Being able to speak other languages is not the concern. Not being able to speak English is the concern. The Melting Pot can't melt anything, without a common form of communication, instead you get balkanization and tribalism. However, in a free society with free people, this stuff works itself out on it's own. We learn a common language out of sheer necessity.
Also, let's keep in mind that the bumper sticker referenced by the OP read, "This is America - speak English", not "This is America - Learn to Speak English", which to me isn't a matter of semantics and IMO makes the sentiment over the top and ignorant. What's wrong with people in America conversing in a language other than English?
I go try different mexican restaurants near down town area. A lot of times they can't speak english. I can't speak spanish, but I can understand enough of it. It is kind of annoying. If I lived in mexico I would at least try to learn Spanish. It would be nice if they made an effort to learn english.
A lot of those immigrant groups, as first generation immigrants in the 1800's, didn't ever learn much English either. They just settled into Italian, German, etc communities. That said, the world is a bit different now because it's more urban and harder to simply stay within your little ethnic community, so it may be more important to learn the language these days. But part of seeking a better life is seeking one for your kids - and they will learn English by virtue of attending American schools.
People who live here, should learn to speak English. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you have to be able to understand and speak it on a reasonable level. My best friend's parents imigrated from Vietnam in the 70s. His parents never really learned. His mom at least makes some effort. The only English word I ever heard his dad say was go. I can speak as much Vietnamese as he could speak English (although I do so terribly). I can speak more Spanish and Latin.
True, for the most part. My mother's side of the family came over from Germany at the end of the 1800s. My grandmother (born around 1910) told me that the older adults, like her grandmother, never spoke much English. The younger adults, like her parents, learned English quickly. As you alluded to, it was much different then. My mother's family settled in the hill country and they worked the farm. Not learning the language of commerce was not a big deal when you had very little need to conduct commerce outside of your small enclave in a farming community. Today, we have an economy that is dependent upon technology and information. With our large communities, even retail jobs require a mastery of English. Without the ability to speak English, a person simply cannot compete in the jobs marketplace even for low paying employment. Sure there are construction jobs and cleaning jobs which do not require English, but those jobs are finite in number.
There is a long history of immigrants not speaking English. Even in 1900 some Schools in Texas were taught entirely in German. Other schools were taught in both English and German. But the second generation has always learned English. Some adults learned English as well, but a large part of immigrants haven't learned the English language. That isn't new. It's always been the way. That was true long ago, and it's true today. Yes, it would help them if they learned English. Immigrants should learn English to help themselves. But it doesn't really hurt anyone else if they don't. Also their children will and do learn English. It's a myth that some people buy into that immigrants in the past were more motivated to learn the language.
Who's "they"? Errr... some of my best friends don't speak English. There, is that better? The US does business in English and it should be the official language. That doesn't mean we don't make an effort to accomodate those who don't speak it but it sure as hell is the language we do business with in this country. When I went to visit a friend last year in Boston I was trying to find a postcard to send back to someone. My friend took me to a store, perhaps a Walmart, staffed by a bunch of Dominicans. None of them knew what the hell a postcard was. This became a ten minute exercise in trying to explain the meaning of the word postcard. So as I'm leaving I try to pick one up in the airport. I buy a postcard and the guy manning the store, also Dominican, has no idea what a stamp is. What the hell? There's a guy that runs the convenience store on my corner who is from Bangladesh. On top of being pretty rude, doesn't speak a lick of English. They make it seem like I'm the one that's a problem because THEY don't speak English. It's absurd. And it's not just immigrants. I have to deal with some people in the health care field on a regular basis, they're Americans and the English they speak is so bad that I frequently have to ask them to repeat themselves. It's this slang, gibberish sounding nonsense. They don't speak English either. It's really troublesome.
Actually Spanish is my first language so I have some experience in learning a second language. Fortunately I was pretty young so I learned quickly. Back then they didn't have ASL and stuff like that. They would put you in remedial classes because they didn't know what else to do with you.
Except it's not the official language of the US. We don't have an official language. And as such... ... private business can do what they want. If they don't have English speakers, they will presumably lose business, and if that's a concern to them, they will make the effort to learn English. There's really nothing that says that their privately owned convenience store has to cater to your needs; similarly, there's nothing that says you have to frequent their store.
I think a nation should have a common language. In the US, that's English. Many of the immigrants I know (usually Indian, Korean or Latin) have at least a decent grasp on English. I don't care what billboards say or what they speak at home, so I don't really see an immigrant language problem, at least where I live.
Blablabla, lecturing from a high horse, as usual. There is also nothing that says that he cannot say that they should have a basic grasp of English and that English should be the official language.
Cheesy that some in here think immigrants don't want to learn it.Trust me,from volunteering back in the day, many immigrants want to and try; but sometimes learning another language at age 40 or higher is a tad bit difficult. Shoot,i took 4 years of french and only came away with learning how to make crepes from monsieur Long and the appreciation for baby rapper "Jordy" cest dur dur etre bebe! jordy> lil wayne, yo!
meltin pot iz every 1 become da same........it wud meen we all speek da same language....learn ur history dood
