Doesn't ANYBODY Speak English Anymore????

First off, when looking at the Internet, including Soda Head, & seeing the lack of communication skills today, the use of name-calling in order to communication, the new short-texting used online, etc., I think that it's pretty clear that language is changing & that English, just like every other major language on Earth, is evolving into something different from what we're used to. Those who choose to poopoo Spanish, German, Hindi, Chinese, etc. on the streets of America, are not using logic or common sense at all. Their focus is incredibly narrow-minded.



I live in Germany. Generally speaking, German people hate to hear so many foreign languages spoken around them all the time. Rarely do foreigners speak good, clear, understandable German... me included (I muddle through enough to be understood). They are frustrated most about the Turkish, though the fact is, the Turks not speaking German is the Germans' fault (but that's another issue). The French are the same about their language, etc.



However, the United States is, by its very nature, a mixture of people from all over the world. Our culture & society are mixed up & combing more & more. The fact that there are so many languages used in our nation only makes sense. The fact that Spanish is the largest foreign language used also makes sense because of the number of immigrants from Spanish speaking nations. But it was not that long ago that the largest foreign language used was German. In many areas of the plains & other states, there are still communities where very very little (if any) English is spoken & the predominant language is still German. If you go to Louisiana, you'd better have some French in your background, or it's going to be hard as hell to get your butt out of jail. Most of the laws there are still in French.



There is no official language of the United States.



Personally, I have no problem with the multi-cultural mix of languages because the multi-cultural mix of our people is one of the very best things about America. The idea that there is some sort of "white history" is so silly. What the hell does " white" mean? It means a mix of European backgrounds... cultures that have very often not gotten along back in the Old World. So America's version of White Supremacy is so absurd it's laughable. It simply makes no sense whatsoever. And there will never be a nation on this planet that is pure. Because of globalization & our love of travel, it is simply ludicrous to waste time thinking about such a thing.



Americans are everyone from everywhere.

I encourage young people everywhere to find someone from a different racial or cultural background, fall in love, make a baby or two & love those babies with all their might. The more happy, beige babies there are, the less hate there will be. Racism is so ignorant it's laughable... except that it isn't laughable at all.



Language is simply a means of communicating messages... which the Internet has proven doesn't need much skill at all.

Yeah, & the Spanish in South America is very different from the Spanish in Spain, while the Spanish & Italians can have a conversation, each using his/her own language. It's interesting to sit & listen to them have a discussion in their respective languages while someone from Latin America or a Spanish speaking African nation can't really converse easily with a Spaniard.

But we too, in the US, have a similar situation. I have a hell of a time understanding someone from the Boston area or certain parts of Kentucky or Louisiana. In England, the accents are also very distinct & sometimes very harsh. Not to mention that no one understands the Welsh at all... & they speak English as well.

Language is an evolving, fluctuating thing. It's only a means of communicating messages. It has some identifying characteristics, especially in its grammar. But it isn't something stagnant or permanent in any way.

In the US, however, we have the problem of fear associated with language. We are afraid of having to learn something new, having to hear something we are not used to. When an "outsider" goes into an isolated area of the US & speaks, he/she is immediately identified as an outsider & is often shunned out of fear. Those of use who are educated call it ignorance. But such fear is not restricted to those in isolated circumstances, unless one considers most of American isolated. There are many in the general public who share those same fears of outside languages coming into our nation & somehow taking over.

I, on the other hand, believe that our constitution is the most vital part of our nation. It is the one thing that should, indeed, bind all of our states & all of our people together. Yes, it's written in English. However, were Spanish or German or Latvian speaking people to be in the majority in our government & abide by our constitution & run our nation well, I personally would not mind one smidge. It seems that all these English speaking individuals have been shredding our constitution & removing our liberties. I don't care what language is spoken, as long as our constitution & laws are abided by.

I know. I'm in the minority. Most Americans are as completely ignorant of their constitution as they are of other languages. The Constitution could have been written in Latin for as much as most Americans know about it.

I'm American, My Dear. I just live in Germany.
Yes, most nations are quite different from each other, with their own unique cultures. However, there really is no other nation like the US where it is made up specifically of every other culture melded (or not so melded) together. Our music is a combination of the Irish/Celtic & African roots, our people are just about all mottled, our food is varied, etc. The "American culture" is distinct in that it's mixed, while other nations are distinct in that they're from some pure, or almost pure, something. That's the difference.

When a person learns other languages, they expand their knowledge of other cultures, other ways of thinking, etc. One cannot learn a language without learning something about how the culture thinks... it's impossible. So that alone is a very good reason... getting rid of a bit of ignorance. Another reason for us to learn other languages is because of our culture & its diversity. It's good to have a better understanding of the world & the idea that Americans come from all over the world, so to have a better understanding of our own people is beneficial. Again, getting rid of a bit of ignorance.

The United States is just one nation out of a whole world of nations. The people from other nations love theirs as much as we love ours. Sometimes they know that in order to have a better life they have to leave where they're from for better opportunities. But that does not mean that they love their country less. It just means that they are able to recognize that they are not afforded the chance to rise out of their current station. Most people who leave their nation think that they will one day return to make it better. That's usually their intention, though they often find the it's just easier to stay where they end up.

So, when Americans walk around thinking that everyone wants to be in America, they are incorrect. There are many people who want to go to the States, but not because they hate their homeland. They want to go to the States to get education or to make some money or to escape oppression of whatever sort. But I've lived on three other continents & traveled to two more, & I can tell you that I have yet to meet anyone who hates their homeland, who doesn't love their homeland... even if they want to leave it.

I love my nation. I love my constitution. I would fight for my people & our liberties if I had to. But I choose not to live there. I choose to live in other nations because of the opportunities afforded me in other places, not because I hate my country.

Complacency is laziness. "Why should we?" What a silly question.
The real question is, "Why shouldn't we?" "Why not?"
Education is always always always positive. I would never discourage anyone from gaining more knowledge & more education... never.
There are people in other nations who would die for the opportunity to be educated. We can be educated so easily, yet we take it for granted & think that we're just fine without it. Man! That is arrogance at its peak.

It is common sense that we have a national language, & the FACT that we have no one to practice other languages on makes it impractical to learn other languages unless we plan on living in a foreign country. I know enough Spanish to get by with the locals, & my military daughter is fluent in Hebrew, as she is a Hebrew linguist.

I appreciate your lengthy discussion of the issues, & we'll have to agree to disagree on a number of points. I am a college professor, so it's not like I've become stagnate & taken education for granted, and I know enough Spanish to get me by, but since I rarely run into a person who speaks Vietnamese, Chinese, French, German, Ebonics, etc., it is impracticable for me to spend an inordinate amount of time learning those languages, only to let them go to waste. Like you, I do believe it's good to understand others' cultures, but please excuse me for being proud of my country & believing we are united by a common language, flag, culture, ideology, God and exceptionalism. And yes, I am quite aware of all of those waning as our country continues its decline.

The younger generations will most likely learn more languages, as we continue to move toward the evils of globalization; either that, or the more logical thing would be for all the world to learn one language so that there would be more continuity, less misinformation & misunderstanding, and the great leader of the world run by a tyrant or dictator will not have to use translations.

Why do you assume that someone with such an opinion is a "Liberal?"
We are diverse.
It does make us strong.
What's the problem?
Or are you one of those who has some sort of dream of a "pure" nation? What the hell would a "pure" nation look like? In America, what does "white" mean? Do you consider only Europeans "white?" So, those from Greece, Italy, Portugal, etc. are also in that group? What about the French & the English, who have always hated each other? And the White Russians & the Dutch? What say you of the Turkish & Russians, who are both European & Asian? You see, "white" in America is ridiculous. The idea of a "white America" is even more ridiculous. It simply makes no sense whatsoever. Our nation's black people have so much white in them that they are often as or more "white" as so-called "white" people.
Did you know that people from India are actually Caucasian? So, where do they fit into your idea?

Diversity is a characteristic of our nation. The fact that we have to live together, with all of our cultural heritages & all of our colors & traits, does indeed make us stronger. We are all Americans. There is no changing that. So, it's better that you accept it.

Yes, I do believe that our strength does indeed lie in our diversity. The idea that you think our diversity makes us weaker, only makes us weaker. Do you see the logic?

...& take your political divisiveness & stuff it. I believe in unity, not division. To divide us is to weaken our nation. I want a strong America & anyone who participates in dividing our people is behaving in anti-American ways I cannot respect. You don't have to like your neighbor. But the idea that your neighbor is somehow less American than you because of his/her origins is simply retarded.

What is, is & what ain't, ain't. We have to deal with logic & reason based in reality, not emotional desires based in fantasy.