Press One For English

[vintage]

I lived in guatemala for 2 yrs and now speak fluent spanish is it perfect? probably not. I live in az and use my spanish daily in the construction industry and it doesnt really bother me to use spanish. What does kind of get to me a little is I know people who have been here for yrs and still dont speak english. I feel like english is kind of a common ground and if an effort is made to speak the official language of this country there wouldnt be so many uneasy feelings. It seems any time you hear a foriegn language you kinda assume the worst like they are plotting against you and that goes for spanish or english or any languages for that matter. I guess human nature (all languages) is to be afraid of what you dont know. I would feel 100% comfortable to live in an all spanish or all english enviroment but would I feel the same about a language I dont speak such as french portugese or japanese? probably not, if I lived in one one of these countries would I try to learn the language? yes

[Classic Finn]

What would bother me the most if I moved on over to the States..Ohh and Legally of Course...
Id be confused as Horse Do Do as to which accent they would want me to use..or expect me to use as an accepted accent so I wouldnt offend anyone..

Ohh and is it Okidoki or is it okeeeeedooookey...

Classic Finn

[halfdome, Danny]

What would bother me the most if I moved on over to the States..
Id be confused as Horse Do Do as to which accent they would want me to use..or expect me to use as an accepted accent so I wouldnt offend anyone..

Classic Finn

I watched a program a few years ago where business people were taking classes to remove their accent from Texas or where ever so as to maximise there communication skills with clients and to not turn off someone from another region. I myself enjoy accents as long as I can understand what they are saying, some slang I'll never understand. Being your own Finnish accent would be best received. Danny

[Jiminsav]

Heikkie, do me a flavor and write a whole post in Finnish and let me see if, without cheating using bable fish or some other translator, I can figure out what the grist of the message is.
and it's okey dokey.

[halfdome, Danny]

I lived in guatemala for 2 yrs and now speak fluent spanish is it perfect? probably not. I live in az and use my spanish daily in the construction industry and it doesnt really bother me to use spanish. What does kind of get to me a little is I know people who have been here for yrs and still dont speak english. I feel like english is kind of a common ground and if an effort is made to speak the official language of this country there wouldnt be so many uneasy feelings. It seems any time you hear a foriegn language you kinda assume the worst like they are plotting against you and that goes for spanish or english or any languages for that matter. I guess human nature (all languages) is to be afraid of what you dont know. I would feel 100% comfortable to live in an all spanish or all english enviroment but would I feel the same about a language I dont speak such as french portugese or japanese? probably not, if I lived in one one of these countries would I try to learn the language? yes

I know just enough Spanish to know when they are talking negatively about you and I consider it very rude. Danny

[Classic Finn]

Danny ...From my travels there in the States...The accents were abundant..sooooooo many..that is was confusing...

I,ll always remember my time down in Branson Missouri...Dont ask how I ended up there..

I did meet a nice gal .... and...she had a very nice.. accent,,, She again thought my accent was strange..

But all in all I was surprised of some accents I couldnt for the life of me understand...when spoken ...

Classic Finn

[Classic Finn]

Heikkie, do me a flavor and write a whole post in Finnish and let me see if, without cheating using bable fish or some other translator, I can figure out what the grist of the message is.
and it's okey dokey.

All Right.. I shall however I will do so in about 6 hours from now... All in Finnish...I,ll post it here in the same thread... I need to git before the wife comes and gits... its about 0200 here so ..

I,ll write it for you and others also.. And it will not be anything in bad taste...

Best regards
Classic Finn

[Classic Finn]

I lived in guatemala for 2 yrs and now speak fluent spanish is it perfect? probably not. I live in az and use my spanish daily in the construction industry and it doesnt really bother me to use spanish. What does kind of get to me a little is I know people who have been here for yrs and still dont speak english. I feel like english is kind of a common ground and if an effort is made to speak the official language of this country there wouldnt be so many uneasy feelings. It seems any time you hear a foriegn language you kinda assume the worst like they are plotting against you and that goes for spanish or english or any languages for that matter. I guess human nature (all languages) is to be afraid of what you dont know. I would feel 100% comfortable to live in an all spanish or all english enviroment but would I feel the same about a language I dont speak such as french portugese or japanese? probably not, if I lived in one one of these countries would I try to learn the language? yes

I know just enough Spanish to know when they are talking negatively about you and I consider it very rude. Danny

Danny many times also not knowing the language fully, the situation can affect you to the point one starts "thinking" that people are speaking about you and in many cases its the negative things that come up to the surface 1st..when in reality its not so at all..

Ive been through it myself.. and in the end my friend said it is not so..not even close.. If you sit in a foreign land not knowing the language it can be easily taken that way.. or when your friend is having a conversation with a group or family and your totally left out due to the fact of not speaking or understanding a particular language...

What can a person do in that case but wait till its translated in intervals so you have an idea as to what is being discussed..

Thats just speaking from my experience...

Classic Finn

[Bobgorilla]

I both agree and disagree with some or all of the posts here. My 2 cents :
if you come here to live you should learn english, if you go somewhere else to live you should learn that language. If you're visiting somewhere and can speak the language good for you, if you're visiting somewhere and they speak your language lucky for you. I spent 3 years in high school learning french (quite possibly the biggest waste of my time ever)and can't speak a word. I've spent a little time in Mexico and can order food and drink (barely). I've spent a little time in Portugal and that's just close enough to spanish to really screw you up (but I can still order beer ) I've been told that most french people can speak english but refuse to with Americans (since most of my relatives are western Canadians, I don't generally care for french people anyway) I personally know of hispanic people who have avoid the law (court, traffic tickets, etc.) by claiming to not speak english when they do. To sum up where ever you live learn the #$%$# language and Hekki that last line in the conversion looks suspiciously like pidgeon french

[halfdome, Danny]

I lived in guatemala for 2 yrs and now speak fluent spanish is it perfect? probably not. I live in az and use my spanish daily in the construction industry and it doesnt really bother me to use spanish. What does kind of get to me a little is I know people who have been here for yrs and still dont speak english. I feel like english is kind of a common ground and if an effort is made to speak the official language of this country there wouldnt be so many uneasy feelings. It seems any time you hear a foriegn language you kinda assume the worst like they are plotting against you and that goes for spanish or english or any languages for that matter. I guess human nature (all languages) is to be afraid of what you dont know. I would feel 100% comfortable to live in an all spanish or all english enviroment but would I feel the same about a language I dont speak such as french portugese or japanese? probably not, if I lived in one one of these countries would I try to learn the language? yes

I know just enough Spanish to know when they are talking negatively about you and I consider it very rude. Danny

Danny many times also not knowing the language fully, the situation can affect you to the point one starts "thinking" that people are speaking about you and in many cases its the negative things that come up to the surface 1st..when in reality its not so at all..

Ive been through it myself.. and in the end my friend said it is not so..not even close.. If you sit in a foreign land not knowing the language it can be easily taken that way.. or when your friend is having a conversation with a group or family and your totally left out due to the fact of not speaking or understanding a particular language...

What can a person do in that case but wait till its translated in intervals so you have an idea as to what is being discussed..

Thats just speaking from my experience...

Classic Finn

Heikki, while working in several Cabinet shops Mexican friends would clue me in on the negative comments others were saying just to sturr up trouble. One friend would wright responses out phenetically for me to respond, it was great fun but I wasn't always sure if I wasn't saying something really bad but we all laughed about it. Seemed to stop the back stabbing knowing the gringos had friends. Being shop Stewart helped some since I was their allay to the employer. Danny

[wolfix]

I both agree and disagree with some or all of the posts here. My 2 cents :
if you come here to live you should learn english, if you go somewhere else to live you should learn that language.

But.......Let's go back a ways....... If that was true, shouldn't our relatives have learned the Native American language???? This was their land, not our relatives.
I have a aunt and uncle in SanDiego that told me once they wished the Mexicans would go back where they came from.... I had to laugh.

The difference between what our relatives did to the natives and what the Mexicans are doing now is very similar. Only our relatives killed the Natives to drive them off their land.

The problem with studying history is that you end up thinking of all the lies they teach you in school along the way. There is two types of history in America......
The kind that John Wayne and his fans follow, and the real truth. The truth does not sell in America.

[Kevin A]

I both agree and disagree with some or all of the posts here. My 2 cents :
if you come here to live you should learn english, if you go somewhere else to live you should learn that language.

But.......Let's go back a ways....... If that was true, shouldn't our relatives have learned the Native American language????

I'm curious, which Native American language would you have had them learn?

[Miriam C.]

I both agree and disagree with some or all of the posts here. My 2 cents :
if you come here to live you should learn english, if you go somewhere else to live you should learn that language.

But.......Let's go back a ways....... If that was true, shouldn't our relatives have learned the Native American language????

I'm curious, which Native American language would you have had them learn?

Many of them did! However, we have a unified country because we have a unified language. The fastest way to remove a people's national identity is to take away their common language...

[wolfix]

I both agree and disagree with some or all of the posts here. My 2 cents :
if you come here to live you should learn english, if you go somewhere else to live you should learn that language.

But.......Let's go back a ways....... If that was true, shouldn't our relatives have learned the Native American language????

I'm curious, which Native American language would you have had them learn?

What ever territory they lived in.

[madjack]

...let us see...there are 3 theories that I have seen put forth on the settlement of America...1) they came from Siberia, VIA a land bridge(immigrants) 2) they sailed over from China(immigrants) and 3) they sailed over from Northern Yurp(immigrants)...so just what is this native American language you speak of...Dinosaur or some such?????

I do however think, that if you move to another country, you should learn to speak the language...I know if I moved to France or Germany or Swahili land, I would endeavor to learn the language, so as to be able to communicate effectively...and so I could know when I was the butt of a local joke...just so I could laugh as well...
madjack