Immigrants in America

People are lazy, and in american you dont NEED to learn english in order to make it and survive. Plus there are many subcommunities where a specific culture is concentrated in.

I do understand the frustration it bring tho, ive worked in retail and when these immigrants come to shop and dont know how to communicate its like wtf you hear for. Mind you i am a descendent from immigrants. But jesus christ people should learn the basics in order to communicate

 

United States doesnt have an official language. look it up.
but yes they should learn english, but idgaf, why does it bother you?

 

True, but it's not much of a stretch to assume that we speak the language that our constitution and laws are written in; English.

 

I have to say, English is a relatively hard language to get down, with all the grammar rules and such. With that said, there should be no reason for someone to be living here (not visiting) and not know the basics (greetings, how to buy something, count to 5, stuff like that).

 

Also, since it's unclear what it means to "be American" as we come from a diverse background, if we don't all speak a common language, what is there to hold us together and unite us as one?

 

I don't like the pseudo-civil rights activists that say we're being disrespectful by asking somebody to learn one of the most vital and basic principles of our society, language. In fact, I'd consider it more disrespectful for them to come here and expect us to conform to conform to us. I'm not saying we shouldn't offer help, but helping is a two way street. You have to do your part too.

I also hate being told by said pseudo activists that I am an immigrant. No I am not motherfucker. I understand my ancestors were immigrants, but I was born in the USA, I am not an immigrant in any way. My ancestors also came here legally.

With that said, I also have nothing against immigrants. If you come here trying to make yourself better while making the country better as a whole at the same time, then welcome to America.

 

Yeah they should learn our language at least, as it is the most used language here. They should know better than to go to a country, and not learn the most widely used language of that place. They should at least make an effort to learn it, or even use a translator

 

Those rules have nothing to to with speaking english. Just writing.

 

Spanish?

I wish my relatives would learn some fucking English.

"We got down der and pick er up in truck, drive round thur and got Bud Lite."

 

I'm sorry, but isn't English the same whether it's written or spoken?

 

Nope. I know of plenty who can speak but cannot write or read.

 

I also think that people who plan to be successful when coming to this country should learn its native tongue. You are specifically referencing illegal immigrants, who by and large do not have the resources to educate themselves with our language before they get here. Mexico and most of the other South and Central American countries these immigrants come from do not have a public education system to speak of, and they don't have access to the resources they would need to learn the language before they come. They don't have the resources, hence they come here to procure them.

To say that all immigrants who come to America don't ever bother to learn the language is a racist generalization. Many come and learn the culture and language as they acclimatize to their new surroundings.

Your mastery is probably imperfect, as with many of the people you are referencing. And why didn't you learn the language before you left? Isn't that the same disrespect you are talking about with 'immigrants in America'? Arn't you an immigrant in another country who didn't bother to learn the language before you left?

I feel very ignorant for only knowing one language fluent enough to speak it, English. I have made the effort to learn phrases and vocabulary enough to understand basic Spanish and even say a few words in a pinch. (Live in Cali, grew up in LA, its necessary)When I have travel to Mexico, I 100% feel bad that I can't speak the language and always try to keep someone fluent with me so I can have good interactions with people. In a pinch, I try my best and can understand why people are frustrated. I imagine the opposite is true of people coming to this country.

Who cares about being politically correct, take a little time to understand where people are coming from.

 

The grammar and 'rules' give us the structure that is the spoken word. English is a hard language to master. English is considered to have one of the largest, if not largest, vocabulary. The rhetorical devices and idioms we use in every day speech are a cultural thing, and very hard to grasp for someone from a different culture.

English = Hard language. I error on the side of giving people a break.

 

never said it was not hard.
but when talking does it really matter what "they're, there, their" is used?

 

yeah and most people that come here wish they could learn, they just dont have the same opportunities or the money to start taking classes right away so you got to be understanding, and the ones that have been here for years, how can they find the day of time to go to school and properly learn the language, when they are paid minimum if that and work 2 to 3 jobs just to make ends meet. so they are left to learn from hearing the languge. if you went to cambodia or some other place with a complicated language it would be hard to learn from just listening would it not?

 

The title "American". Many people around the globe live in countries where it is the norm for its citizens to speak 2,3,4+ languages. As OP can attest to, most countries in Europe are good examples of this. USA and the Americas are the 'odd men out' in this way, in a global sense.