to learn it now then it was for you and they have a life that they need to worry about too and you PROBABLY weren't worried about much when you were leaning proper English.

I know this is impossible: However, I think we should learn different languages and different customs at school.

Bye N Have a nice day

I defently agree, there are so many that come 2 this country and just refuse 2 learn 2 speak english, but if we go 2 their country we have 2 leran their language. those people who decide that they dont want 2 learn english when they come 2 america, are just being ridiculous.

ByE bYe

I totally agree that it's not fair that we have to learn a certain language to go to a certain country and the people coming here don't but, this is still America,land of the free..WHY learn a language when America has no one certain language? Why go out of your way if you can get along as well as you could without learning another language? Anyways, there is no law saying that you need to speak a language fluently to go to the country in which it's spoken!