Andy9o8 0 #51 October 25, 2009 >>Thinking you can live in this country, very successfully, without knowing any English is ignorant. Agreed. >>English is without question the dominant language [in the US] Agreed. >> (I'll go out on a limb here) Spanish will not be more common in 10 years. On that point you've got your head in the sand, Señor. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #52 October 25, 2009 Quote>>Thinking you can live in this country, very successfully, without knowing any English is ignorant. Agreed. >>English is without question the dominant language [in the US] Agreed. >> (I'll go out on a limb here) Spanish will not be more common in 10 years. On that point you've got your head in the sand, Señor. Depends on whether he means more common that it is now, or more common than English. I took it to be the latter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #53 October 25, 2009 Hm, now that I re-read the post to which he was replying, I think you're right. No problem, I'm sure I'll have plenty of other chances to point out to Josh how his head's in the sand. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #54 October 25, 2009 Quote >> (I'll go out on a limb here) Spanish will not be more common in 10 years. On that point you've got your head in the sand, Señor. Asking the same question I posed to [FallingOsh]: Why? What's the thinking behind it? I wonder historically what have been changes in rates of English assimilation? E.g., do you remember this NPR story from April? "In Rural Wisconsin, German Reigned For Decades" /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,672 #55 October 25, 2009 Quote I do strongly concur that if one wants to succeed in the US being able to read, speak, and write in English is a very important skill set. /Marg I don't see ability to write in English as being important. There are plenty of examples right here in SC of people who are sufficiently successful that they can afford an expensive pastime (skydiving) but who clearly can't write.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallingOsh 0 #56 October 26, 2009 Quote Quote English is without question the dominant language and (I'll go out on a limb here) Spanish will not be more common in 10 years. That comment caught my attention. Why? What's the thinking behind it? And it's fine by me if it's speculative. I don't hold any specific strong opinions one way or the other w/r/t the liklihood of the expansion or lack thereof of Spanish speaking within the US. I do strongly concur that if one wants to succeed in the US being able to read, speak, and write in English is a very important skill set. /Marg I suppose it's partially speculative. However, over 80% of the US population speaks English as a native language. Over 95% speak English "well" or "very well." Spanish is the second most dominant language with 12%. The immigration rates (or Rosetta Stone sales) would have go off the charts for Spanish to become dominant. This Center for Immigration report (though maybe outdated now) estimates the Mexican born population will double by 2030. That's abviously more than 10 years from now and still wouldn't come close to making Spanish dominant. I admittedly didn't spend much time looking, but found that most second generation Latinos speak fluent English while only about half continue to speak spanish. So, again, that would not be enough increase in Spanish speaking homes to become the dominant language in 10 years. While there is not an official national language, English is the language use for legislation, executive orders, federal court rulings, etc. Additionally, over half of the states have declared English their offiial language. Knowing all of that, I speculate that the numbers just simply aren't there. 200 years of English being dominant is not going to change in one more decade. Especially when the culture and the living conditions in this country don't demand learning multiple languages like in Europe. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
juanesky 0 #57 October 26, 2009 Quote .... While you were on Italy, you should have used your hands a lot, reinforcing your talk with them in gestures, and using words like mamma mia, bambino, pecorino... That's Caribbean conducta, Yank .... It is also Italian conducta Naz."According to some of the conservatives here, it sounds like it's fine to beat your wide - as long as she had it coming." -Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
