"If you want to live here, learn English"

aMrsin09

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:10d09f76-7f4f-47e3-8c62-c2e55d3e1a76">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh I'm sure there's nothing wrong with your values, and I wasn't aiming to be demeaning.  My apologies if it came off that way. I'm just wondering the significance of actual travel abroad in the formulation of opinions on this sort of topic.
Posted by kate51485[/QUOTE]
Forget the travel abroad bit.
I find it rather insulting that posters feel my immigrant relatives should have had too difficult a time learning english becuase they were adults.  They spoke Italian in the home, the kids were only allowed to speak english to each other (italian to the parents ) and the minute anyone stepped foot outside the door, it was english only.  Maybe older people were smarter 60 years ago.
And to whomever said it, yes, there are parts of FL, TX, and CA where a spanish speaker could come over, live here for 20 years and never have to learn one word of  english and get by just fine.

carrieoz_76

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:4f0578af-3d11-4cd8-ab76-eb4dbb7563cc">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]Sarah and Carrie, I don't know you, but I really like you. Not that I don't like the other ladies here.  Very stimulating discussion.
Posted by lharri12[/QUOTE]
Hey, thanks!  I'm operating on more sleep today than usual - it helps.  :)

kate51485

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:bde1514f-09e6-4f21-bfe6-adca77c2860a">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : Forget the travel abroad bit. I find it rather insulting that posters feel my immigrant relatives should have had too difficult a time learning english becuase they were adults.  They spoke Italian in the home, the kids were only allowed to speak english to each other (italian to the parents ) and the minute anyone stepped foot outside the door, it was english only.  <strong>Maybe older people were smarter 60 years ago.</strong> And to whomever said it, yes, there are parts of FL, TX, and CA where a spanish speaker could come over, live here for 20 years and never have to learn one word of  english and get by just fine.
Posted by aMrsin09[/QUOTE]

I think they probably were. :)  ETA-- My great-grandparents (immigrants) were pretty rad.

smokeybailey

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:bde1514f-09e6-4f21-bfe6-adca77c2860a">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : Forget the travel abroad bit. I find it rather insulting that posters feel my immigrant relatives should have had too difficult a time learning english becuase they were adults.  They spoke Italian in the home, the kids were only allowed to speak english to each other (italian to the parents ) and the minute anyone stepped foot outside the door, it was english only.  Maybe older people were smarter 60 years ago. And to whomever said it, yes, there are parts of FL, TX, and CA where a spanish speaker could come over, live here for 20 years and never have to learn one word of  english and get by just fine.
Posted by aMrsin09[/QUOTE]

And I assume from this that you are saying that these same people who spoke English outstide the home were confident enough in their English skills to read, decipher and fill out government forms?  There used to be a time when you could "make your mark" with an X.  And someone else could read documents to you (maybe even in in your native language).  Today, that's not always the case.

Most of the Mexican and South American immigrants that I know are trying to learn English, but those who are most in need of a Spanish document probably have limited education.  And have limited skills at reading and writing in their own language let alone in a new one.

Where are the English speaking Canadians to let us know if they want their French brethren to speak English only?

Blueyed228

I guess it just can be said that it is important to always have people on both sides of any political debate.  It keeps things balanced.

If things got to be one sided, particularly in this case, then we would be in big country as a whole.

My friends and I are all of different political affiliations.  My liberal friends remind me that compassion is always needed, and to look at the individual instead of the whole.

I remind them of financial concerns and patriotism and the dangers of a government that grows too large.

We keep each other in check, and that is always a good thing.

felicity and reverie

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:35030009-2864-4c27-be31-87ecb70a723b">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : But to choose to come here should equate, to me, a desire to incorporate aspects of American life, not least of all being able to speak the primary language here.
Posted by kate51485[/QUOTE]

Not everyone immigrates to the United States because it is their ideal place to live. My grandparents came here because they could get political asylum and knew a family here that could sponsor them for citizenship. They have lived here for over fifty years, are citizens, speak the language, love the country and all that, but their "choice" to come here was not made under the best of circumstances.

Sometimes the greatest pull to a country is the mere fact that you can be safe there.


[QUOTE]Learning a new language is not easy. Like Money said, some people may try and just might not be able to do it.
Posted by jasmineh7777[/QUOTE]

I completely agree. Back to the example of my grandparents. They have been here for over fifty years. They came as adults with three small children. Not the ideal age for learning a new language. They learned English, but you will always be able to tell that it is not their first language. The sentence structure of their native language (German) is different than English and they often structure their sentences in ways that are peculiar and sound awkward to a native English speaker. So even with hard work and decades of immersion in the language, there still can be difficulties just because learning languages is very difficult.

[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : France has its own problems lately assimilating immigrants from North Africa, and I hear there are a lot of tensions there.
Posted by sarah0725[/QUOTE]

Oh man, yeah. Watch the movie "La haine." It shows the very scary results of assimilation gone badly. It shows the aftermath of what happens when a country decides to create one model of what a citizen should look like and be.
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113247/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113247/</a>

nda_roxybabe

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:bde1514f-09e6-4f21-bfe6-adca77c2860a">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : Forget the travel abroad bit. I find it rather insulting that posters feel my immigrant relatives should have had too difficult a time learning english becuase they were adults.  They spoke Italian in the home, the kids were only allowed to speak english to each other (italian to the parents ) and the minute anyone stepped foot outside the door, it was english only.  Maybe older people were smarter 60 years ago. And to whomever said it, yes, there are parts of FL, TX, and CA where a spanish speaker could come over, live here for 20 years and never have to learn one word of  english and get by just fine.
Posted by aMrsin09[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Hell, you can practically (actually,completely) get by in Phoenix with out knowing a word of english.

sapphirebaby926

aMrs - I was thinking the same thing about how it should have been so much harder for them to learn English because they were older but they did it and made sure all their children knew it too. If I remember right they actually didn't speak any Danish in the home or otherwise once they learned Englsih because they felt that if they were going to live here then they would live like Amer icans and that meant speaking English among other things.

KentuckyKate

I didn't read past the first page of this thread, but I already know where I stand here.  My family emmigrated here, and while I can speak English well, a lot of my family can't.  However, they can all communicate enough to get around just fine.  America is a land of opportunities, and people came to this country for a multitude of reasons, NOT for the English language.  I am all for English being the official ntional language, but it is extremely closed-minded for a politician to cut off all resources that are in languages other than English. 

If America is truly a "melting pot," then it would be welcoming of all other languages and cultures introduced here.  But don't call yourselves a "melting pot" if you don't want several languages, cultures, and ethnicities to be able to have a voice.

smokeybailey

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:e9b54e6f-12c7-4947-b23e-22f73b1e5fc5">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : Agreed. Hell, you can practically (actually,completely) get by in Phoenix with out knowing a word of english.
Posted by nda_roxybabe[/QUOTE]

I doubt you can get a college degree without knowing a word of English.  But, hey, as long as you know Enchirito or Extra Cheese or Large Fries, you can get along just fine, eh?

luckyme502

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:86bcc109-b0a1-4dd8-80e5-645488982b8b">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]I think being bi-lingual would be advantageous to anyone. I am learning Spanish and Latin, and the more I learn, the more I realize that English would be a difficult second language. All of our rules have exceptions; our spelling is unpredictable, etc.
Posted by jasmineh7777[/QUOTE]

You think being bi-lingual would benefit everyone, but yet you don't think immigrants should learn English? 

Blueyed228

I also find it funny that as this debate is going on I am watching "America: The Story of Us" on the History Channel.

carrieoz_76

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:7c4b200d-dbb8-442c-827b-d1adb478d0d9">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : I doubt you can get a college degree without knowing a word of English.  But, hey, as long as you know Enchirito or Extra Cheese or Large Fries, you can get along just fine, eh?
Posted by smokeybailey[/QUOTE]
Oh smokey, I am a fan.  You cut right to the chase.

smokeybailey

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:2769686b-1091-45ec-b59d-5dffc3d43ddd">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : You think being bi-lingual would benefit everyone, but yet you don't think immigrants should learn English? 
Posted by luckyme502[/QUOTE]

I don't think anyone is arguing that immigrants should not lean English.  At. All.  I think the argument is that there should be government paperwork available in native languages.  I speak Spanish but I'll be damned if I had to fill out some important paperwork in Spanish. 

aMrsin09

Smokey, I have no idea as I wasn't around then, but I can tell you there weren't forms in mutli languages yet bank accounts were opened, school forms filled out, drivers license gotten, immigration forms filled out etc etc.

mica178

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:a1b8e9ef-e17d-44a6-85a6-3e4494ec9c12">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : It disrupts mine when I can't get hired anywhere because I don't speak spanish.
Posted by nda_roxybabe[/QUOTE]



If we've agreed that Grandma doesn't need to learn English, and you work in an audiologist's office where most patients are over 60, it should go without saying that you should speak the language that Grandma speaks.

I think we should all be as multi-lingual as possible because it allows us to move around in the rest of the world and have a better experience doing so.  I think it is a disadvantage to Spanish-only speaking Americans not to learn English. Much the way that you might have a hard time finding an office job in a largely Hispanic area, my grandmother would have a tough time getting bunch of jobs with her lack of English skills. She actually speaks functional English, but not well enough that she could understand the US tax codes without the Chinese translation.  And since she did well for herself financially, aren't we happy that she's paying her fair share of taxes?

carrieoz_76

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:2769686b-1091-45ec-b59d-5dffc3d43ddd">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : You think being bi-lingual would benefit everyone, but yet you don't think immigrants should learn English? 
Posted by luckyme502[/QUOTE]
I don't believe she said that.  I believe she said they should still be able to work, drive, vote, etc. even if they don't speak English.

Believing that someone should do something, and thinking they should become second-class citizens if they don't are two entirely different things.

Blueyed228

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:7c4b200d-dbb8-442c-827b-d1adb478d0d9">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : I doubt you can get a college degree without knowing a word of English.  But, hey, as long as you know Enchirito or Extra Cheese or Large Fries, you can get along just fine, eh?
Posted by smokeybailey[/QUOTE]

You most certainly can get a college degree without speaking a word of english.  Just like you could graduate my high school.

lharri12

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:3c870795-c4c9-4b15-9c12-dfa7289039b2">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]I guess it just can be said that it is important to always have people on both sides of any political debate.  It keeps things balanced. If things got to be one sided, particularly in this case, then we would be in big country as a whole. My friends and I are all of different political affiliations.  My liberal friends remind me that compassion is always needed, and to look at the individual instead of the whole. I remind them of financial concerns and patriotism and the dangers of a government that grows too large. We keep each other in check, and that is always a good thing.
Posted by Blueyed228[/QUOTE]

You have to remind your liberal friends of patriotism?  Oh.  No.
Good night, ladies.  Good discussion.

nda_roxybabe

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:7c4b200d-dbb8-442c-827b-d1adb478d0d9">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : I doubt you can get a college degree without knowing a word of English.  But, hey, as long as you know Enchirito or Extra Cheese or Large Fries, you can get along just fine, eh?
Posted by smokeybailey[/QUOTE]
That is not at all what I meant. True, a college degree? probablly not. Most everything else? Yes.

smokeybailey

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:27185bbd-d1ce-4042-9a57-1bb254c4b538">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]Smokey, I have no idea as I wasn't around then, but I can tell you there weren't forms in mutli languages yet bank accounts were opened, school forms filled out, drivers license gotten, immigration forms filled out etc etc.
Posted by aMrsin09[/QUOTE]

Again, you could have someone go in with you, read the paperwork to you and then they would say, "make your mark" and you could sign with an X.  And I can guarantee you at the local voting precinct in Little Italy that there was someone there who would help people in Italian. 

Also, 60 years ago doing all of the itmes that you listed were not nearly as complicated as they are now.  Getting a driver's license in 2010 is not the same ballgame as getting one in 1960.

Blueyed228

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:6b3e4970-f381-4600-afc1-04229063b4c4">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : You have to remind your liberal friends of patriotism?  Oh.  No. Good night, ladies.  Good discussion.
Posted by lharri12[/QUOTE]

Yes <em>my liberal friends</em>.  Not all liberals.  I knew it would not be long before you tried to make something into something it isnt.

luckyme502

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:9522f088-f9fa-4574-b848-7a08e876d5e0">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : Immersion wouldn't help with writing but I really do stand by that it's the best way to learn a language.  All of my language teachers in the past have said the same. 
Posted by andyandhillary[/QUOTE]

I was told, and I will look it up, but if you were dropped in Poland and no one spoke English it would take you about one month to learn the language. 

nda_roxybabe

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:78adb6da-a1ee-4a15-ae1d-fad39dcced6b">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" :<strong> If we've agreed that Grandma doesn't need to learn English, and you work in an audiologist's office where most patients are over 60, it should go without saying that you should speak the language that Grandma speaks</strong>. I think we should all be as multi-lingual as possible because it allows us to move around in the rest of the world and have a better experience doing so.  I think it is a disadvantage to Spanish-only speaking Americans not to learn English. Much the way that you might have a hard time finding an office job in a largely Hispanic area, my grandmother would have a tough time getting bunch of jobs with her lack of English skills. She actually speaks functional English, but not well enough that she could understand the US tax codes without the Chinese translation.  And since she did well for herself financially, aren't we happy that she's paying her fair share of taxes?
Posted by mica178[/QUOTE]
I see what you're saying here but when I'm excluding grandma I'm excluding grandmas who have immigrated with in the past 10 years. Also, the majority of the patients I was referring to are more in their 30's

smokeybailey

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:4009865c-e7c6-4f76-9e36-41114e05dc4b">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : You most certainly can get a college degree without speaking a word of english.  Just like you could graduate my high school.
Posted by Blueyed228[/QUOTE]

What college?  You can't go to UCLA or Cal Poly or UC Irvine or UCSD and take all of your classes in Spanish.  In fact, other than foreign language classes, what classes have you seen in Spanish?  Business statistics?  Consumer behavior? Physics? Biology?

Perhaps there is a prviate school out there that only teaches students in a certain language (maybe Yiddish?  but Spanish, I hadn't heard).  Anyway, enlighten me.

Also, Roxy, yes, you can work at McDonald's or clean houses or pick fruit and never speak English but I don't think that those people are saying, <em>Down with English!!!</em> 

carrieoz_76

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:2ee311e0-c6ea-4d13-80e8-f2c320204032">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : Yes my liberal friends .  Not all liberals.  I knew it would not be long before you tried to make something into something it isnt.
Posted by Blueyed228[/QUOTE]
I take you at your word, but it did come off as condescending.

I wouldn't take kindly to anyone trying to remind me of patriotism just b/c I have a political bent.  In fact, the mere fact that I give a cra.p about politics should indicate that I care about my country.  The ones we should worry about are those who can't be bothered to take an interest.

nda_roxybabe

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:9fdd372f-0f50-4ef9-92f7-2610aa6e0c07">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : What college?  You can't go to UCLA or Cal Poly or UC Irvine or UCSD and take all of your classes in Spanish.  In fact, other than foreign language classes, what classes have you seen in Spanish?  Business statistics?  Consumer behavior? Physics? Biology? Perhaps there is a prviate school out there that only teaches students in a certain language (maybe Yiddish?  but Spanish, I hadn't heard).  Anyway, enlighten me. <strong>Also, Roxy, yes, you can work at McDonald's or clean houses or pick fruit and never speak English but I don't think that those people are saying, Down with English!!!  </strong>
Posted by smokeybailey[/QUOTE]
I never meant to imply that.

Blueyed228

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:9fdd372f-0f50-4ef9-92f7-2610aa6e0c07">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : What college?  You can't go to UCLA or Cal Poly or UC Irvine or UCSD and take all of your classes in Spanish.  In fact, other than foreign language classes, what classes have you seen in Spanish?  Business statistics?  Consumer behavior? Physics? Biology? Perhaps there is a prviate school out there that only teaches students in a certain language (maybe Yiddish?  but Spanish, I hadn't heard).  Anyway, enlighten me. Also, Roxy, yes, you can work at McDonald's or clean houses or pick fruit and never speak English but I don't think that those people are saying, Down with English!!!  
Posted by smokeybailey[/QUOTE]

Well Regis for one.  And loads of colleges offer their online courses in spanish.  It is not as uncommon as you would think.

smokeybailey

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:89d43c0a-12ba-4771-aef1-54b6ed1affa4">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : I was told, and I will look it up, but if you were dropped in Poland and no one spoke English it would take you about one month to learn the language. 
Posted by luckyme502[/QUOTE]

But lucky, after a month would you fill out all of your important documents in Polish?  You may end up deported if you do that.  Most people that I run into that speak a foreign language such as Tagalog, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, etc. speak enough English to get by.  However, they cannot speak fluently about their bank account, or read and understand the tax documents or DMV documentation.  I don't think anyone here is saying that they should speak no English.

Also, if retail and food outlets were so concerned about customer service, they would require that their workers speak clear English.  As such, they would have to pay more and perhaps even, gasp, offer benefits.  Not gonna happen so they hire whoever is willing to work for minimum (or less than minimum wage).  Maybe instead of directing our anger at the drive through window worker, we should expect more of the corporations that run this country.

Blueyed228

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_want-live-here-learn-english?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:cc8588ae-4829-4b26-9627-fe14981c2996Post:8ed93e6d-0bcb-4226-b166-16e446d036da">Re: "If you want to live here, learn English"</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: "If you want to live here, learn English" : I take you at your word, but it did come off as condescending. I wouldn't take kindly to anyone trying to remind me of patriotism just b/c I have a political bent.  In fact, the mere fact that I give a cra.p about politics should indicate that I care about my country.  The ones we should worry about are those who can't be bothered to take an interest.
Posted by carrieoz_76[/QUOTE]

Understood.  Thats not what I meant to imply.  I have some pretty ultra liberal friends that forget about America sometimes.  But those are particular people, not the whole. 

That iharri broad has an issue with me ever since she got flamed on a post recently.  Only she would take that post and make it something else.  Ya know?