|
|
| Re: English as Official Language of the USA (1208528) | |||
 |
|||
| Home > OTChat | |||
|
[ Read Responses | Post a New Response | Return to the Index ] |
|
||
|
Re: English as Official Language of the USA |
|
|
Posted by Stephen Bauman on Tue Jul 29 12:58:10 2014, in response to Re: English as Official Language of the USA, posted by LuchAAA on Tue Jul 29 10:34:27 2014. those who don't speak English, most likely can't read and write their own language, usually Spanish.The ability to learn a foreign language is age dependent. Children can learn languages easily. It's much more difficult for adults. If learning to speak unaccented English with fluency is the primary requirement for becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, then we should be encouraging unaccompanied children to immigrate. Culturally, I'm a second generation American. I've known the immigrant generation. I sympathize with them. They were too busy earning an incomes and raising families to learn English as adults. They were able to succeed because there were immigrant communities where English was not the "official" language. They had to rely on their first generation American children to act as translators, when conducting official government business. This practice provided a reversal of generational roles between parent and child. My grandparents were functionally illiterate in English despite living in this country for 50 years. They read newspapers and books in their native tongue (Yiddish). They were not stupid; they just did not speak English. Their experience was hardly unique; it mirrored the typical immigrant experience. I see the same routine being played out today. My neighbourhood(1) has become overwhelmingly Chinese. Many adults cannot speak English. I've seen them bring their small children to act as translators, when going to some stores. It took me back 60 years, the first time I saw this. I've mentioned Yiddish and Mandarin/Cantonese. A friend works in a hospital. She reports seeing the same routine with Spanish speaking immigrants. (1) I'd better use proper English spelling, rather than the vulgarities introduced into our "official" language by the Republicans. |
|
|
|