This is my commentary on what I think. Its not meant to offend anyone. I simply stating things as I see it after spending a year in Korea, and meeting many different English teachers who all speak English, just different forms. What is English? English isn't just one language. Its many.
This is what I have to say.
It never ceases to amaze me how people can demand in America that we speak English. Honestly, after getting involved in ESL, that statment "Your in America, learn to speak English!" Pisses me off anymore.
We must have forgotten, we were settled by the French, Spanish, Germans, Dutch, and Chinese. Check your rail road history if you forgot about the Chinese. Then the Irish and Italiians came over in the early 1900's and saw Mother liberty. Don't forget the languages of the Native Americans either, that added to the American version of English. Then we bought Alaska, who was settled by the Russians, and English and Hawaii. Settled by? oh yah ever body and don't forget the Samoans. OH YES! and Puerto Rico that speaks Spanish and is an American Territory or Gaum.
American English, isn't even English. Just ask the Brittish. But then again, they were invaded by the Romans, Vikings, and the French speaking normans. Thier English isn't pure English either.
There is no such thing as pure English. English is a mutable changing language. thousands of words are added to the English language every day.
Yet people as Americans, demand, that everyone speak English because well its the language of America.
If this had been the attitude of the Native Americans who outnumbered the colonists, we would be speaking may dialects of Native American or would we? If the Chinese did not become xenophobic in the 1500's, they could have settled the west side of North America.
If the Russians, hadn't given up Alaska, Alaska would be speaking Russian, as it is, there are many words in the Alaskans dialect of English, that are Russian and Native Alaskan.
You may not like what I have to say - but I think demanding that everyone speak English in America, is arrogant.
And this is why:
We are a first world nation. Yet, we are not bilingual. However, most other first world nations are and here's a few.
To name a few;
Canadians speak French & English, French speak French & English, Japanese speak Japanese & English, Koreans speak Korean & English, INDIA speaks several dialects of Indi & English & their not even considered a 1st world nation! South Africa speaks Afrikans and English, and China speaks 2 dialects of Chinese and English.
Does anyone see a pattern? I do. The U.S. is a melting pot of cultures, languages and people. With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, the U.S. is between two other nations. We should be learning at least the current dominant immigrant language of Spanish. By the way, Spain, Portugal, and Mexico are not the only ones who speak spanish.
The Chinese out number America in population, and it is said to be the next language coming to dominate the world working market.
so - hmmm - I think there needs to be some reconsideration as to whom should be speaking what language. English may be the current language of choice, but it won't always be. Wouldn't we all be better off atleast speaking 2 languages instead of one?
If teaching in Korea has taught me anything, its that learning more than one language is necesseary in this world. I can now add Korean as my seventh language. Thats right. I said seventh. Thank god for opera that gave me the ground work for four latin languages and one germanic one. I'm not perfect at any of them, but if I need to, I can atleast read 6 out of the 7, and speak broken sentences to get me through enough to communicate. Then I learned Japanese in college and now I am learning Korean. Count English and I have 8 languages.
For now, English is the worlds current language of Employment and diplomats. But at one point it was French.
So think carefully before arrogantly and ignorantly demanding that everyone speak English, because I know what the other person is thinking. Why don't you learn to speak another language aside from English.
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