Obama: Time to learn Spanish
Comment: Three recent (in the last 2 weeks) interactions with non-English speakers:
- In a Petaluma California Denny's: I asked the waitress what "Petaluma" meant. She said "dis es Petaluma".
- In an Oakland California McDonalds: I asked the manager where a gas station was. She said "gaas station?". No help was forthcoming.
- At a car wash in Golden Valley: I asked the order taker to please vacuum up the small sticks out of my truck bed. She said "steeks?". I picked up a handful and tossed the in the air. She said "K".
Updated: Giuliani: Obama Capturing 'an Anti-American Feeling'
Giuliani said he was not as troubled by Obama's suggestion that children learn Spanish as the assumption that immigrant families are learning English.
"It makes sense to teach your children another language," Giuliani said. But, Giuliani added, "the reality is that this is a country that should speak English…and if we can learn an extra language or two that would be terrific."
The former New York City Mayor said Obama is "sliding over" the need for immigrant families to learn English by "making an assumption that isn't true, that all immigrants are learning English. They're not."
Petaluma's an Indian word, actually, apparently.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petaluma
Also of note; most American hispanics don't speak Spanish Spanish, but rather closer to "Spanglish." You don't hear "camion," but rather "troca," in Los Diablos. (oops, LA) So Obama is evidently not up to speed on the fact that even learning Spanish in school isn't always going to be terribly useful in communicating.
Plus, it helps to be lingual before attempting to be bilingual, and our schools aren't exactly shining in accomplishing the former. :^)