how many of you "come to the country you better learn english" freaks out there actually speak more than one language? most of you probably don't.
well, i do. and i know how hard it is to use my second language when i have to. learning English is not an easy thing to do, and if you think it is, why don't you go immerse yourself in another language/culture/country and try to survive?
its not easy. its not fun. its not simple, like you make it out to be. it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a citizen, and you have to have better english skills than most natives do. i'm willing to put money on the fact that more than half this forum could not pass the citizenship test.
so, before you get all high and mighty about immigrants, walk a few feet (not even a mile) in their shoes. or, even, take a second language class. and no, i don't mean when you're a teenager and your language blocks haven't developed yet. i mean when you're 30-40 years old, and you are almost physically and mentally unable to learn a second language.
english is the hardest language in the world to learn. if you disagree with me, point out one single rule in the english language that does not have an exception. ;et me save you the trouble...there isn't one.
so what if the main language is something else besides english. why does it affect you? why don't you just take it and go with it. pick up a little spanish here and there. even if you have to press one for english, your life is infinately easier than that of the immigrants who can't read street signs or understand our laws because they haven't learned our language yet.
First of all, it does not cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to become a citizen. My mom's friend came here illegally from Peru when she was 7. She spoke no English and said it was so hard for her to fit in when no one else spoke her native language. Her parents still don't speak enough English to get by and she has to go with them to their doctor appointments, make calls for them, etc., to interpret. There is no reason why after 24 years, they can't learn to speak English.
She and her family got their green cards, which cost them $369 and they lasted for 10 years. She is now 31, which meant she had to pay about $750. This was only for her. Her parents had to pay this for themselves and her two sisters. That's an awful lot of money for people who are working minimum wage jobs. She just took and passed her citizenship test in December. That test cost her $269.
I do agree with you about the citizenship test. Most people, whether they're American or from another country, would have a hard time passing it. My mom and I took one online and I failed by one question and she passed with 6/11 questions and we were both born here.
I also agree with you that English is probably the hardest language to learn in the world. But my family and most other families learned to speak it when they came here, so why shouldn't everyone else? I have no problem with people coming her and not knowing the language, but why should I have to "pick up a little spanish here and there"? Why can't they pick up a little English here and there just to get by?
I speak another language too. I also agree with you that is hard to speak it when you don't have anyone who speaks it around you, but that's not the case when you speak Spanish in this country. Even if they learned just enough to get by, it would make their life much easier.
My grandfather travels all over the world for his job. When he arrives in another country, he walks around the airport and looks at the signs to know what some of the basic words are. I know that most big cities in other countries speak English now, but he has learned quite a few phrases from every country he's been in. He assimilates to the country he's in, so why can't people who come to this country try to assimilate to ours?
