Great Grandpa Stepped off the Boat and Learned English in a Week! - Um, no.

[Unkotare]

It seems that everyone loves to repeat the old myth of 'back in the day' immigrants learning perfect English in no time. This is a particular favorite of the "dem imeeegrants refoos to learn eengleesh!" crowd. Well, it's a load of crap.

Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English

 

[Blackrook]

I met an old man from Mexico who hadn't bothered to learn English even though he had lived in America for 20 years. That's fucking outrageous.

 

[Unkotare]

I met an old man from Mexico who hadn't bothered to learn English even though he had lived in America for 20 years. That's fucking outrageous.

An old man, eh?

 

[Blackrook]

I met an old man from Mexico who hadn't bothered to learn English even though he had lived in America for 20 years. That's fucking outrageous.

An old man, eh?

I used to be an immigration attorney and he was a client.

We spoke through a translator.

He told me I should learn Spanish.

I told him he should learn English, that it was outrageous that he had been in America for 20 years and still couldn't speak a word of English.

His attitude that he shouldn't have to learn English for me to do business with him was the outrageous part.

 

[bodecea]

I met an old man from Mexico who hadn't bothered to learn English even though he had lived in America for 20 years. That's fucking outrageous.

No, it's typical. His children will learn to speak both Spanish and English, but be literate in neither...and his grandchildren will speak English only. That's the pattern and has been that way for a long time.

 

[bodecea]

I met an old man from Mexico who hadn't bothered to learn English even though he had lived in America for 20 years. That's fucking outrageous.

An old man, eh?

I used to be an immigration attorney and he was a client.

We spoke through a translator.

He told me I should learn Spanish.

I told him he should learn English, that it was outrageous that he had been in America for 20 years and still couldn't speak a word of English.

His attitude that he shouldn't have to learn English for me to do business with him was the outrageous part.

Yes...he should have found an attorney that actually wanted his business.

 

[Pete7469]

I met an old man from Mexico who hadn't bothered to learn English even though he had lived in America for 20 years. That's fucking outrageous.

I knew a handful of old pollocks in Bufallo NY that didn't know english for their entire lives and they had been here since before WW2. There was a polish community center I think on Fillmore where the last pollock holdouts held on to their property in the midst of rapid decline that had a small bar in the back. We were underage but over 18 so no one cared.

Anyway even though the remnants of the massive euroweenie migration were still desperate to hold on to their culture, traditions, religion and language they acknowledged the opportunity their ancestors fled europe for.

NONE OF THEM undermined our immigration laws.

NONE OF THEM came expecting food stamps, free housing, free food, free education ETC.

NONE OF THEM came and pissed and moaned about the WASPs calling them pollocks, krauts, wops, micks ETC.

NONE OF THEM refused to learn english because they believed their new country owed them shit.

It's hard to learn a new language. I get that.

It's not to fuckin hard to be a little fucking humble when migrating to a different country. It's not to fuckin hard to at least try and assimilate, and anyone who pretends that illegals are trying is more full of shit than hitlery's diaper was when she had to leave the debate stage with Crazy Bernie.

 

[Unkotare]

I met an old man from Mexico who hadn't bothered to learn English even though he had lived in America for 20 years. That's fucking outrageous.

An old man, eh?

I used to be an immigration attorney and he was a client.

We spoke through a translator.

He told me I should learn Spanish.

I told him he should learn English, that it was outrageous that he had been in America for 20 years and still couldn't speak a word of English.

His attitude that he shouldn't have to learn English for me to do business with him was the outrageous part.

Your bull is looking for the shit you stole.

 

[whitehall]

I didn't know there was such a study. Was it funded by taxpayer dollars? Why is it important to UM Madison about the historic ability of American immigrants to learn English? It's obvious that early settlements of German settlers influenced the local language and that they gradually learned to deal with the English language and I ain't even a federal grant scholar. Everything is political when you are dealing with a democrat administration

 

[Unkotare]

It seems that everyone loves to repeat the old myth of 'back in the day' immigrants learning perfect English in no time. This is a particular favorite of the "dem imeeegrants refoos to learn eengleesh!" crowd. Well, it's a load of crap.

Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English

.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

My great-grandmother emigrated from Poland in 1909.

She died 86 years later, in Manhattan, speaking no more than a few words of English.

She had 4 sons. All fought bravely in WWII. One died. The others all earned post-graduate degrees, and all became millionaires.

One of her sons invented a technology that you probably use every day.

 

[hjmick]

It seems that everyone loves to repeat the old myth of 'back in the day' immigrants learning perfect English in no time. This is a particular favorite of the "dem imeeegrants refoos to learn eengleesh!" crowd. Well, it's a load of crap.

Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English

Most people born to the English language don't speak it well. Hell, we see every day right here on this board a majority who can't express themselves using proper English, even with the benefit of spelling and grammar checks. For those who do not learn the language from birth, it is one of the most difficult to learn. The idea that immigrants, especially adult immigrants, learned to speak English quickly is laughable and anyone who believes the myth is an idiot.

 

[Unkotare]

It seems that everyone loves to repeat the old myth of 'back in the day' immigrants learning perfect English in no time. This is a particular favorite of the "dem imeeegrants refoos to learn eengleesh!" crowd. Well, it's a load of crap.

Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English

Most people born to the English language don't speak it well......

Yes and no.

 

[Unkotare]

... For those who do not learn the language from birth, it is one of the most difficult to learn. ....

There is no "most difficult" or easiest or any other categorical claims, but the myth of "Grandpa stepped off the boat and was fluent in a month" is absurd and false.

 

[Pete7469]

My great-grandmother emigrated from Poland in 1909.

She died 86 years later, in Manhattan, speaking no more than a few words of English.

She had 4 sons. All fought bravely in WWII. One died. The others all earned post-graduate degrees, and all became millionaires.

One of her sons invented a technology that you probably use every day.

I figured you for a dumbass pollock.

My kin came from there too.

 

[AnomalousMaterial]

I met an old man from Mexico who hadn't bothered to learn English even though he had lived in America for 20 years. That's fucking outrageous.

I worked with a 43 year old who has lived in America for 20 years and never learned to read English, speaks barely on a passing kindergarten level.

He has 5 kids born on our soil and receives several thousand a year in taxes (not counting schooling, healthcare, and food stamps) while working menial low wage jobs.