No One Knows Better

[Unkotare]

Despite what many people seem to think (and not a few here have said), native Spanish speakers in the US do not "refuse" or are disinterested in learning English. No one knows the crucial importance of learning English than non-native English speakers in the US.

 

[Sunni Man]

All the 2nd generation hispanics I know speak perfect English, and from proficient to barely passable Spanish.
And their 3rd generation kids can't speak any Spanish. ...

 

[Unkotare]

Despite what many people seem to think (and not a few here have said), native Spanish speakers in the US do not "refuse" or are disinterested in learning English. No one knows the crucial importance of learning English than non-native English speakers in the US.

^

 

[Seymour Flops]

One thing I noticed that has changed from when I was a kid until now: 2nd generation Hispanic students no longer have accents as they used to. Most of them speak English very similar to their Anglo peers.

Back in the seventies, Hispanic immigrants learned English as fast as they could and taught it to their children, hence the accents. Now, they leave it to the public schools to begin teaching them English in pre-K through fifth grade. So, the kids learn English from either Hispanics who are college graduates, or Anglos who learned enough Spanish to be bilingual teachers.

 

[elektra]

Native Spanish speakers would be in Spain, not America.

 

[Unkotare]

Native Spanish speakers would be in Spain, not America.

???????

 

[elektra]

???????

You claimed the native language of indigenous people's of the America's is spanish.

 

[Unkotare]

You claimed the native language of indigenous people's of the America's is spanish [sic].

No, I did not.

 

[elektra]

No, I did not.

I am happy to correct you

 

[Unkotare]

I am happy to correct you

I made no such claim.

 

[elektra]

I made no such claim.

that is how it read, I am sure you did not mean it to, in hindsight

 

[Woodznutz]

I rented to many Latino families. The adults had no interest in learning English. Their kids were the translators between me and them.

 

[Unkotare]

I rented to many Latino families. The adults had no interest in learning English. .....

You should have gotten to know them better.

 

[Woodznutz]

You should have gotten to know them better.

They understood more English than they let on. We got along great, with a few exceptions.

 

[Unkotare]

They understood more English than they let on. ......

What is your training and/or education in linguistics that leads you to believe you are qualified to make such a conclusion?

 

[Seymour Flops]

I rented to many Latino families. The adults had no interest in learning English. Their kids were the translators between me and them.

When I was a kid, (70s) kids my age whose parents were from Latin America spoke English with a clear accent. Now that I am a teacher in a junio high with over 90% children of Latin American immigrants the accents are gone.

It's partly due to television which had drastically reduced regional accents, but also because in my day parents passed English on to theirvkidd as they had learned between arriving and giving birth. Now they leaving It to educated bilingual teachers.

 

[Woodznutz]

What is your training and/or education in linguistics that leads you to believe you are qualified to make such a conclusion?

Are you saying that no one pretends not to understand another language when in fact they do?

 

[Unkotare]

Are you saying that no one pretends not to understand another language when in fact they do?

I'm saying I doubt very much that you have the experience and understanding to make that determination.

 

[Woodznutz]

I'm saying I doubt very much that you have the experience and understanding to make that determination.

I made it in the case of some of my Latino tenants.

I confirmed it by googling the topic. People everywhere feign such ignorance when it suits them. "Solly, me no speakee Engliss."

 

[Blues Man]

Just make English the official language of the US