Quote:
Originally Posted by
SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/392541/spanish-the-new-american-common-language/20#post_3486539
Think about how easy it is for a bilingual Spanish/English kid in school to pass a Spanish test. Is that fair to the rest of the students who don't speak it as a native language?
I know quite a bit of Spanish.... I took two years in highschool and two years in college. Am I around native Spanish speakers to keep up on it? No. So, did I really need to learn it in the first place? Maybe. Maybe some day I can thank my Spanish teachers for saving my life if I am ever caught in the middle of a cartel drug ring and have to beg for my life in Spanish. I would probably end up just asking where the bathroom was anyways.
As far as being America's new common language - I think it is actually on the rise. Since it is being taught in schools, and there are more and more native Spanish speaking people in the United States by the day - It has almost become a necessity for business owners to be bilingual. So, does this effect me right now? No, not really, but I know that it does a lot more in places out west.
We do have Mexicans here in the area that I live in, but since they don't speak but very little English - they tend to stick to each other and have very little interaction with native English speakers...
Is it fair that native English speakers are forced to learn Spanish in schools - but Mexican illegals and even some immigrants do not have to learn conversational English?
Schools don't force any student to learn Spanish. Most high schools require at least two years of a FOREIGN language. Spanish is just one option. My older daughter took French, the other took Japanese. Would it have been logical to take Spanish, considering where we live demographically, and have a predominant presense of Hispanics in the area? I guess you could say yes, but unfortunately the "Spanish" they teach in high school is Castillian, or "old Spanish". Around my parts, the Hispanics speak an off-shoot dialect that we call "Tex Mex". I have friends who are fluent in their version of Spanish, and their kids made B's and C's in Spanish when they took it in school.
I work down in Mexico all the time. I have enough knowledge of the Spanish dialect they use in those areas that I can converse and get around with little or no problems. However, everywhere I go, whether it's a restaurant, store, business facility, etc., every person I come across makes an attempt to converse with me in English. They see this "gringo" and assume I can't speak Spanish. Most of the people I speak with want to learn English, because they know that in order to get ahead in thier jobs, they need to be able to converse with the individuals that pay the salaries. You'd be surprised how many of those Mexicans in your area actually do know English quite well. They just use their "ignorance" of the English language as a tool to take advantage of a situation. Some also do it as a way to keep non-Spanish speakers out of the loop. They get joy knowing they can stand right in front of you, saying whatever they want about you, and you have no clue what their saying. I actually love when some of these types try pulling that on me. I stand there looking dumbfounded when they start speaking Spanish, and I temporarily ignore them when they start saying something about me. I let them continue trash talking me, then I'll respond in Spanish that I know exactly what they are saying. The expressions on their faces, and the immediate about face they make regarding what they said is priceless.
