[MissBrattified]

Originally Posted by *AQuietPlace*

I don't advocate hatefulness (at all), but the lack of English-speaking skills is becoming a real problem. I live in an area that has an extremely high Hispanic population, and sometimes the communication difficulties really complicate things. I don't have a problem with people struggling with English, but it seems like a lot of them are not even trying to learn. Since this country's official language is English, I think you should learn it if you plan to live here.

I wouldn't move to China and not expect to learn their language. The point of having a common language is so that we can all communicate with each other.

English is one of the hardest languages to learn, ranking right up there with Chinese. Yes, if I moved to another country, I would try to learn the language--but just so I could communicate in order to survive--not to become a linguist in the new language.

Some people are just better at learning new things than others. Some of the people in our class pick up the concepts right away, and others are still struggling with the basics after months of class. One of the things we're doing is studying the test they have to take for citizenship (they have to live here for 6 years first). Newcomers who can barely understand English are expected to pass a test that most teenagers entering college couldn't pass.

I agree that learning English needs to be a priority, mainly as a survival skill. However, I resent the superiority complex that comes across in the diatribes of those who look down on anyone with a heavy accent.