Practicing a new language lately?
- Thread starter Skip Sackett
- Start date
Ogandydancer
Member
this is one of the worst things that has happened to our language. Pretty soon none of our children will know the proper spelling of anything. It is already bad, if you will just pay attention to the posts you can see it going down hill already. People already do not know the proper use of the words too and to and two and their and there, etc.
Spanish speaking thanks to a couple of years in Argentina, I do fair with Brazilian Portuguese and better with Italian. I can order off a menu in Greek with a Pheonician Alphabet and do the same with French. I feel none the worse for it, probably better when I realize how many of our words have a commonality with other languages.
I've been trying to learn a foreign language for the last ten years, but I still can't understand a word the wife says. I think she changes it every time I start to learn it.
We don't have a lot of people around here that doesn't speak English. And of the ones that don't, they are Americans that have never left the country. I guess they don't want to learn it either. But, the way I see it is, if you are too lazy to learn the language then you can suffer the consequences, difficulties and hardship of not being able to communicate with medical help, law enforcement, drivers license examiners and welfare workers.
Does Pig Latin count as a foriegn language? If so I can speak that just fine.
GatorFarmer
Member
Learning Norwegian might be useful. Then you'd know to stay away from that dog.
20yrs as a 911 dispatcher and operator I used my very meager German & Dutch just twice but it did help in those instances getting location info.
Spanish is of course the language to have good grasp of in that business in most areas of the country. I know/knew almost no Spanish.
I was coached one time by a Hispanic Officer on one phoneline while talking to an elderly Hispanic lady complaintant on a call-back,,, while dispatching at the same time. The officers were trying to get her to open the front door on a 'cause/unkn' call.
I failed,,,,,somehow I turned the phrase about the door incorrectly and called her a pig or something close to that
as my 'LEO language coach' informed me laughing in the other phone.
Definetly not a happy lady..I often wondered what unpleasent things she was telling me to do after that.
She did eventually open the door though and there was no problem there.
Perhaps there is a Rosetta Stone +P+ available...
I'd still like to go back and learn more German and Dutch.
Spanish is of course the language to have good grasp of in that business in most areas of the country. I know/knew almost no Spanish.
I was coached one time by a Hispanic Officer on one phoneline while talking to an elderly Hispanic lady complaintant on a call-back,,, while dispatching at the same time. The officers were trying to get her to open the front door on a 'cause/unkn' call.
I failed,,,,,somehow I turned the phrase about the door incorrectly and called her a pig or something close to that
Definetly not a happy lady..I often wondered what unpleasent things she was telling me to do after that.
She did eventually open the door though and there was no problem there.
Perhaps there is a Rosetta Stone +P+ available...
I'd still like to go back and learn more German and Dutch.
HOUSTON RICK
Member
While English is the dominant language in Houston it is closely followed by Spanish and Vietnamese (Ballots and many municipal documents and signs are in all 3 languages). Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio I learned German - well it helps at Oktoberfest.
oldRoger
US Veteran
Many years ago (50+) my spoken Japanese was fair, although I used too many feminine word/pronunciation forms (mimicking my teachers), reading at perhaps 6th grade level, writing about first grade.
When I came stateside, I promised I would improve, alas I have now forgotten everything I knew.
When I came stateside, I promised I would improve, alas I have now forgotten everything I knew.
flop-shank
US Veteran
My wife is from Laos and her parents, her father more so, speak poor English, so I learned some Lao. Between their english and my Lao, we usually get things figured out.
My last fire team leader used to say, "everyone speaks rifle".
My last fire team leader used to say, "everyone speaks rifle".
While I would not consider myself completely fluent in Spanish I do have a good working knowledge of the language. It comes in handy to be a able to speak more than one language and prevents people in other countries from being one up on us.
Wayne02
Member
You folks that can speak Spanish are in a good way. Parents who don't make their children take at least one year of Spanish in highschool may very well be doing their children a disservice. They may need to know Spanish in order to know what their boss is telling them to do, or to interact in many other ways in a dual-language society.
Same thing with older folks who do not absolutely have their retirement years fully funded. They (along with many others) will need to work into and very possibly through their retirement years. This means they will need to be able to compete for the available jobs. Many of these jobs will require or at least prefer a Spanish speaking person. Older people already have age and possibly health working against them as they compete for jobs, no sense in adding yet another check against you because you do not speak Spanish. You may come up against situations where a prospective employer would like to go with the older applicant due to experience, maturity and such, but the lack of Spanish may very well be deal killer for many jobs in the future.
The dramatic change in demographics driven by the Hispanic population Will bring changes to our society, whether we like them or not.
Same thing with older folks who do not absolutely have their retirement years fully funded. They (along with many others) will need to work into and very possibly through their retirement years. This means they will need to be able to compete for the available jobs. Many of these jobs will require or at least prefer a Spanish speaking person. Older people already have age and possibly health working against them as they compete for jobs, no sense in adding yet another check against you because you do not speak Spanish. You may come up against situations where a prospective employer would like to go with the older applicant due to experience, maturity and such, but the lack of Spanish may very well be deal killer for many jobs in the future.
The dramatic change in demographics driven by the Hispanic population Will bring changes to our society, whether we like them or not.
sigp220.45
US Veteran
I'm here in Navajo country, so I though I'd try to pick up a little of the language. (I bet they REALLY hate pressing 1 for English) I work with Navajo cops every day, and my son's girlfriend is a beautiful Navajo girl. I gave up when I couldn't even pronounce the name of the place she lives: Dzilth-Na-O-Dith-Hle. Now I just call it DZ like everybody else.
Erich
Member
I took Navajo when I lived up there - whew! I never made fun of a NA accent again. Anyone who can speak that and speak any English at all has my respect.
The lingo reminds me of Mongol insofar as it's utterly unrelated to English (Spanish is a dialect of English compared to this stuff!) and you do so much with suffixes and prefixes (e.g., you can say, "that red house on the hill over there but not WAY over there" with one word).
And Dzilth-Na-O-Dith-Hle is one of the words I still remember how to pronounce!
"The Rock That Turns," isn't it? That mesa really does look the same, no matter which side you approach it from.
The lingo reminds me of Mongol insofar as it's utterly unrelated to English (Spanish is a dialect of English compared to this stuff!) and you do so much with suffixes and prefixes (e.g., you can say, "that red house on the hill over there but not WAY over there" with one word).
And Dzilth-Na-O-Dith-Hle is one of the words I still remember how to pronounce!
rburg
Member
I can understand the hill dialects from here in KY. Mainstream english, as spoken here where I grew up is easy. I'm pretty fluent in southern english, but I get absolutely sick at the sound of New Joisey accents. I guess that should be called Yankee English.
My grandparents spoke German. When my parents were born, they banned the native tongue in favor of having their children (my parents) speak the language of the country they'd adopted. Strange concept, move and assimilate. Who'da thunk it?
Bet I'd be doing good to understand a few words from some of Caje's customers!
My grandparents spoke German. When my parents were born, they banned the native tongue in favor of having their children (my parents) speak the language of the country they'd adopted. Strange concept, move and assimilate. Who'da thunk it?
Bet I'd be doing good to understand a few words from some of Caje's customers!
guntownuncle
Member
True, we have absorbed other cultures in the past, but things have changed. When my wife moved here from Mexico, 30 yrs ago, she had to learn English because nobody in the school would speak to her in Spanish. She listened to some Spanish radio, but there was no Spanish T.V. She assimilated just fine.
Now, she would be able to read a paper, listen to the radio, watch T.V., and go to school without hearing a word of English. Most private businesses are hiring Spanish speakers, so she wouldn't have to learn English to go about her day to day business. The Feds have pretty much insured that she could get any social services she may need without knowing English.
And think about this. What happens if, someday, you are a business with a limited budget for advertising? 75% of the population speaks English. But 80% of the population speaks Spanish only or English and Spanish. Where would you spend the money? By the time Obama's through there probably won't be much of a disparity in income between the two groups. Once advertisers start putting more money into Spanish language media than English, English is finished.
What difference would it make? Maybe nothing, I just don't like being pushed around.
.
bmcgilvray
Member
I'm can speak and read enough Spanish to get by though it becomes rusty without regular use.
I do share your concerns Skip. I'm pretty certain that it is a stretch to make this country fit the dictionary definition of "nation." If history is a guide then the disparities will not have a beneficial effect on the Union.
I'm going to have to look up a site that offers a recording of Navajo so that I can hear it.
I do share your concerns Skip. I'm pretty certain that it is a stretch to make this country fit the dictionary definition of "nation." If history is a guide then the disparities will not have a beneficial effect on the Union.
I'm going to have to look up a site that offers a recording of Navajo so that I can hear it.
Gun-runner
Member
WG840 Change is fine with me along with learning a new language as long as that "CHANGE" isn't rammed down my throat because some immigrant is too lazy to learn the language.
rburg
Member
Since this thread has fully developed, I've got some language stories, and even a moral at the end.
About 18 years ago we hired a new receptionist. She was a "Hawtie", as in very nice looking, nice to be around, and put together pretty darn well. It turned out she was french-American. Her mother met her father while he was stationed there in the 1960s. She was raised with her mother speaking both languages. Even when she was in high school, she was amused at the corruption of her mothers language by the teachers. Then time passed and she didn't practice it at all.
Finally, she had an aunt pass away and she had to go with her mother back to bury the one and see the survivors. She was uncomfortable so she just spoke English to her mother who translated. Near the end of her 2 week stay they were visiting someone and the anti-American BS got too deep for her. At one particularly offensive tirade, much of it directed at her personally, he just snapped and responded at what she reported as very good french (never capitalized, or at least until they start winning.) Only then did the rest of them understand she'd been hearing what they'd been saying all along. The conclusion is all french people aren't particularly polite, nor do they like Americans. Her mother said she was proud of her for being able to hold her tongue so long.
Story 2: The grandson of the owner of my current employer came to work here. That was in early 2000, and he'd spent about 10 years in Panama and Honduras. He managed a banana plantation. Because he worked with natives 14 or more hours a day, he became fluent in Spanish and the dialects of the region. He even married a girl from there.
When he came back, he needed a job and we hired him. We became friends because he was a gun nut, and about the only intelligent person I had to speak with around here. But the company was in one of its ruts, hiring illegals. I was told to forget the entire thing, that they were "checked out." I'm sure, since 3 of them had consecutive SS numbers, with only the last digit changed! Yeah, that happens.
Anyway, he just listened to their conversations. They chattered away, just assuming no one could understand either their words or their slang. Wrong. Most were sent away quickly. Those who remained got some kind of paperwork completed.
What it comes down to is our experiences with foreigners here is pretty spotty. Many are resentful of their hosts (us). They're also hold us in contempt for our stupidity. At the same time they like the money, so most are careful of how they act.
Me, I can't even understand Eubonics. Nor do I want to.
About 18 years ago we hired a new receptionist. She was a "Hawtie", as in very nice looking, nice to be around, and put together pretty darn well. It turned out she was french-American. Her mother met her father while he was stationed there in the 1960s. She was raised with her mother speaking both languages. Even when she was in high school, she was amused at the corruption of her mothers language by the teachers. Then time passed and she didn't practice it at all.
Finally, she had an aunt pass away and she had to go with her mother back to bury the one and see the survivors. She was uncomfortable so she just spoke English to her mother who translated. Near the end of her 2 week stay they were visiting someone and the anti-American BS got too deep for her. At one particularly offensive tirade, much of it directed at her personally, he just snapped and responded at what she reported as very good french (never capitalized, or at least until they start winning.) Only then did the rest of them understand she'd been hearing what they'd been saying all along. The conclusion is all french people aren't particularly polite, nor do they like Americans. Her mother said she was proud of her for being able to hold her tongue so long.
Story 2: The grandson of the owner of my current employer came to work here. That was in early 2000, and he'd spent about 10 years in Panama and Honduras. He managed a banana plantation. Because he worked with natives 14 or more hours a day, he became fluent in Spanish and the dialects of the region. He even married a girl from there.
When he came back, he needed a job and we hired him. We became friends because he was a gun nut, and about the only intelligent person I had to speak with around here. But the company was in one of its ruts, hiring illegals. I was told to forget the entire thing, that they were "checked out." I'm sure, since 3 of them had consecutive SS numbers, with only the last digit changed! Yeah, that happens.
Anyway, he just listened to their conversations. They chattered away, just assuming no one could understand either their words or their slang. Wrong. Most were sent away quickly. Those who remained got some kind of paperwork completed.
What it comes down to is our experiences with foreigners here is pretty spotty. Many are resentful of their hosts (us). They're also hold us in contempt for our stupidity. At the same time they like the money, so most are careful of how they act.
Me, I can't even understand Eubonics. Nor do I want to.
Erich
Member
The big hoot to listening to the Navajo-language radio stations was always when they'd throw a couple of English words into the middle of a sentence. "Kentucky Fried Chicken" seemed to come up a lot, or at least that was the joke whenever anyone would imitate it.
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