If we accept unlimited immigration, can we also expect those immigrants to learn English?

[MiddleRoad]

I in theory have no problem with relatively unlimited immigration. Immigrants are a part of this country’s history. I think it’s the greatest hypocrisy for the descendants of immigrants to not want immigrants here

That being said, English is the most commonly spoken language in this country. 80% of the population is English only in language. It’s also one of the most popular languages on the planet with roughly 1 billion English speakers worldwide

Encouraging, if perhaps even mandating, that immigrants learn English would:

1) Create a more cohesive society

2) Make life easier for them as well, easier to integrate into a country that largely speaks a different language

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

The overwhelming majority of immigrants do learn English.

[Boobs]

Is English not already encouraged for immigrants to learn? Is it not already, outside of some specific fields, a necessity for doing business and having a job? Countless cities, churches, schools, and charitable organizations offer English classes geared toward recent immigrants. I know that critical thinking (or thinking of any sort) is very difficult for you, but your revelation is as groundbreaking as me “theorizing” that the earth revolves around the sun.

[MiddleRoad]

Is English not already encouraged for immigrants to learn? Is it not already, outside of some specific fields, a necessity for doing business and having a job? Countless cities, churches, schools, and charitable organizations offer English classes geared toward recent immigrants. I know that critical thinking (or thinking of any sort) is very difficult for you, but your revelation is as groundbreaking as me “theorizing” that the earth revolves around the sun.

You’d be surprised, at how many people I come across who can barely speak English. It may encouraged, but in a big city, many slip through the cracks or just don’t care.

[Boobs]

Is English not already encouraged for immigrants to learn? Is it not already, outside of some specific fields, a necessity for doing business and having a job? Countless cities, churches, schools, and charitable organizations offer English classes geared toward recent immigrants. I know that critical thinking (or thinking of any sort) is very difficult for you, but your revelation is as groundbreaking as me “theorizing” that the earth revolves around the sun.

You’d be surprised, at how many people I come across who can barely speak English. It may encouraged, but in a big city, many slip through the cracks or just don’t care.

I sincerely doubt you leave your own house.

[MiddleRoad]

Is English not already encouraged for immigrants to learn? Is it not already, outside of some specific fields, a necessity for doing business and having a job? Countless cities, churches, schools, and charitable organizations offer English classes geared toward recent immigrants. I know that critical thinking (or thinking of any sort) is very difficult for you, but your revelation is as groundbreaking as me “theorizing” that the earth revolves around the sun.

You’d be surprised, at how many people I come across who can barely speak English. It may encouraged, but in a big city, many slip through the cracks or just don’t care.

I sincerely doubt you leave your own house.

Doubt all you want, I’m not even home now.

[jamestroll]

I would have no issue having English and Spanish are both working languages of the United States.

From what I understand, English is mandatory in schools in Mexico for three years. So most will have an intermediate understanding (like me with Spanish) and can function. Trust me, I have been in areas that exclusively speak Spanish and an intermediate level of understanding a language and verbal and body ques goes a long way.

Contrary to popular belief, most immigrants do want to learn English. My boyfriend, who goes as far as wanting open borders with Mexico and thinks Utah, Colorado, etc rightfully belong to Mexico, would like his country to mandate English for more than three years. Oh, and he speaks English at a fluent level. Can barely tell he is not a native speaker.

I love it when old fat white men scream at an adult immigrant who has trouble speaking English. They understand a lot more than you would think, but it is harder to learn as an adult. Especially verbally.

[MiddleRoad]

I would have no issue having English and Spanish are both working languages of the United States.

From what I understand, English is mandatory in schools in Mexico for three years. So most will have an intermediate understanding (like me with Spanish) and can function. Trust me, I have been in areas that exclusively speak Spanish and an intermediate level of understanding a language and verbal and body ques goes a long way.

Contrary to popular belief, most immigrants do want to learn English. My boyfriend, who goes as far as wanting open borders with Mexico and thinks Utah, Colorado, etc rightfully belong to Mexico, would like his country to mandate English for more than three years. Oh, and he speaks English at a fluent level. Can barely tell he is not a native speaker.

I love it when old fat white men scream at an adult immigrant who has trouble speaking English. They understand a lot more than you would think, but it is harder to learn as an adult. Especially verbally.

No one supports screaming at anyone.

[TDAS04]

The overwhelming majority of immigrants do learn English.

And almost all their kids are fluent.

People always fear newcomers won’t learn the language.  Benjamin Franklin feared all those German-speakers in Pennsylvania.  Many immigrant groups seem to keep their own languages at first, but overtime, they even forget their ancestral tongues.  Fears that groups of immigrants won’t learn English turn out to be silly.

[jamestroll]

I would have no issue having English and Spanish are both working languages of the United States.

From what I understand, English is mandatory in schools in Mexico for three years. So most will have an intermediate understanding (like me with Spanish) and can function. Trust me, I have been in areas that exclusively speak Spanish and an intermediate level of understanding a language and verbal and body ques goes a long way.

Contrary to popular belief, most immigrants do want to learn English. My boyfriend, who goes as far as wanting open borders with Mexico and thinks Utah, Colorado, etc rightfully belong to Mexico, would like his country to mandate English for more than three years. Oh, and he speaks English at a fluent level. Can barely tell he is not a native speaker.

I love it when old fat white men scream at an adult immigrant who has trouble speaking English. They understand a lot more than you would think, but it is harder to learn as an adult. Especially verbally.

No one supports screaming at anyone.

and no one is supporting unlimited immigration. And a majority of liberals will agree we should take care of our own first.

[MasterJedi]

Most of your distant relatives came to the US and didn’t learn English and their kids helped them with things. My step grandpas parents never learned English and used German. He had to lean it, in school mind you. Acting like it is just show how little conservatives know history.

[Schiff for Senate]

The overwhelming majority of immigrants do learn English.

And almost all their kids are fluent.

People always fear newcomers won’t learn the language.  Benjamin Franklin feared all those German-speakers in Pennsylvania.  Many immigrant groups seem to keep their own languages at first, but overtime, they even forget their ancestral tongues.  Fears that groups of immigrants won’t learn English turn out to be silly.

Agreed. Most kids of Indian immigrants speak better English than the language their parents grew up speaking (Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Bengali, etc.) if they know their parents' mother tongue at all, for instance.

[MiddleRoad]

Most of your distant relatives came to the US and didn’t learn English and their kids helped them with things. My step grandpas parents never learned English and used German. He had to lean it, in school mind you. Acting like it is just show how little conservatives know history.

Well aware of my family history. My ancestor who came here taught himself English from daily news paper readings. Don’t know how he did that, but I know from living relatives who knew him he spoke it rather fluently.

I wasn’t sarcastic when I said I support unlimited immigration

[Lief 🗽]

This doesn’t really seem like a thing that happens in the United States. Perhaps some European countries where immigrants don’t assimilate? But in this country, immigrants are generally very patriotic and eager to Americanize themselves, which includes learning English.

[OSR stands with Israel]

We obviously should not accept unlimited immigration but most immigrants who do immigrate do know how to speak English 

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yes, generally immigrants should make an effort to learn the prevailing language of the place they immigrate to. I don't think we should coerce them to, but I'm fine with setting a social expectation that immigrants learn English (which of course doesn't mean they can't speak their native languages as well).

[Fuzzy Bear]

The question is can we expect these immigrants to learn English.  The answer is:  "Only if we tie learning English to getting he things they want from living in America."  We CAN expect this of newcomers; the question is WILL we?

Taxpayers, of course, are going to shoulder the costs of ESL classes for lots of kids that will need them.  It's not a small expenditure, but it's now one that will have to be borne by taxpayers.

One thing is for certain:  Learning English ought to remain a qualification for citizenship.  

[jamestroll]

And honestly ... what is so bad about Spanish being spoken in the United States ?

[ملكة كرينجيتوك]

Is English not already encouraged for immigrants to learn? Is it not already, outside of some specific fields, a necessity for doing business and having a job? Countless cities, churches, schools, and charitable organizations offer English classes geared toward recent immigrants. I know that critical thinking (or thinking of any sort) is very difficult for you, but your revelation is as groundbreaking as me “theorizing” that the earth revolves around the sun.

You’d be surprised, at how many people I come across who can barely speak English. It may encouraged, but in a big city, many slip through the cracks or just don’t care.

Yes, and water is wet. Do you realistically expect Asian uncles and aunties who are literal Boomers, never had the chance to graduate from high school, and immigrated later in life to address you in English?

This doesn’t really seem like a thing that happens in the United States. Perhaps some European countries where immigrants don’t assimilate? But in this country, immigrants are generally very patriotic and eager to Americanize themselves, which includes learning English.

Oh it definitely is, but these people are usually blood relatives of other immigrants who are in their prime working years and English proficient. Regardless, English proficiency isn't a good indicator of "eagerness to integrate".

[Progressive Pessimist]

Have we traveled back in time to 2005?

Hey, by the way, did you guys hear about this new show called 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?' It won't last another season!

[beaver2.0]

Yes but in my experience pretty much everyone that's not an immigrant can speak English.

[jojoju1998]

Is English not already encouraged for immigrants to learn? Is it not already, outside of some specific fields, a necessity for doing business and having a job? Countless cities, churches, schools, and charitable organizations offer English classes geared toward recent immigrants. I know that critical thinking (or thinking of any sort) is very difficult for you, but your revelation is as groundbreaking as me “theorizing” that the earth revolves around the sun.

English is already a mandated course in most of the non anglo speaking world. People in most other countries; are better at English than we are in Spanish.

[Ebowed]

Have we traveled back in time to 2005?

Hey, by the way, did you guys hear about this new show called 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?' It won't last another season!

Probably would be canceled if the first season debuted today, tbh.

[Independents for Nihilism]

I agree with Fuzzy. It's not unreasonable for a recent arrival to only speak their native tongue while working towards their green card/permanent residency. But achivieving such a thing should require effective knowledge of a De Facto official language - I'm not sure of the legal implications of requiring this in a country where such a thing is not Du Jure, unlike in Canada where official languages are both English and French and immigration status can easily be measured in relation to one or the other. For example, if somebody on the Texas border can function entirely in Spanish, can they be required to learn English for immigration purposes? That's a legal question I'm not qualified to answer.

[It’s so Joever]

And honestly ... what is so bad about Spanish being spoken in the United States ?

Agreed. I need more practice anyways, I would love it if more was spoken casually.