Featured Half English/Half Spanish TV Commercials Go Mainstream

I thought the comments were 110% MORE offensive than the commercials could ever be. They were said rudely.

I've seen (several times) the Tide commercial with the older mother on the couch folding clothes who doesn't speak English and the daughter on the couch with her speaking English.

It never DAWNED on me to be offended, get mad, or start an "English-only if you are gonna live here!" campaign.

I don't see the big deal.

 

Well, if you are talking about English, then you don't have to "learn" any of it. But you do have to temporarily - to pass the test - have to recognize - read and write - about 75 or so words. Words like Abraham Lincoln, Memorial Day, can, is, vote, .....

Here they are. http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Office%20of%20Citizenship/Citizenship%20Resource%20Center%20Site/Publications/PDFs/reading_vocab.pdf

You don't have to show an ability to "speak" English as in conversation style of daily living.

Here's the whole study guide for the process. There is definitely NO proficiency level taught or expected.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/us...nnel=4982df6bdd42a210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD

I know more Hispanics than probably anyone on this board. I know scores of law-abiding American citizens whose English is HORRIBLE, therefore they just don't do it. Their children do, but learning the language - really learning it for many adults is too hard. In fact, the children many times completely lost the ability to speak Spanish and I think that a shame.

I also have two highly educated Korean friends who are in the last throws of becoming citizens after many, many years whose English is just NEVER going to be good. They try so hard, but it's just awful. And, I have taught several Pakistani students who are citizens and their parents have been citizens for over a decade and the adults "think" their English is understandable, but I have to ask the children everytime what their parents are saying. I hate it. They try so hard to speak English.

Besides, while English is our dominant language, it is not nor has ever been the official language of our country.

And in my opinon, our being English dominant does not mean being English snobs to those who struggle with speaking English and demanding that they speak it like we do or else they just aren't "real Americans".

It would help tremendously if all people learned "perfect" English, but not even English speaking Americans do that.

 

I would remind, y'all. When Fiorello La Guardia ran for mayor of NYC (34-45), he did so speaking fluent English, Italian, and Yiddish.

 

La Guardia was a polyglot. Before WW1, he was in the State Department stationed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Further, his father was Italian and his mother Jewish.

 

Brother, I was not directing anything at you. I was referencing the people who I was talking about in my first post - those who made unfounded comments in the original article.