^^wow do you have a problem?

Anyway, I think Schwartzenegger is on to something. Immigrants should definitely try and immerse themselves into the new culture and that includes television and media. The more it’s done the better the language is absorbed. They should also try and venture out of their own communities and interact with other communities more (even if they may be discriminated against).

My mother watches television in her language only and works with people who speak her language. Frankly, I think it’s really held back her development in English. So from a personal perspective I can see the utility of this advice.

There’s a good point in there. And I doubt he’s being discriminatory in saying it. Being a legal immigrant himself. I’d have to agree.

Richard Rodriquez (If you have never read “Hunger of Memory”, you should.) would say so. When he was young, the nuns at his Catholic school told his parents they were no longer going to speak in Spanish to him. He learned the language, went to an ivy league university, and is very successful today. It may have come across as prejudiced, but the governator has a point. The more we are immersed in a language, the more we learn it. My hubby has learned more Spanish in his years with his company than he ever did in school. Why? His employees are mostly hispanic. He hears and listens to what they say, so he is learning the language.

That’s how I learned English when I first moved here.

yes, and quite frankly they SHOULD be forced to learn english. and yes squeakysoul, i do have a problem. im tired of not being able to order a hamburger, or a nacho or taco or any other fast food item without having to go back 3 times or settle for something i dont want because aparently something i say in english means the exact opposite in spanish. im tired of looking through help wanted adds and seeing that more are going from spanish speaking prefered to must speak spanish. im tired of being called stupid, insensitive, and racist because i get upset with people who are too stupid, insensitive,lazy to learn the language of the place they have CHOSEN to live.(and for the idiots who will jump on this, that means i do NOT get upset with immigrants who DO learn the language).  i get tired of people who use thier stupidity, ignorance laziness as an excuse to be further irresponsible and not pay their bills.(yes some of them “cant understand what you are saying” if you say “jose gamez?” because they, in their own words “no speaky engy”) im really tired of people telling me i would do well to learn spanish(which in my opinion is a clumsy ugly language, and thats an opinion i am entitled to) when there are at least 9(nine) other languages i would LOVE to learn but do not have the time or money to do so. so yes, i have a problem. learn english, or go back home. it really is that simple. personally, if the mexican government is so oppressive and corrupt that the people cant develope their own economy and prosper as individuals and a nation, i say we lend them a hand in overthrowing it. there is no geographic anomaly that prevents them from developing as the US and canada did, and yet the answer for so many seems to be to just pack up and head north. i’ve said it a million times and i’ll say it again. when this land was stolen from the native americans there were no malls, outlet stores or booming economies(whether or not thats a good thing is up for debate). hard working, industrious people built all of it where trees and grass used to be. if that’s the mexican dream then there should be no reason that those who want to achieve it without learning english cant achieve it there.

<LI class=itemsubmitter>ionekoa, while you have some legitimate grievances, after that rant yes you do come off as stupid, insensitive AND racist. Spanish is a clumsy ugly language? Where the hell do you get off making that pronouncement? Maybe you say that because YOU are too lazy to stretch out of your comfort zone, and broaden your horizons a bit and learn some Spanish.
But I’m not going to argue with you. People like you rarely have the intelligence to open your mind to any kind of change, so what point is there? And that is all I have to say to you.

I must agree with squeaky that Ioneka is an ignorant (by his own accord, mind you) Bastardo!!

If you don’t believe me, check out his ninth line from the bottom, second word…

ABSOLUTELY!!!! Immigrants need to learn how to integrate instead of making their new country bend over backwards to please them.

By not learning the language, they will slowly (in America’s case-rapidly) ruin their culture and destroy them from the inside out.

Man, fuck Schwarzenegger.

Racist prick.

Wasn’t his father an SS officer?

It worked for him, apparently.

Good method to learn the language.

I agree with most of the comments like MiladyMasked. We make it too easy for Spanish-speaking immigrants to NOT learn English by offering a Spanish translation for nearly EVERYTHING.

What’s even more frustrating is that now I’M suppose to learn Spanish so I can help THEM out. I don’t know how many times I’ve been given a nasty look from a Spanish-speaker who asks me a question in Spanish and I have to reply, “Sorry, I don’t speak Spanish.”

My family and I immigrated to America and learned English. We already knew some English and it’s not that hard to learn more IF you actually put in the effort.

Look at this excerpt from the linked article: “Pilar Marrero, the political editor for the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion, chuckled at the governor’s comments, saying many Hispanics did not have time to learn English.” I don’t even have the words to describe how ridiculous that excuse is.

You’re still forced to learn the language if you’re involved in a community that speaks English. The area I live in California has a high amount of Latin American immigrants, and in the middle of the school year, my art class got a new girl who could barely speak any English at all. Now at the end of the year, she is quite fluent. I’m sure she didn’t do this just by turning off the tv.

you can only learn a language in its entirety if you immerse yourself in it. how do you think babies learn to talk?

IONEKOA - It’s people like you who make other people hate Americans.  You are so set in your prejudice ways and racist remarks to even want to “broaden your horizons” and learn a new language and culture other than Spanish, so don’t even try to say that you would want to.  You are the kind of person who makes excuses in order to find a way out of them, rather than tackling them head on.  And what on this Earth makes you think that you, as an American, are better than every other sort of culture.  I too am American, but, yes, I am also Mexican, and right now, I would not want to be associated with anything that you would deem to represent you.

actually, i have studied(though not learned fluently) ASL, spanish(yes, i learned to speak it while i was VISITING mexico), french, german, japanese  and hawaiian. if i had my way, i would be fluent in hawaiian, japanese, korean, mandarin and cantonese. i have no more desire to learn or be exposed to any more french or german than i do spanish so its not some anti-mexican racist thing.  thanks for playing though. i think its funny how to those who dissagree its automaticly racist.. maybe because im white? that judgement isnt racist at all though is it? as a matter of fact. there are many cultures and languages i would LOVE to experience and learn about. but i resent ANY being forced on me. it’s also funny how you judge(incorrectly) hate, and personnally attack me for voicing this fact(the fact that i resent having a language/culture forced on me) yet i have never personally attacked anyone, in fact commending people who adjust to their new CHOSEN home. i guess thats the difference between us. i believe if you are going to enter someones home(this applies to nations too), even as a guest, you should have the courtesy and respect to adhere to “when in rome…” let alone moving there.

uh…..NO

Learn the language if you’re in the country, and then watch the Spanish channels when you know English.  I know that it is comforting to watch TV or movies set in your native tongue.  But that can also be used as a crutch as well.

I have an interesting perspective on this, having lived most of my entire life in a non-English speaking country as an American citizen.  The world has turned into a place where you almost have to know at least some English in order to be successful.  That’s not me being prejudicial, it is fact and common knowledge.  And seriously…if you are going to live in the US (where the vast majority speak English) at least make a little effort to learn the language.  Those who don’t appreciate the effort Spanish-speakers are making to learn English are idiots.  It is a hard language to learn as a non-native speaker and can take a VERY long time to master (says the girl who has many friends who have never learned English).

I’ve always kind of liked what he says, because he says it, and doesn’t really worry so much about being politically correct.

“Nogales said immigrants need Spanish-language media to stay informed and “function in this society.”"

Which society? I don’t have Spanish-language media and I’m functioning pretty darn well in my society.
I work at a fast-food restaurant in a mall, and I will be more than patient with anyone, Mexican, Asian, Russian, whatever, who obivously doesn’t speak English but is trying their hardest. People who come up to me and ask me *in Spanish* if I speak Spanish get an answer in French.
Immersion is the best way to learn a language, period. Yes, you might have to turn off “Telemundo” and watch CBS News with subtitles and a dictionary, but that’s how it goes; if you want it, you’ll do it. We have created a culture where it’s too easy for immigrants to NOT learn English. That needs to change.
I would also like to point out that English is the most studied second language in the world; French comes second.

No, immigrants would not necessarily be better off avoiding Spanish media.  It is hard enough to pick up a language from watching television, since scripted conversations and ads are often difficult to relate to real life conversation.  Radio is worse, as there are no visual cues to give the language meaning.  If some immigrants want to try to watch English television in order to learn the language better, more power to them.  However, when it comes time to simply kick back and relax, let them do it in the language that means the most to them.

lol, the one and only time I agree with arnold!

“I lived in Nicaragua for five years. I spoke so much spanish that our home was a refuge to just relax the brain and read, listen and communicate in my language. I guess it depends on the person but I learned pretty well without being that drastic.”
 
the difference being what happened outside your home. i dont think anyone would say “you may never speak or hear spanish again”  the problem is when an entire group of people insists that their whims be met and that the laws not apply to them. no one can claim otherwise, they have anual rallies now, not festivals to share their culture. rallies to say “hey, why should we learn english or follow the immigration laws that apply to everyone else? bend to our will” seriously, its way past time that these illegal immigration rallies turned into deportation festivals. and those of you who want to call me racist for wanting to speak my own language in my own home town can go with them, who is the real racist?

Sure…if they’re not spanish speakers.

Then what would be the point?

Hell No! I’m very sick of these bastards trying to make the Hispanic Community like a plague. Now the “assinator” is attacking the Spanish speaking media. It’s their right to express or delivering information in their native language whatever they can express to get to their people. If you don’t like it, there’s a lot of english Tv channels which I’m sick of since I live in Idaho and Suddenlink won’t give me Univision or Telemundo and I don’t want my spanish language to disappear from my tongue. If they want to speak english, there’s classes for that. Now, I’m learning Japanesse.