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Immigrants should learn English.


johncoby

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Requiring immigrants to learn English is actually a very good idea......for the immigrants. Within ten years we will have a bilingual workforce which could demand more money.

Then all the english only people would have to learn "the language" to be competitive.

Hell of an idea.

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Requiring immigrants to learn English is actually a very good idea......for the immigrants. Within ten years we will have a bilingual workforce which could demand more money.

Then all the english only people would have to learn "the language" to be competitive.

Hell of an idea.

Why would they need to learn Spanish if everyone is bilingual?

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Strangely, this part of the immigration debate never really bothered me. I'm more interested in people coming to this country legally than in what language they speak.

There are towns in upstate New York and Maine where you'll only hear French. There are places in Texas and Arizona were you'll only hear Spanish. There are places in Illinois where you'll only hear Polish or German. Ditto Chinese in California. It really doesn't bother me.

I think take care of the crossing issue first, then worry about language later. First things first.

On a related note -- there are valleys and remote areas in West Virginia, and the mountains of the Carloinas and Georgia that have been so isolated since they were settled in the 1700's that they've developed their own languages. There have been a recent series of fascinating articles on it. I remember one that looked at some place in North Carolina where the people speak some language that has long since died out in Europe, where it and the original settlers were from. Neat stuff.

Then all the english only people would have to learn "the language" to be competitive.

It depends on what arena you're trying to be competitive in. All around the world, people are scrambling to learn English because it's the language of commerce and prosperity. Even the United Nations has dumped French as its official language of diplomacy in favor of English -- and that was because of demands from the up-and-coming states.

As much as people like to think Spanish will give them a competitive edge, that's simply not true in our globalized world. If you want to do a business deal in China, in London, in Egypt, in South Africa, or just about anywhere else -- you'd better learn English.

If I had children in school, I'd make sure they learn Mandarin or Cantonese instead of Spanish. There's a billion and a half people speaking Mandarin, and Cantonese is the second language of business in China (English being the first). If I wanted my children to be "competitive" they'd speak a language that's in demand, and growing.

Sorry to break this to the P.C. crowd, but a decade from now Spanish will be a dying language. 50 years from now it will be a quaint linguistic relic. Our grandchildren will say, "Oh, yeah! Spanish! My grandpa speaks that!"

(There's a woman at work who majored in Spanish and has a masters in Latin American Studies, and she hates when I say this. :P )

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Well, our school systems definately want this to happen, as they have Pre-K programs set-up strictly for Non-English speaking children, where the primary language spoken in the home is OTHER THAN English. My soon to be 4 yr. old cannot get into the Pre-K program because she speaks English too well and I make too much money. She doesn't qualify in either aspect. Does this sound fair to you ?

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Well, our school systems definately want this to happen, as they have Pre-K programs set-up strictly for Non-English speaking children, where the primary language spoken in the home is OTHER THAN English. My soon to be 4 yr. old cannot get into the Pre-K program because she speaks English too well and I make too much money. She doesn't qualify in either aspect. Does this sound fair to you ?

Yeah it does. Quit whining, and trying to waste my tax dollars, and take some of that big pile of money and send her to private school if you're so worried.

I think we should have more means testing for things like this, rather than less.

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Yeah it does. Quit whining, and trying to waste my tax dollars, and take some of that big pile of money and send her to private school if you're so worried.

I think we should have more means testing for things like this, rather than less.

So only the poor and illegal should have access to programs that are being funded by yours and my tax dollars huh ? Sure, ok, that's fair. What an ..... .

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If I had children in school, I'd make sure they learn Mandarin or Cantonese instead of Spanish. There's a billion and a half people speaking Mandarin, and Cantonese is the second language of business in China (English being the first). If I wanted my children to be "competitive" they'd speak a language that's in demand, and growing.

I thought Mandarin was the official language of China now? Or are you just saying there are more Chinese businesses that speak primarily Cantonese still?

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On the subject of Bilingual education, I am completely opposed to it. Kids' minds are incredible sponges that will soak in whatever you throw at them. Take a student that is 7 or 8 years old that speaks only Spanish and put them in an English only class, and they will be speaking English in a few months. The best example that I am personally acquainted with are some friends of mine from the East end. Their parents came to this country in the early 70's. The mother speaks broken English, the father, very little English. Only Spanish was spoken at home - the kids didn't speak any English until they were thrust into English only classes in school and whatever they picked up from Sesame Street. Today, one is a graduate of Princeton, the other is a bank manager, and the third is a school administrator. None of them were held back by not being in bilingual classes - instead they excelled. IMO, today, we are doing kids a disservice to put them into Bilingual classes in school. They will learn Spanish at home - teach them English in school.

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English is the international language. Its learned around the world because 2 english speaking nations dominate the globe like non others in history. Even airline pilots and air traffic controllers are required to learn english. The whole bi-lingual english spanish thing is a USA occurrance only. Amazing, while much of the world scrambles to learn our english, here in this country theres a push to learn spanish. No spanish speaking nation is or will be a major world power now or in the near/forseeable future. The simple fact of the matter is, The USA is the worlds first true global power and will be the last IMO. The language here is english. I would like for immigrants to learn the language and to prosper here in this country.

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Well, our school systems definately want this to happen, as they have Pre-K programs set-up strictly for Non-English speaking children, where the primary language spoken in the home is OTHER THAN English. My soon to be 4 yr. old cannot get into the Pre-K program because she speaks English too well and I make too much money. She doesn't qualify in either aspect. Does this sound fair to you ?

No, it doesn't sound fair. But it's a good life lesson for your child: Life isn't fair.

It wasn't fair when the fat black lady behind the Academic Aid counter at William Patterson University told me, "I ain't givin' no aid to no white boy. You betta jus walk on outta here." I had to suck it up and put the rest of my college tuition on credit cards that I'm still paying off.

Was that fair? No. Life isn't fair. But you do the best you can.

I thought Mandarin was the official language of China now? Or are you just saying there are more Chinese businesses that speak primarily Cantonese still?

Mandarin is the official language of "Mainland China," but Hong Kong's offical languages are still English and Cantonese. Mandarin and Cantonese speakers often don't understand each other, so they speak English as a common language, espeically in business circles. Both Hong Kong and the mainland government are pushing Hong Kong hard as the gateway for Western businesses to get into China, and that means you're better off speaking English in China than just about any other language right now.

On the subject of Bilingual education, I am completely opposed to it. Kids' minds are incredible sponges that will soak in whatever you throw at them.

That would seem to be to be a perfect reason why you SHOULD be in favor of bilingual education. Or even better -- MULTIlingual education. Have the kids absorb French for two years, then Chinese for two years, then Arabic, German, and Latin.

As an adult I've struggled to learn German, French, and Japanese. I wish I would have taken language classes as a child.

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That would seem to be to be a perfect reason why you SHOULD be in favor of bilingual education. Or even better -- MULTIlingual education. Have the kids absorb French for two years, then Chinese for two years, then Arabic, German, and Latin.

As an adult I've struggled to learn German, French, and Japanese. I wish I would have taken language classes as a child.

I think native is talking about Bilingual Education, versus English Immersion. So, in effect, you two are both saying the same thing. I agree, too, that if education is meant to prepare kids for life, and English helps them succeed, then teach English as quickly as possible, while their brains absorb it best.

And, agreeing with the editor again, all of this junk about language as a weapon, as in, "they should learn MY language", is bunk. Intelligent people want to learn others' languages as well. English may be the language of business, but it is not the ONLY language. Just ask the Europeans who speak 4 and 5 languages, not because they have to, but because they can.

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That would seem to be to be a perfect reason why you SHOULD be in favor of bilingual education. Or even better -- MULTIlingual education. Have the kids absorb French for two years, then Chinese for two years, then Arabic, German, and Latin.

As an adult I've struggled to learn German, French, and Japanese. I wish I would have taken language classes as a child.

On the surface, bilingual education is great. However when you realize why HISD is pushing the program so much, then you'll become opposed. Take the time to visit some of the minority schools where bilingual education is predominant. You'll realize that the children are not learning either language well. HISD is getting BIG bucks from the government to have bilingual education. Children should be in the program not more than a year or so and then be forced to attended English only classes. Of course, since they already know spanish, they will be bilingual. Many immigrants are comparing themselves to early settlers in America who knew no English. However those early settlers all learned English! Now, many of the immigrants know that they can come to certain areas of town and never have to learn English.

I judged a science fair at one school and a teacher became angry at me for correcting the Spanish grammar. She said it was correct but it clearly was Spanglish. Spanish is a relatively easy language to master at any age however it does take practice, with the right speakers. In Houston, Spanish strays farther from the native language.

With the recent protests at various schools here in Houston, I am dismayed at the lack of intelligence of many people. I just don't understand how people can be protesting to stay in the US and then be carrying flags from Mexico. If they want Mexican flags flown, they should go back to Mexico!

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