Future of Spanish in the United States

[Civlord]

English should remain the dominant language of our country, even if we can't make it an official language it should be treated as one.

Yes, but Spanish should be at least tolerated as a second language. The communities won't forget their past too easily.

 

[Civlord]

It's the government's responsibility, but it's the people that are doing it. If a jewelery store is robbed, you don't blame the shop owner for making the store so appealing to criminals. You go for the crooks!

But we first must destroy the organized crime that puts criminals to steal the jewels. In this case I mean that the US government should be responsible for aiding the Latin American countries and keeping responsible governments improving the economy of these latin american underdeveloped countries. If Latin America experience an acceptable economic progress, then illegal immigration will be reduced. Why will a mexican try to find jobs in the US if he can work decently in his own country?

 

[vbraun]

I'm suprised Arizona hasn't been mentioned in this entire thread...

 

[Vietcong]

damn mexicans, need to learn freaking english.. i cant order any god damn food from burgerking *or any fast food place* becus i cant understand them, or thay understand me!
all the freaking ppl at damn walmart or target, wtf, i cant return things cus thay dont speak english!

oo and a simple question like " can u scan this to give me the price" becomes a huge hassel!!

im a damn minority in tx, and as a white citizan of the unites states, i fill extreamly threatend..... im a white, tax paying us citizan, my race founded the nation, i had famly die or fight in nearly ever american war, from the revoluion, civil war, ww1, ww2, and nam. my great great great great *i think* grand father died at the battel of the alamo killing mexicans for my freedom, and to see them slowly take back over, destroying our white europiean culter i fill very threatend....

serusly, we need to extradite some of thes damn imagrents back to ther lil 3rd world hell hole insted of comeing up hear and turning it into a hell hole! realy, ever see a city with a overwelming mexican majority with out gangs or that wasnt a crapy hole in the earth???

 

[wit>trope]

"But seriously, the mexicans are taking over our country, they might have lost CA, NM, and Texas, but what they get in return is the whole USA"

They come to rape our white women, and steal our jobs!

Way to follow your supposed God. Love thy neighbor as thyself hypocrite.

1. I believe Dida is an ATHEIST. So he doesn't even believe in "your supposed God" or any saying of Jesus

2. Why do you assume Dida is white? Who says you have to be white to care about white women ... besides that he didn't even MENTION rape or sex or women at all!

As for my own views, I don't mind if Spanish speaking people like Bozo Erectus for instance (who as it so happens does not consider himself Hispanic; he's white and proud of it ) come to America. I also don't mind if Portugese speaking people come to America. I don't know if she speaks Portugese, but there's an MSNBC anchor who is part-Brazillian, part-Portugese and she is pretty and pretty hot ... so as long as the cultural and aesthetic treasure (before you mock consider that AESTHETICS is an actual field of study -- you could get a PhD specializing in aesthetics ... and fair is well more fair ... it can't be a coincidence that the same word is used for both concepts ) of America is preserved and/or enhanced, then that's great. Uncontrolled immigration won't do that though, especially not uncontrolled illegal immigration. And having a bilingual society will destroy our cultural and aesthetic heritage (not that English is more beautiful than Spanish -- it's a different kind of beauty) as well as be extremely inefficient (resulting in waste of resources that could be used to feed the poor here and for that matter in Mexico) and often a big nuisance (if you have a bilingually labelled package and have to flip it or whatever to even find the English labelling).

 

[wit>trope]

It's nice to know another language, but it not right for Americans to have to learn Spanish so they can talk to the immigrants. The Mexicans should have to learn English like everyone else did as they came to the country.

I agree. Let me also say that I all all for, if they want to, them speaking Spanish within their families or when they are with their fellow Spanish speaking friends or whatever. But they should learn English so they can be assimiliated with the rest of society.

 

[wit>trope]

Uncontrolled immigration would destroy any country. But instead of demonizing the people who come here to do America's dirty work at slave wages, you should direct your anger at a government that refuses to control its own borders, and the businesses all across the Southwest that break the law and hire the illegals.

I agree. However your earlier point was not economically accurate. If they don't do the jobs, obviously someone else will (or the jobs will become automated which would be the best solution if possible). They ARE hurting SOME people economically even if at the same time they help OTHER people economically. This is just an economic fact. But I agree they should not be demonized since most of them are probably just trying to help their families out. But if they get caught, they should be deported and any children they have born here should not be considered citizens. I believe we should also employ the internment camp strategy that AUSTRALIA is using and which has resulted in a mere trickle of illegal arrivals in Australia. Also, it's not just the US govt but also the Mexican govt that should be criticized for the mess, esepcially since the Mexico govt is actually encouraging illegal immigrants and providing them with directions, etc -- it's basically a massive invasion that is being explicitly encouraged by the Mexican govt.

 

[Chieftess]

Future of Spanish in the United States

Probably the same as the history of all other languages when immagrants came to the US.
Chinese, German, Italian, Polish, Irish, etc. It all turns into English after awhile. The populations get diluted after a few generations, people move out, and they're no longer around their nucleus of speakers. Here's an example:

My Great-grandparents could still speak their native languages. My grandparents and their siblings either knew it from birth, or learned it later. The parental generation speak English. Some might know a few words. Then there's my generation, who doesn't care for speaking Polish, or Italian, or German (granted, my Italian/German side of the family is too small for that comparison...). Now the next generation definately speaks English. So, after about 3-5 generations, it starts mixing in. Thus, the "Melting Pot". In NYC, you hear people with a more Italian accent. In Baltimore, a different accent (probably mixures of Polish and German).

 

[Speedo]

If you actually want to become American you can go to the trouble of learning English. I read a story just a few months ago about a family that came here from Vietnam (IIRC)... the dad was working and taking two english classes, because he wanted to be able to teach his 4 y/o son english before he starts school next year. People like that- I'll take all that they'll send us.

Now, if you're just here to take advantage of higher wages and benefits like social security with no interest in staying or becoming part of the country, I don't want to hear complaining when no one can understand you.

 

[Cilpot]

Spanish will never replace english as long as english is the language, not only of the US, but the world.

 

[blackheart]

Let them speak what they want, most immigrants (even if they are older) will learn English to an extent, it's just required of everyday life. I know my parents did.

 

[Jeff Yu]

Spanish has always been a major language of the US, this is nothing new. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California has had native Spanish speakers ever since they were annexed by the US. Although many of the Spanish speakers in Texas and California are from Mexico, not all Spanish speakers are Mexican. The ones in Florida are mostly Cuban, the ones in New York are mostly Puerto Rican (which is a part of the US in which Spanish is both official and spoken natively), and fromother places besides.

Anyway, the panic over language seems a tad hysterical to me. The first generation may be monolingual, but the second and subsequent will assimilate and learn English in school. As long as they can function in society, I don't really care what language to speak to themselves, with their family, or with their friends. As for Spanish langauge media like TV or newspaer, there's nothing forcing you to read or watch it. Private companies offer services in Spanish because there's a market for it. Government interference in prohibiting this would only be going against profitable decisions made for capitalist reasons. Freedom of speech isn't in English only. As for only English being used for official purposes, my view is that if you're going to make it mandatory, then it needs to be made free, as well. If you're going to prohibit hospitals, public services, government, etc from using Spanish (even when such decisions should be made on the local level), then you should offer English teaching for free also.

 

[wit>trope]

Anyway, the panic over language seems a tad hysterical to me. The first generation may be monolingual, but the second and subsequent will assimilate and learn English in school.

That's generally what happens as Chieftess pointed out, but in this particular case the second generation may not end up assimiliating and learning English because the influx of new culturally, linguistically similar immigrants may have met a "critical mass" point beyond which the assimiliation rate is lower than the growth of monolingual Spanish-speaking ... literally millions of them pour in every year and even just considering these, I don't think they would equal the numbers that are being fully assimiliated. Assimiliation takes time and takes place -- if at all -- at a steady, slow, gradual pace. But the immigration is happening not a similar pace but at an unprecedented staggering pace ... of course if it stops right now or is reduced to a very low level, eventually everyone already here would assimiliated. But as long as the flow continues at this rate, ISTM that the percentage of primarily Spanish speaking persons will continue to increase.

As long as they can function in society, I don't really care what language to speak to themselves, with their family, or with their friends.

I agree with that except to say that part of their functioning in society would be to learn English and speak English with those that do not come from where they are from (unless due to old age or something they are unable to learn)

As for Spanish langauge media like TV or newspaer, there's nothing forcing you to read or watch it. Private companies offer services in Spanish because there's a market for it. Government interference in prohibiting this would only be going against profitable decisions made for capitalist reasons.

I think this is more of a symptom of the problem than it is the problem itself ... so in that sense I agree with you.

I do not mind Spanish language TV ... if they want to watch favorite shows of Spanish origin for example, then that's fine. What I do find a nuisance though is labelling on packaging that is in two languages.

then you should offer English teaching for free also.

It may be a good idea to offer English teaching for free. However, it would be a mistake to think of it as primarily an obligation of the US to offer English teaching for free when it is actually the affirmative responsbility of the immigrant (and I mean the legal ones; the illegal ones have a responsbility to turn themselves in) to, if able, learn English, regardless of what laws may happen to be passed or not about it.

 

[Hakim]

It would be healthier for US to have an official language. That would only mean that it's mandatory in all schools and perhaps that an immigrant may have to pass a simple language test in the process to become citizen. What ppl choose to speak in everyday life would be their business.

Spanish can not be compared to the other once large languages groups like german or french because you have a great spanish speaking country next door. That will somewhat slow integration. Take warning from the Kosovo situation.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

There is another differnece too, Spanish was spoken in huge areas of current USA much before english came, so i dont see why spanish speakers should use an immigrant language.