Reason #14 why Bilingualism is Bad for America

[Urederra]

The earliest Hispanics where in the US territory before the landing of the Mayflower

More than 100 years before.

http://www.oldcity.com/history-information.cfm

The mainland of the North American continent was first sighted by the Spanish explorer and treasure hunter Don Juan Ponce de Leon on Easter, March 27, 1513. He claimed the land for Spain and named it La Florida, meaning "Land of Flowers".

Mayflower arrived at the USA in 1620.

 

[Hakim]

Sounds a bit strange that there wouldn't be room for english subtitles.

In any case I think would be healthier for US to have an official language, which would mean nothing more than that immigrants are expected to be able to speak it to become citizens (citizens who can't speak it is a entirely different matter). No coercion, no speech police or anything like that.

BTW, is american law available in spanish?

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

I think the US should pick up Spanish as a second major language, to include teaching it starting in Kindergarten. All countries in the Americas south of the US should pick English as another major language. This would mean English, Spanish, Portugese and French are the most known, with English being common to all.

 

[Marla_Singer]

I think the US should pick up Spanish as a second major language, to include teaching it starting in Kindergarten. All countries in the Americas south of the US should pick English as another major language. This would mean English, Spanish, Portugese and French are the most known, with English being common to all.

Yeah that's the fair solution.

We could even imagine Mexican schools teaching fully in English, so that we win even more time. After all, the President Lukashenko in Belarus has decided all the national schools should teach exclusively in Russian... so it's not such a weird solution. It already exists in other countries.

 

[Hakim]

There's a difference between teaching english and teaching in english.

 

[Kyriakos]

Public schools here teach ussually english as a second language, and then french (they offer a choice). German is more rare. I am not entirely sure since i never was in a state owned school.
However Thessalonike has several foreign institutes. English, german, italian, french. Also at least two highschools are linked to foreign countries (american college and german college). There is also a similar french college, but i do not know much about it.

Although the american college does not teach in english, but in greek, the german college teaches only in german. (I am not sure about the french one)

 

[Marla_Singer]

There's a difference between teaching english and teaching in english.

Where's the difference if teaching English starts in Kindergarden with as declared goal to create artificially a bilingual society ?

I strongly dislike the US way to consider everything in the Americas as belonging to them.

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

Yeah that's the fair solution.

We could even imagine Mexican schools teaching fully in English, so that we win even more time. After all, the President Lukashenko in Belarus has decided all the national schools should teach exclusively in Russian... so it's not such a weird solution. It already exists in other countries.

I don't understand the issue. I'm proposing ALL nations in the Americas become bilingual, to include actively teaching it in all schools. I don't think Mexico should go to English like Belarus, I think they should keep Spanish as primary and English as secondary, while the US would do the reverse. Some countries would be different, such as Canada, who may (and probably should) do French.

 

[Babbler]

I think the US should pick up Spanish as a second major language, to include teaching it starting in Kindergarten. All countries in the Americas south of the US should pick English as another major language. This would mean English, Spanish, Portugese and French are the most known, with English being common to all.

You mean teach it as a second language? I think it already the case -- in the USA, the major second language is Spanish, and the major second langauge of the hispanophone and the lusaphone is English.

 

[Marla_Singer]

I don't understand the issue. I'm proposing ALL nations in the Americas become bilingual, to include actively teaching it in all schools. I don't think Mexico should go to English like Belarus, I think they should keep Spanish as primary and English as secondary, while the US would do the reverse. Some countries would be different, such as Canada, who may (and probably should) do French.

The only language we should speak in Mexico is Spanish. And this as long as the majority of Mexicans will be Spanish native speakers.

There's no purpose to artificially enforce English as it wouldn't even be used anyway so that would only lead to huge waste of money.

 

[Kyriakos]

I think that everyone has only to benefit from knowing at least one other language than his native one. English people could probably afford not to speak a second language, but if you can speak one you get familiar with other ways of thinking, particular to the other language, and also can compare it to your own. If one has knowledge of only one object then he can only view that object as a prototype. If he knows two objects of its kind then he can theorise about the qualities of each one, and have anotion of an ideal third object, which would be the prototype of both (this is in reality part of an argument by Plato, which i do not remember entirely, but you can see what i mean)

 

[Evie]

English is pretty much the "Universal Language" at this point in time, Marla. To not learn it at this point is to deliberately isolate yourself; a bad idea, and somethign young children should not be trusted with.

Learning english should be mandatory in most swiftly developing or fully developed countries.

Which should, of course, NOT conflict with the national (or provincial as teh case may be, I have my French-speaking Québecer pride!) language remaining what it is.

Simply, we can protect our cultures while adapting to the realities of a modern world.

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

The only language we should speak in Mexico is Spanish.

There's no purpose to artificially enforce English as it wouldn't even be used anyway.

True most of the time. Same for most of the US, but I still think it is worth while.

There are lots of US businesses in Mexico. Being billingual in Spanish and English, in either country, is a BIG bonus. I have two soldiers working for me that are Mexican citizens. Both joined to get US citizenship for mainly economic reasons. They both tell me that being able to speak English gave them a huge advantage getting far, far better jobs initially. Both of them have similar stories, with their parents working in the house of a US business person so they were able to pick up English as children.

I really believe in being billingual. I started too late and have a hard time learning languages. My kids are taking Spanish as my wife knows it. I also plan on having them learn Chinese if I can find someone to teach it.

 

[Marla_Singer]

There's a strong difference between promoting bilinguism and enforcing bilinguism.

Obviously A'AbarachAmadan's point was to enforce it. Something which leads only to a waste of time and money. There's something very important to know. People only learn the languages they want to learn. As such, we can propose them to learn languages, we can sponsor or support them to do so, but in the end it will always be their personnal choice.

 

[Kyriakos]

English is also linked to other things, like computer games. Although i suppose that in France and Germany those games are in the native languages. Still for me the english language had been very much a part of computer games when i was still a small kid This adds something to one's relationship with the language too, although ofcourse it isnt due to the language itself, but due to the association of it with other things one loves.

 

[Hakim]

Where's the difference if teaching English starts in Kindergarden with as declared goal to create artificially a bilingual society ?

There's a major difference for the child.

I strongly dislike the US way to consider everything in the Americas as belonging to them.

I know exactly how you feel, it's the same in EU .

For the record, I don't think either country should feel obliged to teach children other countries languages.

 

[Marla_Singer]

True most of the time. Same for most of the US, but I still think it is worth while.

There are lots of US businesses in Mexico. Being billingual in Spanish and English, in either country, is a BIG bonus. I have two soldiers working for me that are Mexican citizens. Both joined to get US citizenship for mainly economic reasons. They both tell me that being able to speak English gave them a huge advantage getting far, far better jobs initially. Both of them have similar stories, with their parents working in the house of a US business person so they were able to pick up English as children.

I really believe in being billingual. I started too late and have a hard time learning languages. My kids are taking Spanish as my wife knows it. I also plan on having them learn Chinese if I can find someone to teach it.

Well, the big bonus isn't really about being bilingual. It's about being trilingual. At least here in Europe. I only speak French and English and I've decided this year that I'll get back in German class in order to really be able to have conversations in that language.

My boyfriend, on the other side, speaks fluently French, Chinese and German. He can have conversations in English but he's less comfortable in that language than he is in Chinese or German. Anyway, he's mostly quadrilangual. So I need to catch him back .

 

[Kyriakos]

What? I am deeply offended that you will choose to learn german and not greek

If you lived in the balcans perhaps you would have reconsidered (oh well, at least i tried)

 

[Marla_Singer]

What? I am deeply offended that you will choose to learn german and not greek

If you lived in the balcans perhaps you would have reconsidered (oh well, at least i tried)

I'm already totally uncomfortable with German grammatical declinations... so please, don't ask me to learn a whole new alphabet.

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

You mean teach it as a second language? I think it already the case -- in the USA, the major second language is Spanish, and the major second langauge of the hispanophone and the lusaphone is English.

Yes, they are both becoming the second language, but it is generally not offered in school. Where I grew up no one spoke Spanish (or any language but English) and it wasn't offered in school until 9th grade. Same is true in most nations in the Americas, only one language in school. The gov't should offer the option in school as either an elective or requirement from the very beginning. One learns better at a younger age. Some things I only know because I had to learn it to pass school.