Thread: Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English

Originally Posted by loueedacat

I THOUGHT ONCE THEY PASSED YOU ON TO THE GUY IN INDIA IT WAS CODE THAT YOU HAD TO THROW THE PRODUCT AWAY AND NEVER BUY FROM THAT COMPANY AGAIN...?

I have a confession to make. Has anyone else received a phone call from an undesired caller before and pretended to be Indian in order to get out of the phone conversation? I do this on occasion at home when soliciters call me, but I've done it at work once or twice too. "Hang on let me connect you to our customer service department. (put caller on hold and then resume with Eastern accent) Heddo dis is Parjeeb, hah meh A hep you?" and then just string them along for the ride in circular broken-English discussions haha

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I have a confession to make. Has anyone else received a phone call from an undesired caller before and pretended to be Indian in order to get out of the phone conversation? I do this on occasion at home when soliciters call me, but I've done it at work once or twice too. "Hang on let me connect you to our customer service department. (put caller on hold and then resume with Eastern accent) Heddo dis is Parjeeb, hah meh A hep you?" and then just string them along for the ride in circular broken-English discussions haha

That's awesome

I'll sometimes use a little Spanish, but anymore people know it. I'll have to work on my "Indian" accent

my 2c:
I live in Texas, and as a result, was forced (against my will) to take 3 years of spanish when I was in high school. consequently, although my accent esta muy malo, entiendo mas (muy mas) que hablo. I personally don't care if someone speaks english well or not, as long as they can make themselves understood. I think we all know of a certain inner-city dialect that is technically english (if only in the loosest sense) but I find much harder to understand than spanish, which is not my native tongue.

when dealing with other people (especially back when i worked as a waiter) I would communicate based on attitude. if they came in speaking spanish and acting entitled and refusing to even try to speak english, i would pretend i didn't understand, screw their order up, etc. if they made an honest attempt to communicate, i would speak spanish to them. same goes for "english" speaking types. if they rolled into the restaraunt speaking that peculiar dialect that eschews the use of pronouns and consonents, i would flatly refuse to understand them. invariably, they would switch back to normal english if they wanted their orders right.

Originally Posted by jockeys

if they rolled into the restaraunt speaking that peculiar dialect that eschews the use of pronouns and consonents, i would flatly refuse to understand them. invariably, they would switch back to normal english if they wanted their orders right.

Funny how that works out, isn't it? I once had a gentleman come in speaking that very dialect who needed to talk to my supervisor. Once he was done with his speel, my boss goes "I didn't understand a word of that, but based on what I know, you're not getting [the thing he wanted]." Let's just say he didn't use that dialect with her any more. On this topic, I will say this one word: Airplane

All I ask is that people try. When I visit your country, I'll do my damndest to try to be passable with at least the essentials.

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

All I ask is that people try. When I visit your country, I'll do my damndest to try to be passable with at least the essentials.

Common courtesy is what I would hope for also!

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

On this topic, I will say this one word: Airplane.

The gentleman says he will have the fish.

I don't know that I agree that all citizens or residents should be required to be "fluent" in English, but they certainly need to know enough to get by in society. Whatever that level of involvment may be. For example, I've pretty much given up on ever going to a gas station for directions. 99% of the time, the person working there doesn't speak enough English.

Now, what really drives me crazy is when newcomers not only refuse to learn the language, but then expect everyone else to accomodate this. The fact that we have instructions to vote or get a driver's license in other languages is infuriating.

For those of us who had ancestors come here speaking other languages, I think most of them did what they had to do to earn a living. But if you told them that the state was going to teach their children in Italian or in German or in Chinese, I think they would have gone through the roof. They wanted their kids to "melt" in with society and they knew they needed to speak English to get ahead - to be "American". That's what we're losing these days.

Jordan

How can you make it a law for an immigrant to read English when it isn't the law that a natural citizen read English, or read at all for that matter?

Isn't it the law for kids to go to school and learn how to read? No worries though, Obama plans to expand the current system with his "no illegal immigrant left behind" bill

Unfortunately this isnt just cut and dry, like all things in life there isnt a simple black and white.
It is very difficult to learn a language and older people often have alot of trouble getting there heads around the new concepts. I have just about finished traveling europe (5weeks) and have experienced the difficulty of language. But i have also learnt ALOT while i have been here.
I am launching into a long essay about things not being clear so instead ill cut it short here.
Dont judge unless you have all the facts, and every one needs to make an effort.
Its hard to learn a language but its an effort that i would be happy to make If i were to live in another country. I would also feel ok with that country expecting me to learn it.

Short stoped
+Simon