Why Aren’t You Speaking English?

[Philobeado]

Wish I'd been there......

During committee testimony this week in Austin, a Texas senator interrupted a Spanish speaker and telling him he should "be speaking in English" during a committee hearing.

Antolin Aguirre of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition was testifying against Senate Bill 9 that would help crack down on illegal immigrants in Texas. Aguirre spoke through an interpreter even though he had been in the U.S. since 1988.

Two minutes into Antolin Aguirre’s testimony, Sen. Chris Harris, a Republican from Arlington, interrupted asking Aguirre’s interrupter, "Did I understand him correctly that he has been here since 1988?" Harris asked. "Why aren’t you speaking in English the

Read more: “Why Aren’t You Speaking English?” | Houston News - KTRH NewsRadio 740 Houston News, Weather, Traffic

 

[Anachronism]

GREAT. 23 Years in this country and still not capable of speaking English sufficiently to do it in front of a group of people. That Senator should get a pat on the back and a raise.

 

[High_Gravity]

GREAT. 23 Years in this country and still not capable of speaking English sufficiently to do it in front of a group of people. That Senator should get a pat on the back and a raise.

If he spent that 23 years living amongst the Hispanic community he will not have to learn English.

 

[Truthmatters]

when willl you people realise that speaking more than one language is easy for the brain and in fact has been proven to make your brain more functional.


There are cold hard studies that prove this.

By insisting for some dumb racists reason that Americans speak only one language you insist Americans hold their brain back.

Many in The rest of the world speaks more than one launguage

 

[Philobeado]

You people?????

 

[High_Gravity]

when willl you people realise that speaking more than one language is easy for the brain and in fact has been proven to make your brain more functional.


There are cold hard studies that prove this.

By insisting for some dumb racists reason that Americans speak only one language you insist Americans hold their brain back.

Many in The rest of the world speaks more than one launguage

Thats the thing, the guy needed an interpreter after being here since 1988, he only Speaks 1 language.

 

[Angelhair]

23 years in the USA and he does not speak english well enough to make his point??? I would say he is dumb, dumb, dumb and was not able to learn it!!!! Besides, most of the senators and reps seem to speak SPANISH! What does that tell you?

 

[Flopper]

I think America should be bilingual. Latinos should learn English and English speaking people should learn Spanish. Communication is the first step to understanding and the lack of understanding is at the root of most of our problems in the world.

 

[konradv]

I think America should be bilingual. Latinos should learn English and English speaking people should learn Spanish. Communication is the first step to understanding and the lack of understanding is at the root of most of our problems in the world.

He was speaking an American language. What was that senator's problem? If you've got a lot of constiuents that speak the language, shouldn't the representitives be able to speak it too? Sounds like that Sen. needs to be run out of office, if he has that little respect for those he represents. He works for us, not the other way around, after all.

 

[Anachronism]

If he spent that 23 years living amongst the Hispanic community he will not have to learn English.

Which is why I have little to no respect for people of his ilk.

My great-grandparents learned English BEFORE they came to the United States from Germany in 1910. They came here to become AMERICANS, not German-Americans, not Germans living in America; AMERICANS. So far as I'm concerned anyone immigrating to this country should have 12 months to learn passable English. If you can't, won't, or don't do it.... SHIP THEIR ASSES BACK WHEREVER THEY CAME FROM!!!!

when willl you people realise that speaking more than one language is easy for the brain and in fact has been proven to make your brain more functional.

There are cold hard studies that prove this.

By insisting for some dumb racists reason that Americans speak only one language you insist Americans hold their brain back.

Many in The rest of the world speaks more than one launguage

This is not an issue of what one CAN do, it's an issue of what one SHOULD do. The great-grandparents I mentioned above.... When they came here, he spoke 7 languages and she spoke 5. You know how many they spoke publicly after arriving here.... ONE. They also refused to teach a single word of the 8 languages other than English they combined to speak to any one of their children. THAT is the mentality we need to promote in this country.

I think America should be bilingual. Latinos should learn English and English speaking people should learn Spanish. Communication is the first step to understanding and the lack of understanding is at the root of most of our problems in the world.

Why the hell would I ever speak Spanish? What would be the usefullness for me to learn Spanish? I would love to know how that would improve my life, except to possibly give me early warning that I'm about to be mugged or ripped off in a store.

 

[Anachronism]

He was speaking an American language. What was that senator's problem? If you've got a lot of constiuents that speak the language, shouldn't the representitives be able to speak it too? Sounds like that Sen. needs to be run out of office, if he has that little respect for those he represents. He works for us, not the other way around, after all.

No he wasn't. No more than Quebecois is an American language because it's spoken in Montreal. ENGLISH is the only language I have any interest in hearing here in the United States. The requirement in most school districts to take multiple years of a foreign language is just another reason why I would never put any child of mine in a public school.

As for the constituency.... If they can't speak English they should be deported; I don't care how long they've been here, where they were born, naturalization status, etc....

 

[PoliticalChic]

I think America should be bilingual. Latinos should learn English and English speaking people should learn Spanish. Communication is the first step to understanding and the lack of understanding is at the root of most of our problems in the world.

Conservative author William F. Buckley, Jr. wrote an obituary of White in the National Review in which he described that "conjoined with his fine mind, his artist's talent, his prodigious curiosity, there was a transcendent wholesomeness, a genuine affection for the best in humankind." He praised White, saying he "revolutionized the art of political reporting."
Theodore H. White - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As the great journalist Theodore White once said, the English language is the "glue" that holds the republic together.


This is but one more aspect of the divide between those who consider America the ideal, and the 'one-worlders.'

 

[High_Gravity]

If he spent that 23 years living amongst the Hispanic community he will not have to learn English.

Which is why I have little to no respect for people of his ilk.

My great-grandparents learned English BEFORE they came to the United States from Germany in 1910. They came here to become AMERICANS, not German-Americans, not Germans living in America; AMERICANS. So far as I'm concerned anyone immigrating to this country should have 12 months to learn passable English. If you can't, won't, or don't do it.... SHIP THEIR ASSES BACK WHEREVER THEY CAME FROM!!!!

Thats part of the problem, alot of people assume Mexicans come here to stay forever but thats not always the case. I was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for 3 years, California right now is run by the Hispanics, near the base there were numerous strawberry fields where illegals would come over to do seasonal work every year, they come here and work to send money back to Mexico, these guys were not interested in becoming Americans or learning English, they just wanted the money. Alot of the Mexicans that have been here for a long time and don't speak English are probably the same way, they don't want to be Americans, they just want to send money back to Mexico.

 

[Anachronism]

Thats part of the problem, alot of people assume Mexicans come here to stay forever but thats not always the case. I was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for 3 years, California right now is run by the Hispanics, near the base there were numerous strawberry fields where illegals would come over to do seasonal work every year, they come here and work to send money back to Mexico, these guys were not interested in becoming Americans or learning English, they just wanted the money. Alot of the Mexicans that have been here for a long time and don't speak English are probably the same way, they don't want to be Americans, they just want to send money back to Mexico.

Then they should not be here H_G. I'm not a big believer in allowing ANYONE across the border into the United States unless they intend to stay here and become an American. I am also TOTALLY against allowing earnings from this country to be sent ANYWHERE outside of the United States.

 

[PoliticalChic]

If he spent that 23 years living amongst the Hispanic community he will not have to learn English.

Which is why I have little to no respect for people of his ilk.

My great-grandparents learned English BEFORE they came to the United States from Germany in 1910. They came here to become AMERICANS, not German-Americans, not Germans living in America; AMERICANS. So far as I'm concerned anyone immigrating to this country should have 12 months to learn passable English. If you can't, won't, or don't do it.... SHIP THEIR ASSES BACK WHEREVER THEY CAME FROM!!!!

Thats part of the problem, alot of people assume Mexicans come here to stay forever but thats not always the case. I was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for 3 years, California right now is run by the Hispanics, near the base there were numerous strawberry fields where illegals would come over to do seasonal work every year, they come here and work to send money back to Mexico, these guys were not interested in becoming Americans or learning English, they just wanted the money. Alot of the Mexicans that have been here for a long time and don't speak English are probably the same way, they don't want to be Americans, they just want to send money back to Mexico.

Here in NYC I've seen something similar in the Asian community...not folks who return to Asian countries, but those who are insular, and don't travel outside of their communities...and, thus, never speak English.

There are video stores which offer video contracts for Asian soap operas...30, 40. 50 parts, and as they return one, they get the next...
never need English.

Not true for the kids, who go to school. Sadly, they learn more than English there, they learn hard work not so important.

Amy Chua for school superintendent!

 

[High_Gravity]

Thats part of the problem, alot of people assume Mexicans come here to stay forever but thats not always the case. I was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for 3 years, California right now is run by the Hispanics, near the base there were numerous strawberry fields where illegals would come over to do seasonal work every year, they come here and work to send money back to Mexico, these guys were not interested in becoming Americans or learning English, they just wanted the money. Alot of the Mexicans that have been here for a long time and don't speak English are probably the same way, they don't want to be Americans, they just want to send money back to Mexico.

Then they should not be here H_G. I'm not a big believer in allowing ANYONE across the border into the United States unless they intend to stay here and become an American. I am also TOTALLY against allowing earnings from this country to be sent ANYWHERE outside of the United States.

Well I agree with you on one thing, if you don't have papers you shouldn't be here. If I just up and went to Russia and expected to stay without any papers they would throw my ass out, same should apply here.

 

[Anachronism]

PC, the problem is that many of those children are NOT really learning English....

I grew up in a town of 50K people in Central Connecticut. We had an extremely high population of Italian immigrants in town. To the point where I went to school with a bunch of kids who spoke better ITALIAN than English, despite the fact that they'd been born here in the US. See, when they got home at night, English was not allowed to be spoken inside their homes, for one reason.... Nana and Papa from the old country live with them, but Nana and Papa DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH and it would be rude of you to speak a language they don't understand in their presence. I've seen the same issue with Hispanic and Asian populations I've encountered over time.

 

[Kiki Cannoli]

when willl you people realise that speaking more than one language is easy for the brain and in fact has been proven to make your brain more functional.


There are cold hard studies that prove this.

By insisting for some dumb racists reason that Americans speak only one language you insist Americans hold their brain back.

Many in The rest of the world speaks more than one launguage

Thats the thing, the guy needed an interpreter after being here since 1988, he only Speaks 1 language.

I didn't see that stated. I am fluent in two languages plus my native language English. However if I were asked to testify in an official capacity, I would defer to my native language and request an interpretor.

Like it or not, it is not a legal requirement to speak English. It may not seem understandable, may even appear disrespectful; but legal nonetheless.

 

[Anachronism]

Like it or not, it is not a legal requirement to speak English. It may not seem understandable, may even appear disrespectful; but legal nonetheless.

It should be for all legal and governmental activities, whether spoken or written.

 

[PoliticalChic]

PC, the problem is that many of those children are NOT really learning English....

I grew up in a town of 50K people in Central Connecticut. We had an extremely high population of Italian immigrants in town. To the point where I went to school with a bunch of kids who spoke better ITALIAN than English, despite the fact that they'd been born here in the US. See, when they got home at night, English was not allowed to be spoken inside their homes, for one reason.... Nana and Papa from the old country live with them, but Nana and Papa DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH and it would be rude of you to speak a language they don't understand in their presence. I've seen the same issue with Hispanic and Asian populations I've encountered over time.

There is a cultural difference at play. We have both a large Chinese population and a large Russian population.
The Chinese are embarrassed at being poor in English...while they certainly speak Chinese at home, they are very shy about any lack of English.

The Russians are proud of their language and culture, and expect you to speak their language. They may be closer to your example of Italian immigrants, but will learn both languages.