English Language Mania

Join Our Community

Collarchat.com

Home Login Search

English Language Mania

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Dungeon of Political and Religious Discussion >> English Language Mania

Page: [1] 2 next > >>

Login

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

English Language Mania - 6/3/2009 6:42:58 PM

Posts: 6677
Joined: 8/7/2004
From: Wisconsin
Status: offline

World Obsession with English

This is not the first time I have seen or heard similar claims that pretty much the majority of the industrial world is going with English as it's language of choice. Yet the US seems to be headed in just the opposite direction.

There was a time, not too many years ago that, ALL immigrants were required to be at least basically functional in english otherwise they could be denied citizenship. Somehow though too many politicians wanting to be "politically correct" saw fit to do away with any such requirements. Similar to other things, like doing away with the pledge of allegiance in the schools (cuz some immigrants find it "offensive"). To that I say, if you can't or won't pledge allegiance to a country to which you asked to be a citizen of....get the fuck out! and go back to whatever shit hole you came from!! (ok side rant over)

The US, sadly, has no official language, unlike pretty much every other nation. Soon the US will rank as having fewer english speaking citizens than many other nations. You can't buy anything these days without having the manuals, warranties, etc., printed in three or four languages. The world for the most part has picked english as the language of choice. The US should adopt it as the official language. There is nothing wrong with being multi-lingual and having a secondary language as citizens, but we need to have a unified communicaiton. If the rest of the world is using english, why can't we??

RE: English Language Mania - 6/3/2009 7:31:59 PM

Posts: 30259
Joined: 3/14/2005
Status: offline

quote:

Soon the US will rank as having fewer english speaking citizens than many other nations.

How the hell do you figure that???

(in reply to MasterG2kTR)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/3/2009 10:07:22 PM

Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline

The funny thing is the manuals printed in multiple languages isn't intended for US consumers, French is probablythe most common second language in owners manuals and we have a surpassingly small population of people fluent only in french. What is true is that it is far simpler to print a couple of pages in 10 or so languages in one book and pack it in all the items no matter the destination nation.

BTW english fluency is still required for anyone wanting to become a naturalized US citizen. I personally think it would be funny to see how many people who bash immigrants could actually pass the naturailzation test.
http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/M-685.pdf

(in reply to Musicmystery)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/3/2009 10:41:04 PM

Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline

heh... Ken.. I'm not so sure about this:

quote:

BTW english fluency is still required for anyone wanting to become a naturalized US citizen.

I work with several people that I simply CANNOT communicate with because they have almost NO English. In fact, Sunday morning, 2 of them were in a car accident and the TPD was so frustrated in attempts at communication they sent an officer to my workplace asking for a translator. I had to call my boss at home, wake him up and have him meet the police at the site.

_____________________________

polysnortatious
Supreme Goddess of Snark
CHARTER MEMBER: Lance's Fag Hags!
Waiting for my madman in a Blue Box.

(in reply to DomKen)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 12:26:15 AM

Arpig

Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline

quote:

I personally think it would be funny to see how many people who bash immigrants could actually pass the naturailzation test.

I looked over the sample test questions, etc. and am pretty sure I would pass

_____________________________

Big man! Pig Man!
Ha Ha...Charade you are!

Why do they leave out the letter b on "Garage Sale" signs?

CM's #1 All-Time Also-Ran

(in reply to GreedyTop)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 12:29:13 AM

Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

heh... Ken.. I'm not so sure about this:
quote:

BTW english fluency is still required for anyone wanting to become a naturalized US citizen.

I work with several people that I simply CANNOT communicate with because they have almost NO English. In fact, Sunday morning, 2 of them were in a car accident and the TPD was so frustrated in attempts at communication they sent an officer to my workplace asking for a translator. I had to call my boss at home, wake him up and have him meet the police at the site.

Look at the link I provided. An immigrant has to pass an english fluency test to become a citizen.

(in reply to GreedyTop)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 7:29:35 AM

Posts: 624
Joined: 9/28/2008
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

heh... Ken.. I'm not so sure about this:
quote:

BTW english fluency is still required for anyone wanting to become a naturalized US citizen.

I work with several people that I simply CANNOT communicate with because they have almost NO English. In fact, Sunday morning, 2 of them were in a car accident and the TPD was so frustrated in attempts at communication they sent an officer to my workplace asking for a translator. I had to call my boss at home, wake him up and have him meet the police at the site.

Look at the link I provided. An immigrant has to pass an english fluency test to become a citizen.

"an ability to read write and speak basic English" is not "fluency". In the actual naturalization test (Ive been it with my Colombian adopted son) there are almost enough words in Spanish and English derived from the same Latin word that you wouldnt need to know any English to pass the test. A one hour course that uses actual test examples fills in the gap.

(in reply to DomKen)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 7:45:33 AM

Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

heh... Ken.. I'm not so sure about this:
quote:

BTW english fluency is still required for anyone wanting to become a naturalized US citizen.

I work with several people that I simply CANNOT communicate with because they have almost NO English. In fact, Sunday morning, 2 of them were in a car accident and the TPD was so frustrated in attempts at communication they sent an officer to my workplace asking for a translator. I had to call my boss at home, wake him up and have him meet the police at the site.

Look at the link I provided. An immigrant has to pass an english fluency test to become a citizen.

Hmm.. well, they don't seem to enforce it much.

_____________________________

polysnortatious
Supreme Goddess of Snark
CHARTER MEMBER: Lance's Fag Hags!
Waiting for my madman in a Blue Box.

(in reply to DomKen)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 8:12:01 AM

Posts: 18104
Joined: 1/27/2006
From: New Hampshire
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

heh... Ken.. I'm not so sure about this:
quote:

BTW english fluency is still required for anyone wanting to become a naturalized US citizen.

I work with several people that I simply CANNOT communicate with because they have almost NO English. In fact, Sunday morning, 2 of them were in a car accident and the TPD was so frustrated in attempts at communication they sent an officer to my workplace asking for a translator. I had to call my boss at home, wake him up and have him meet the police at the site.

GT, what is their native tongue, German, French?

_____________________________

"But Your Honor, this is not a Jury of my Peers, these people are all decent, honest, law-abiding citizens!"

(in reply to GreedyTop)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 8:26:12 AM

Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline

guajarti

_____________________________

polysnortatious
Supreme Goddess of Snark
CHARTER MEMBER: Lance's Fag Hags!
Waiting for my madman in a Blue Box.

(in reply to popeye1250)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 9:35:19 AM

Posts: 10297
Joined: 1/15/2005
Status: offline

Because of NAFTA and other trade agreements many companies print their material in 2 or 3 languages. I commonly find products that have instructions in English, French and Spanish.

One laptop instructional sheet I read through listed about 12 languages, including some written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Depending on where the product is manufactured and where it is shipped to be sold you have a wide variable as to what languages are printed and used.

_____________________________

"Beware, the woods at night, beware the lunar light.
So in this gray haze we'll be meating again, and on that
great day, I will tease you all the same."
"WOLF MOON", OCTOBER RUST, TYPE O NEGATIVE

http://KinkMeet.co.uk

(in reply to MasterG2kTR)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 11:15:11 AM

Posts: 30259
Joined: 3/14/2005
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop
heh... Ken.. I'm not so sure about this:
quote:

BTW english fluency is still required for anyone wanting to become a naturalized US citizen.

I work with several people that I simply CANNOT communicate with because they have almost NO English. In fact, Sunday morning, 2 of them were in a car accident and the TPD was so frustrated in attempts at communication they sent an officer to my workplace asking for a translator. I had to call my boss at home, wake him up and have him meet the police at the site.

Look at the link I provided. An immigrant has to pass an english fluency test to become a citizen.

Hmm.. well, they don't seem to enforce it much.

Truth be told, a lot of native English speakers aren't very good at it.

(in reply to GreedyTop)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 2:34:15 PM

Arpig

Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline

quote:

Hmm.. well, they don't seem to enforce it much.

Actually, if you look over the sections on the English tests in the link above, they are pretty damned basic, I mean being able to read 1 of 3 sentences, being able to write 1 of 3 sentences. This is not something that requires fluency, and many people likely study and cram hard for that section, and then settle into their cultural communities and let their already very limited language skills lapse. My french used to be fluent, now I struggle with it, I don't use it, so I am losing it, such is the way of language skills.

_____________________________

Big man! Pig Man!
Ha Ha...Charade you are!

Why do they leave out the letter b on "Garage Sale" signs?

CM's #1 All-Time Also-Ran

(in reply to Musicmystery)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/4/2009 11:21:35 PM

Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline

so much for the so-called fluency, then, huh? lol

When I was considering moving to the Netherlands, part of their requirement was that you be able to answer questions in Dutch... AND that you be able to have a spontaneous conversation in Dutch.

_____________________________

polysnortatious
Supreme Goddess of Snark
CHARTER MEMBER: Lance's Fag Hags!
Waiting for my madman in a Blue Box.

(in reply to Arpig)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/5/2009 2:16:05 AM

Posts: 14862
Joined: 5/7/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

so much for the so-called fluency, then, huh? lol

When I was considering moving to the Netherlands, part of their requirement was that you be able to answer questions in Dutch... AND that you be able to have a spontaneous conversation in Dutch.

Does that mean two of you would be speaking "Double Dutch"

(in reply to GreedyTop)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/5/2009 11:09:26 PM

Posts: 862
Joined: 3/13/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterG2kTR

World Obsession with English

This is not the first time I have seen or heard similar claims that pretty much the majority of the industrial world is going with English as it's language of choice. Yet the US seems to be headed in just the opposite direction.

There was a time, not too many years ago that, ALL immigrants were required to be at least basically functional in english otherwise they could be denied citizenship. Somehow though too many politicians wanting to be "politically correct" saw fit to do away with any such requirements. Similar to other things, like doing away with the pledge of allegiance in the schools (cuz some immigrants find it "offensive"). To that I say, if you can't or won't pledge allegiance to a country to which you asked to be a citizen of....get the fuck out! and go back to whatever shit hole you came from!! (ok side rant over)

The US, sadly, has no official language, unlike pretty much every other nation. Soon the US will rank as having fewer english speaking citizens than many other nations. You can't buy anything these days without having the manuals, warranties, etc., printed in three or four languages. The world for the most part has picked english as the language of choice. The US should adopt it as the official language. There is nothing wrong with being multi-lingual and having a secondary language as citizens, but we need to have a unified communicaiton. If the rest of the world is using english, why can't we??

I have read many of the responses and still totally agree with Master. You have to deal with those who will not learn English to understand the problem.

I had a part time security job at a trucking company before the recession and when it was really busy the company had to hire independent contractors to move freight. Most of the time the driver's sent by a Chicago company were from Eastern Europe.

They did not understand or speak English except for "where's coffee" and "where's john." If I asked them to park a trailer at the dock, that usually resulted in an hour explanation followed often by a three hour fight. If they came to the gate with the wrong trailers, the ordeal could go on all night if I couldn't find a translator by phone in Chicago. These drivers could not read, write or understand English. It is an open question whether they knew how to drive.

One driver came in with a severely damaged new trailer. If I did not note the damage, the cost of repair was a cost against the local terminal. In that instance the damage was so bad that I had a local driver call Chicago and discuss it with dispatch. The next time the driver came into the terminal, he jumped out of his tractor and started screaming at me. In the next two hours I pieced together that he had to pay over ten thousand in damages to the company. I tried to be polite but finally told him to go to the back and cool off. He went to his tractor and I went toward the office. I suddenly heard the word "Allah" mixed in with the phase which I believe means "god is great" and turned around. The driver was coming at me with a baseball bat. We arrived at an understanding when he was looking down the barrel of a 30 caliber carbine pistol.

Many of these drivers were applying for citizenship. A bigger question is how they passed the CDL etc. license test. An even bigger question was how they were allowed to drive post 9/11. I went through this ordeal for over a year. The others in the terminal would not deal with the foreign drivers because of the constant fights and arguments caused by their inability to speak English. They left it to me.

The above experience is why I am totally behind an absolute requirement that they speak and understand English. It is also the reason I do not have much use for Muslims. When I hear that phase meaning "god is great" I reach for a gun.

< Message edited by Lorr47 -- 6/5/2009 11:24:37 PM >

(in reply to MasterG2kTR)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/5/2009 11:30:30 PM

Posts: 18104
Joined: 1/27/2006
From: New Hampshire
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

guajarti

LMAO!...,........,......

_____________________________

"But Your Honor, this is not a Jury of my Peers, these people are all decent, honest, law-abiding citizens!"

(in reply to GreedyTop)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/5/2009 11:35:01 PM

Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Politesub53

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

so much for the so-called fluency, then, huh? lol

When I was considering moving to the Netherlands, part of their requirement was that you be able to answer questions in Dutch... AND that you be able to have a spontaneous conversation in Dutch.

Does that mean two of you would be speaking "Double Dutch"

LOL

Nah, I'm not planning to move there now... I couldnt get a handle on the language *grins*

Popeye.. go ahead, laugh.. but seriously.. it's a pain in the ass to have to call my GM (on his day off) and ask him to translate stuff (guest/maintenance issues) to the housekeeping staff...

_____________________________

polysnortatious
Supreme Goddess of Snark
CHARTER MEMBER: Lance's Fag Hags!
Waiting for my madman in a Blue Box.

(in reply to Politesub53)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/5/2009 11:44:03 PM

Arpig

Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline

I feel for you Lorr. One time i was working security at a Gvt office and since it was a Gvt office we needed our staff to be bilingual English and French. Well the company sent me a guy from Morrocco who was bilingual all right, he spoke Arabic and Spanish fluently.

He got furious when I sent him home, as did the head office, but hell, I had no way to train the guy, he had very VERY limited English, and no French, and my Spanish is nearly non-existant. I still sometimes amuse myself with the thought of what might have happened if I had let him stay, and he had to deal with Deputy Minister (something like an Under Secretary in the US).

We have much the same problem here with not-so-recent immigrants who do not speak either English or French, and for the life of me I cannot understand the mindset that would lead one to emmigrate to a country and not try one's damndest to learn how to communicate with the people of that country. Hell, here we offer them a choice of two languages, and still they don't seem to learn either.

_____________________________

Big man! Pig Man!
Ha Ha...Charade you are!

Why do they leave out the letter b on "Garage Sale" signs?

CM's #1 All-Time Also-Ran

(in reply to Lorr47)

RE: English Language Mania - 6/6/2009 12:33:25 AM

Posts: 862
Joined: 3/13/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Arpig

I feel for you Lorr. One time i was working security at a Gvt office and since it was a Gvt office we needed our staff to be bilingual English and French. Well the company sent me a guy from Morrocco who was bilingual all right, he spoke Arabic and Spanish fluently.

He got furious when I sent him home, as did the head office, but hell, I had no way to train the guy, he had very VERY limited English, and no French, and my Spanish is nearly non-existant. I still sometimes amuse myself with the thought of what might have happened if I had let him stay, and he had to deal with Deputy Minister (something like an Under Secretary in the US).

We have much the same problem here with not-so-recent immigrants who do not speak either English or French, and for the life of me I cannot understand the mindset that would lead one to emmigrate to a country and not try one's damndest to learn how to communicate with the people of that country. Hell, here we offer them a choice of two languages, and still they don't seem to learn either.

Amazing. Only a government could mess it up like that.

I did have one of the drivers insist with a straight face that I should learn their language. I spoke with a translator about getting a dictionary and he laughed. Yugoslavia alone has a myriad of dialects. Throw in Romania, Russia and such places as Turkey and there simply was no way I could understand it all. The simplest answer is to learn English which they still will not do.

(in reply to Arpig)

Page: [1] 2 next > >>

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Dungeon of Political and Religious Discussion >> English Language Mania

Page: [1] 2 next > >>

Jump to:

New Messages	No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages	Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages	Locked w/o New Messages

Post New Thread

Reply to Message

Post New Poll

Submit Vote

Delete My Own Post

Delete My Own Thread

Rate Posts

Collarchat.com © 2024

Terms of Service

0.089