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Learning Spanish


Autumn Dusk

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I plan on learning some language as proficiently as possible just for kicks. But it might come in handy in health care.

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my uncle told me of a friend of his, he was russian and married a polish woman. when they had a child the father would only speak to him in russian and the mother in polish. then they sent him into French Immersion school, and the child also learned english from the neighborhood children. he was completely fluent in all four by the age of six, and soon spoke all of them with impeccable accents. pretty amazing, no?

almost everyone in europe speaks 3 languages, and some speak more. i always feel like a loser with only one language(fluent, i have some spanish, and ASL).

dont listen to the people there and do your own thing. in a meeting of two seperate people, one always has to make the first move towards communication. willingly making yourself have to rely on others to change first is a weak move, and one that will isolate you from many amazing people.

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[quote name='Autumn Dusk' post='1599324' date='Jul 13 2008, 05:32 PM']However, in talking with my new neighbors and friends that I've met I've come up against a formidable opinion...that I have no right to learn spanish and further erode the very culture that my area was built on....that its "bad enough" that the immagrants speak spanish but for me to learn it would be betrayal.[/quote]
American immigrant communities have always been places where immigrants could speak their native languages, eat their native foods, etc. That is why we have communities like Chinatown and Little Italy.

English is the language of the United States. It is the language of our documents, our literature, our media, etc. So immigrants should learn English, not because English is better than any other language, but because language is a major part of culture, and if immigrants want to succeed and have a voice in American culture, they need to speak the language of the culture, which is English. But that doesn't mean we cannot have immigrant communities where the immigrants still speak their native language. That is part of the transition that immigrants have always made in America.

Not every immigrant is going to be able to learn English (e.g., the elderly), and some will take a few years. In the meantime, by knowing their language, you can help them in many ways, such as explaining American laws to them, helping them with paperwork they may not fully understand, etc. You can even help them learn English. Think about your own foreign language classes. If the textbooks were not written in English, and if the teacher never taught in English, it would be hard for you to learn the foreign language. In the same way, by knowing the immigrant language, you can better explain English to them.

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puellapaschalis

[quote name='Jesus_lol' post='1599858' date='Jul 14 2008, 06:33 PM']almost everyone in europe speaks 3 languages, and some speak more. i always feel like a loser with only one language(fluent, i have some spanish, and ASL).[/quote]

Apart from the British ;) who are famed for speaking English and maybe Estuary English :P

But yes, certainly on the continent people tend to be proficient in at least one language other than their mother tongue. It differs from place to place but usually the Brits are put squarely to shame.

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I think people misunderstood what I said. My point is that Americans should not HAVE to learn English to get a job. In certain parts of Texas, for example, you simply CANNOT get a job unless you speak Spanish. There is something seriously wrong with that. English is a requirement for citizenship. Catering to people who have chosen not to become citizens by forcing citizens to learn their language (people who are not paying tax dollars) is a crime. If you want to come to the "land of opportunity" (which I think is great) then learn English. It's not that complicated. I don't have anything against learning another language. I know a little Spanish simply because I'm from Texas, and I study Latin. But choosing to learn a language and being forced to learn a foreign language for your job security are two totally different things. Around here, if you don't learn Spanish your job can definitely be at stake and you have fewer opportunities.

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[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1599779' date='Jul 14 2008, 04:58 AM']If you do your best to learn Spanish - and if you're open about it - it may encourage Spanish speakers to improve their English. Don't be put off by the linguistic Anglo-centric snobbery around.[/quote]

Please, explain what you mean by the term "Anglo-centric snobbery".

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Fidei Defensor

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1599663' date='Jul 13 2008, 10:15 PM']He estado aprendiendo espanol hace unos semanas, para comunicar mas eficazmente con los latinos que habitan en mi area.
To the spanish speakers: sorry if that was bad (Quiero decir, lo he estado aprendiendo solamente para unos semanas!), but I'm trying to use it as much as I can to keep it fresh and imbed it in my mind.[/quote]
Has aprendido mucho, puedo ver que sabes lo que estas diciendo.

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Vincent Vega

[quote name='fidei defensor' post='1600163' date='Jul 14 2008, 09:47 PM']Has aprendido mucho, puedo ver que sabes lo que estas diciendo.[/quote]
Muchos gracias, FD :)
Como dije, es porque he aprendido frances. Los idiomas romanico son muy similar.
Pero, gracias una vez mas para el cumplido! :)

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puellapaschalis

[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1600136' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:32 AM']I think people misunderstood what I said. My point is that Americans should not HAVE to learn English to get a job. In certain parts of Texas, for example, you simply CANNOT get a job unless you speak Spanish. There is something seriously wrong with that. English is a requirement for citizenship. Catering to people who have chosen not to become citizens by forcing citizens to learn their language (people who are not paying tax dollars) is a crime. If you want to come to the "land of opportunity" (which I think is great) then learn English. It's not that complicated. I don't have anything against learning another language. I know a little Spanish simply because I'm from Texas, and I study Latin. But choosing to learn a language and being forced to learn a foreign language for your job security are two totally different things. Around here, if you don't learn Spanish your job can definitely be at stake and you have fewer opportunities.[/quote]

In this country there are jobs which demand competency in Dutch and a foreign language. If not two.

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Fidei Defensor

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1600173' date='Jul 14 2008, 09:02 PM']Muchos gracias, FD :)
Como dije, es porque he aprendido frances. Los idiomas romanico son muy similar.
Pero, gracias una vez mas para el cumplido! :)[/quote]
Me encantaría aprender francés. Puedo comprender mucho de la lengua cuando la leo pero escuchando... eh, no puedo comprender nada. Los sonidos de las palabras están difícil para me.

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Vincent Vega

[quote name='fidei defensor' post='1600477' date='Jul 15 2008, 02:10 PM']Me encantaría aprender francés. Puedo comprender mucho de la lengua cuando la leo pero escuchando... eh, no puedo comprender nada. Los sonidos de las palabras están difícil para me.[/quote]
Pienso que es mas facile para aprender espanol cuando se sabe frances que aprender frances cuando se sabe espanol. Espanol es muy fonetico; frances no lo es. Pero, si se sabe latin, pienso que sería mas facile aprender espanol, porque los dos son muy similar (Y sinceramente, pienso que frances es muy dificile para comprender cuando es hablando que espanol, tambien).

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[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1599355' date='Jul 14 2008, 12:54 AM']Grrr. English-speakers should NOT have to learn another language to communicate in their own country.[/quote]


But what would have happened if the Son of God had thought that way before becoming a man ?

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[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1600136' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:32 AM']I think people misunderstood what I said. My point is that Americans should not HAVE to learn English to get a job. In certain parts of Texas, for example, you simply CANNOT get a job unless you speak Spanish. There is something seriously wrong with that. English is a requirement for citizenship. Catering to people who have chosen not to become citizens by forcing citizens to learn their language (people who are not paying tax dollars) is a crime. If you want to come to the "land of opportunity" (which I think is great) then learn English. It's not that complicated. I don't have anything against learning another language. I know a little Spanish simply because I'm from Texas, and I study Latin. But choosing to learn a language and being forced to learn a foreign language for your job security are two totally different things. Around here, if you don't learn Spanish your job can definitely be at stake and you have fewer opportunities.[/quote]

Ok, thanks, that makes it a bit clearer.
Indeed, I'm one of those who misunderstood...

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There were a lot of jobs in Oklahoma open to bilingual individuals, but I never thought that it meant that my job opportunities were fewer.

I think it's been over 20 years now that the Archdiocese in Oklahoma City required all seminarians to learn Spanish. So I guess that means if your job is going to be as a priest, you are required to learn Latin and Spanish, at least in Oklahoma anyway.

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[quote name='Fr. Bruno' post='1600490' date='Jul 15 2008, 03:33 PM']But what would have happened if the Son of God had thought that way before becoming a man ?[/quote]

Easy language is not a problem Acts 2:7-8 :P

Edited by Mercy me
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