I met an ESL group from Milan, Italy the other day. Their leader observed that there were a lot of Spanish speakers in Boston. That got me thinking. Say I had just awakened from a 20 year Rip Van Winkle-like nap. Would I assume that America had become a bilingual nation? Look around, most signs in stores, public conveyances, etc., are in English and Spanish, food labels are in English and Spanish, as are ATMs, there are several Spanish language TV stations, when I walk down the street in my neighborhood more people speak Spanish than English... what else would I conclude?

Yes, I would say we are in fact a bilingual country

And by 2040, it will be a majority Hispanic country.

No. But they'll be a big minority 25-30%.

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Originally posted by Silent Bob:
Yes, I would say we are in fact a bilingual country

And by 2040, it will be a majority Hispanic country.

quote:

Originally posted by Silent Bob:
Yes, I would say we are in fact a bilingual country

And by 2040, it will be a majority Hispanic country.

dude your nuts.

quote:

Originally posted by lunchbox:

quote:

Originally posted by Silent Bob:
Yes, I would say we are in fact a bilingual country

And by 2040, it will be a majority Hispanic country.

dude your nuts.

May be nuts but that's up to the courts to decide. I don't make this shit up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7559996.stm

This one says 2050:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/13/census.minorities/index.html

And I'm not your "dude", pendejo.

Those 2042 numbers represent a time when a large plurality will have some Hispanic heritage. A person whose grandparents immigrated from Mexico will not automatically speak Spanish.

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Originally posted by RaulDuke:
Those 2042 numbers represent a time when a large plurality will have some Hispanic heritage. A person whose grandparents immigrated from Mexico will not automatically speak Spanish.

My wife being a prime example. I speak more Spanish than she does.

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Originally posted by BrianC:
Say I had just awakened from a 20 year Rip Van Winkle-like nap................ what else would I conclude?

That 90% of the girls over the age of 11 are hookers.

That every day of the week must be Saturday because everybody dresses like it's their day off.

Schizophrenia is epidemic because there are people everywhere having conversations with no one(ala Borg earpieces)

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Originally posted by Appliance Brad:

quote:

Originally posted by BrianC:
Say I had just awakened from a 20 year Rip Van Winkle-like nap................ what else would I conclude?

That 90% of the girls over the age of 11 are hookers.

That every day of the week must be Saturday because everybody dresses like it's their day off.

Schizophrenia is epidemic because there are people everywhere having conversations with no one(ala Borg earpieces)

quote:

Originally posted by Silent Bob:
Yes, I would say we are in fact a bilingual country.

No we are in fact a nation without a declared national language standard. Because of our Federal Legislatures inability or apathy in setting a National Language Standard, they have set the stage for State Legislatures to follow suit.

They have been and are now caving to the "catering" position of Kalifornia where they teach High School in (at my last count) 39 languages. Just one of the many reasons that state has been bankrupt for over a decade. Printing all those textbooks alone is an enormous expendature. While stationed in Germany in the late 80's, I noticed kids from different ethnic backgrounds at the train/bus stations from time to time. Regardless of their national origin, if they were enrolled in a German High School, they learned the curiculum in German. From what I observed and was told after inquiring, they took it upon themselves to get their own tutors after school.

This is not like taking a second language as an elective course or anything. I do not have anything against a students ability to choose this kind of option, but core studies are an entirely different matter.

The last 3 attempts by our National Congress to set a declared national language standard have failed (and not by a close margin). In the early part of the 21st Century, we are the only nation to be without a national language standard. Some countries like Canada and Switzerland have 2 or 3 officially recognized languages. Here in the United States of America, we have 0.

"Press 1 for English" if you don't believe me. It's one thing to offer multilingual customer support to a customer base. It's an entirely different matter to mandate that citizens have to choose to receive a service in what should be an officially recognized standard language.

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Originally posted by BrianC:
Would I assume that America had become a bilingual nation? Look around, most signs in stores, public conveyances, etc., are in English and Spanish, food labels are in English and Spanish, as are ATMs, ... what else would I conclude?

Bilingual signs are corporate america performing their usual ass-kissing of minority groups. There is a substantial Arabic speaking population in southeastern Michigan. There are very few English-Arabic signs, but there are a large number of English-Spanish signs. Even English-French signs would make more sense than Spanish.

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Originally posted by BrianC:
what else would I conclude?

In Boston? That we brought in the Spanish to drive out the French.

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Originally posted by One_Fathom:
Bilingual signs are corporate america performing their usual ass-kissing of minority groups.

Ass-kissing or smart business practices? As noted, hispanics will be the largest 'minority' group by 2050.

quote:

Originally posted by One_Fathom:
Bilingual signs are corporate america performing their usual ass-kissing of minority groups.

It's not ass kissing when the people who are wanting to give you money speak Spanish as their primary language. When I work at a dairy farm, I better be able to "Donde esta secadora? because they are not going to know what I want in English. If the government requires it, I'm opposed to it but if economics drives it, I'm going to adapt.

According to what I have read, by 2042, white's will no longer be the majority, with respect to all other ethnic groups combined. They will however still be the largest single ethnic group. Who knows how long that will last though. And Appliance Brad, you are too right on the "Borg Earpieces". When my son (17yrs old) and I see someone with one of these, one of us usually points and comments they have been assimilated, or are part of the collective. I assume you are aware of the dyslexic Borg? Resistance is futile. Your ass will be laminated.

Stinkin' Messicans!

quote:

Originally posted by Silent Bob:
Yes, I would say we are in fact a bilingual country

And by 2040, it will be a majority Hispanic country.

Sweet!

I love mexican food, their women and the fancy low riders they cruise around in.

I can see it now in 2040 I'll be a 66 year old oppressed minority shouting "Condenar El Hombre!!" as I'm beaten like a pinata by the St Louis Metro Policia

quote:

Originally posted by BrianC:
...Say I had just awakened from a 20 year Rip Van Winkle-like nap. Would I assume that America had become a bilingual nation?...when I walk down the street in my neighborhood more people speak Spanish than English... what else would I conclude?

You'd conclude that the United States had been successfully colonized by a foreign nation and taken over (The Vatican). They've been working on it for over a hundred years, and they're just about done. Then they'll be able to use our military the way they did France and Spain to wipe out people who don't think correctly.

What, did you think the reformation wars were over?

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Originally posted by Appliance Brad:

quote:

Originally posted by One_Fathom:
Bilingual signs are corporate america performing their usual ass-kissing of minority groups.

It's not ass kissing when the people who are wanting to give you money speak Spanish as their primary language. When I work at a dairy farm, I better be able to "Donde esta secadora? because they are not going to know what I want in English. If the government requires it, I'm opposed to it but if economics drives it, I'm going to adapt.

So you would be willing to learn to Mandarin if the wind blows that way?