| If Mexican immigrants have to know English to become citizens why are there so many stores in the USA with signs in Spanish? |
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If Mexican immigrants have to know English to become citizens why are there so many stores in the USA with signs in Spanish?
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Asked 18 days ago
by Chipmonk  United States |
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About
I'm short, cute, have four legs, but my real name isn't Alvin. I don't even sing.
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6 Points
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None of these answers. The closest one is the "gimmick" but it's not a gimmick, it's a method of communication. Companies want to make it easy for people to purchase their products, and if a large number of people use Spanish as a first language, why not use it? It doesn't mean they don't know English - it has nothing to do with that.
So you're saying if I should go to a Loews or Home Depot if Mexico I should not be just as surprised to see as many English signs as. Because Americans are stupid?
Well, they are. How much Spanish do you speak and read? Lees tu algo Espanol? Hablas unas Espanol? No? Que lastima.
If only my keyboard has appropriate punctuation!
It has appropriate punctuation for where you live. If they thought your keyboard needed multi-language punctuation capability they wouldn't have made Character Map the only way to get there.
I don't believe I said anything about Mexican stores.
You seemed to be attempting to draw some sort of comparison between legal immigration and use of English language in commerce. My point is that these things are not, and need not be, related.
If I sell a product and I know that a large portion of my potential customer base speaks Spanish as a first language, I'll put Spanish on the label. It doesn't mean I think they don't know English, or that I'm targeting illegal immigrants, or whatever other silly conclusion you want to try to draw.
In the first half of the 20th century there was a large Italian population in New York City, even so the labels on cans and signs in stores were all in English. Why do you think manufacturers didn't print labels on cans in both languages? a.) Because we live in the USA where the national language is English, b.) Italians are smarter and can figure out what the words in English mean? or c.) They want more Americans to feel contempt for Mexicans who want to live in the USA but don't care to learn English? In the 1880's you could have substituted Gaelic for Italian and it would have been the same deal.
It's certainly none of those reasons. You're comparing two totally different eras, you can't draw the same conclusions.
One ethic group is not essentially the same as another, subject to the same immigration laws, etcetera?
Good answer. Store keepers will put up signs in the language that suits their customers best and should be free to do so.
This comment has been moderated down. (Show Comment)
I have to agree with Waugsieboy/Translate/AnitaDick here (gag!) but he is right! One of capitalism's negative points is showing.
That is the same reason there are beginning to be a lot of Spanish only speaking TV shows. They advertise in Spanish to their 100% Spanish watching audience because it pays well. How are these people going to assimilate into the American culture if they don't learn the language and join English speaking Americans? Presently, Chinese immigrants move into Chinese neighborhoods. Italians move into Italian areas. Etc, Etc. How do we cure that? I don't know - it makes them comfortable to be around people of their own ilk. What are we gonna do - don't let people live in their culturally comfortable settlements? How ya gonna do that?
The only thing I see positively is that the immigrant's children go to English speaking schools and as the generations age, they speak English and fold into the American way of life.... maybe.... I read where some schools are teaching in those other languages... WTF is that doing for this country? What bureaucrat decided on that idea?
This is a dumb question posed by a bigot. Mexicans prefer Spanish because they are Mexican or of Mexican decent. Whats wrong with that. Whats wrong with wanting to preserve a sense of cultural identity. Its a matter of resistance and not becoming a conquered people.
People are coming from Mexico because of American culture and opportunity. It has absolutely nothing to do with being conquered. If you take the question out of the political, it's perfectly reasonable that some one would ask why someone from Mexico would move themselves and their family at great personal risk and then ignore the culture they were moving into.
Thats not a valid point. Much of the united states was at one pint Mexico. Mexican culture has a history here. And i would say its a matter of choice what language they speak. But one should consider the kind of hostility the face from English speakers. This country is diverse as it should be. You should be free to speak in whatever language you feel like. Your simply culturally insecure. get over it. Spanish speaking people are not talking behind your back.
1) I used to speak fluent (Mexican) Spanish, so I'm not insecure.
2) History shows that Mexican culture came from a combination of Spanish colonialism and a large native population. In other words, Mexico has no moral claim on territories they used to control and have had no legal claim since Texas Independence.
3) The area I live in still has a German Catholic ethic since they put our town on the map in 1820-1870. Though they stopped teaching German in public schools during WW1, there is still a German neighborhood with German banks and names. There are also several large agriculture businesses with German ties. But I don't know anyone that just speaks German and I've only met two with German accents.
Different cultures bring their own strengths and weaknesses. Mexico is not an exception.
3) The hostility is not over language per se. Part of the problem with our economy lies directly on the backs of approximately 11.3 million illegal aliens. Though they would be a huge asset if legal, They can not buy major medical insurance through their employer so legal citizens end up paying for their major medical care. In most areas, they can not start their own businesses. (Small business is our biggest economic engine.)
4) Any time a group takes lower paying jobs away from current residents, they are demonized. That has happened with every immigrant group from the original English and Dutch to the Vietnamese. In America, we have the best record (of any country) of being strengthened by outside cultures since Rome. That was done by making other cultures a part of ours, not by acting like one culture was intrinsically better than the other. If a Mexican wants to live in the US, Great! But we won't have our institutions torn down, then accept a racist label because we don't like it.