Senators Obama, Clinton, Biden and Dodd Vote AGAINST English as our Official Language (2 Viewers)

[Brianwarnock]

I feel that if you live in a country then you should speak its language.

I can only agree with that.

Apparently Theodore Roosevelt said, in 1918, "Every immigrant who comes here shouldbe required within 5 years to learn English or leave the country"
I have absolutely no dispute with that and yes it should apply to Britons in Spain etc.

Brian

 

[Brianwarnock]

Are you refering to me Brain? - if so which bit did I miss - I read it all. Just obviuosly missed something?

well this by you

I can only guess you have only got off the tour bus a handful of times - or avoid speaking to the locals?

seems at odds with this by me

but how many times have I struggled to speak a foreign language only to have the response come back in English, this even happened to a friend with us who was a Spanish language teacher and wanted to sharpen up her language.

Brian

 

[Pauldohert]

Not really - you may have been talking to the tour reps?

Where have you been travelling to that when you get off the tour bus , everyone you would like to communicate with answers in english, except for a handful of times?

Having read all the post, depsite what you prefer to tell yourself. I don't recognise these places. As the thread indicates even the countries where English is the main language have a good smattering of people with who something other than English would be useful?

Saga?

 

[KenHigg]

My two cents: Addressing the English/Spainish issue is a moot point until we fix the mexican border problem...

 

[Brianwarnock]

I don't recognise these places.
Saga?

What places don't you recognise?
China,Japan,Morroco,Greece,Italy,Thailand,France,Germany,Belgium,Holland,Spain? Lets not go back further than 5 years, and we can skip the English speaking ones.

Why do you find it necessary to be rude and insulting.

Brian

 

[Pauldohert]

Everyone in tourist brit abraod Spain even, speaks so good english , that its not useful to speak Spanish even on a handful of occasions. Laughable - unless you don't get off the tour bus. As for some of the other places - well beyond laughable.

I don't recognise these countries as you have experinced them - no!

I find it necessary to be rude and insulting, when I merely disagreed with a part of your original post, and you automatically accused me of not having read at - as is my way supposedly.

If you are going to be rude - I sure as hell will be rude back?

Si?

 

[Brianwarnock]

This is from your 1st post

Having said that if you have only found a local language helpful a handful if times - I can only guess you have only got off the tour bus a handful of times - or avoid speaking to the locals?

You don't think this is rude? It ignores the fact that I also said that I had travelled on business, and you have no idea as to how I have travelled as a tourist.

I have found you rude and intrasigent in the past so I doubt that there is any point in continuing this.

Brian

 

[KenHigg]

I've found it's a pretty good indicator when a person lurks around a forum with their green light turned off that being considerate to others is not very high on their agenda.

 

[Brianwarnock]

50-2-1

It was '98 when I got into a discussion with a couple of Canadian teenagers up in your Rockies. Both were from Quebec , one French and one Anglo Canadian, but both were very angry at the Quebec stance on language and said that one large Insurance Company had already moved from Montreal and lots of smaller cmpanies were also moving out of the province. They were concerned about the furure of Canada as a nation and for their own future. I wonder what it is like 10 years on.

Brian

 

[David Eagar]

I think that now English is the 'official' world language, it does not mean all other languages are inferior or unneccessary. Sadly, I think it allows natural English speakers to become lazier as all other countries must force themselves to learn English, so we don't have to learn their language.

I would love to be more fluent in any number of languages and always at least make an attempt (however poor) at using the local language when visiting another country. They have made an effort, why should I not?

 

[Pat Hartman]

Some of my best adventures have occurred with strangers with whom I didn't share a common language. My husband and i were living in Miami when we got a phone call from someone speaking German and looking for Frau Hartman who I decided must be me and he said that he was a froind (?) of Bill Hartman who was my ex-husband. Another young man came on the line and told me that he had two young men in his apartment that seemed to be looking for me. Curious, I said to send them over. While we were waiting our friends showed up for dinner and brought along another friend who happened to speak fluent German. So when the strangers showed up we got the whole story. My ex-husband's best friend's family had moved back to Germany and while he was there visiting, he met our new friends and told them to lookup his friend Bill Hartman when they visited DC. When they got to DC the weather was lousy and so they just called Bill to tell him they weren't stopping but were going to Miami. Bill gave them our name and address and told the boys to look me up. Of course he never bothered to call me to warn me but that will go part of the way toward explaining the divorce. In any event Lubo and Dano ended up staying with us for a week and we cooked for each other and played card games and went to the beach and wore out their phrase book in the process. Thanks to Lubo and Dano when we went to Germany a few years latter, we knew a smattering of German.

 

[Pauldohert]

This is from your 1st post



You don't think this is rude? It ignores the fact that I also said that I had travelled on business, and you have no idea as to how I have travelled as a tourist.

I have found you rude and intrasigent in the past so I doubt that there is any point in continuing this.

Brian

As a starter I have found you rude and intransigent in the past.

I didn;t think my post was rude no, I just guessed how it may be possible to travel the world and find little use in speaking a foreign language except on a handful of occasion. I don't know how you managed it. Its a guess as it says?
I focused on the tourism, because you said that was how you travelled in the main?
The fact that as an englsih sales rep you met people who spoke english, I imagined to be quite reasonable.

If you say you only have 3 fingers total on your hands , but I point to your right hand and see 4. I have no need to look at your left hand to dispute the figures. Similarly I have no need to look at the smaller rep side to find it difficult to believe a language was of little use to you, ie a number you could count on the fingers of one hand?

About being intransigent - you haven't even attempted to move my opinion which is differnat from yours. I at least attempted to understand how you came to your opinion. And maybe you could have modified your statement somewhat - You haven't.

You have made no attempt to clarify how you managed to tour Japan and China and find little use for anything other than English. And when I attempt to guess - you say I am rude.

Pots and kettles!

 

[Pauldohert]

I've found it's a pretty good indicator when a person lurks around a forum with their green light turned off that being considerate to others is not very high on their agenda.

From now on Ken - I leave myself logged in - even when I have actually left the PC behind. Would that be more considerate do you think?

 

[Len Boorman]

Language is wonderful and so are some of the people you meet,

At my last company I went to Germany on a number of occassions and got to knew a few guys at our sister company.

So the English spoke their best german and the German guys spoke their best english,

This we agreed was the best way for us all to practice our lack of linguistic skills

Fortunately lots of sketches, hand waving came to the rescue on a number of times and nobody was embarassed by their language skills.

At work, the restaurant, the pub. It all became a very enjoyeable business meeting wherever we were.

Len

 

[KenHigg]

From now on Ken - I leave myself logged in - even when I have actually left the PC behind. Would that be more considerate do you think?

I'm not sure what you mean? Will you have your green light on?

 

[Pauldohert]

If I'm here my green light is on - when I'm not its not?

 

[KenHigg]

What ever

 

[Pauldohert]

Seems to have been an issues to you a few times now?

I assume if your light is permanantly on - you are doing little else other than being here all day, if not can you have some consideration for others and turn it off when your attention is elsewhere?

Cheers!

 

[KenHigg]

I know you probably don't care but let me paint as clear of a picture as I can of this;

When you log in the green light comes on. This lets everyone know your here. When you sign out, close your browser and / or haven't posted in a certain amout of time the system logs you out and this turns your green light off.

So.... When you make a post and I read it and don't see your green light on then I might not waste might time replying as a lot of the dialog moves rather fast around here and by the time you read my reply the topic has long since lost it's momentum. In a nutshell utilizing the green light lets others know 'hey, I'm still logged in and still interested in the topic of conversation'. I see it as nothing more than being polite and respecting other peoples time and efforts...

I can see how you either don't understand, don't agree or don't care. Either way I feel I've done my best and will try not to bring it up again...

 

[Rich]

Aw good, now we can get back to the matter in hand, teaching Americans proper English