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People study languages for many reasons. I do not think it is fair to demand that people learn a language to „help” others. You seem to imply that some spanish-

People study languages for many reasons. I do not think it is fair to demand that people learn a language to „help” others. You seem to imply that some spanish-speakers can’t communicate in English in most US localities. Is this true? Do you have any data/reference on that? Assuming that is the case, surely English lessons (maybe sponsored or free) would be a more direct solution.

jnwatson 5y ago
Yes, there are many first generation immigrants in the US with poor grasp of English. There are many free ESOL resources; regardless, English is hard.
- mejutoco 5y ago
  > (in most US localities) I agree, there are some, but is this in most of the US? That is what was claimed, without any backup. I do not think that English is harder than any other language, but it is always difficult to learn a new language. We agree there too. It seems to me the argument is a bit backwards. If the poster cares about promotimg language skills for integration, why not address that instead of moralizing on people for not learning the right language?
- ByteJockey 5y ago
  English is one of the easiest languages to become "understandable" in. Presumably because of how many people invaded England historically. When another culture invades, some of the language rules are adopted, but they are universally the simpler rules, and the more advanced rules aren't integrated. Spoken English, with it's reliance on word order, lack of genders, relative lack of verb conjugations and noun declensions make it ridiculously easy to be understood in comparison to other languages. You won't be Shakespeare, but you will be able to communicate. Written English, admittedly, is much harder (mostly because of the early standardization), but enough natives also have trouble spelling enough words that you can still be understood.
  - FabHK 5y ago
    Agree. I've seen this insightful bon mot attributed to G. B. Shaw (though I can't find a reliable source): English is one of the easiest languages to speak badly, but one of the most difficult to speak well.
  - anthk 5y ago
    English has a very difficult ortography (or lack of it) making it very difficult to write down a newly heard word (or the opposite, pronouncing some word you read. Also it has far more vowels than the average romance.
    - odd_perfect_num 5y ago
      It's not a romance language, rather a west Germanic one.

jnwatson 5y ago

Yes, there are many first generation immigrants in the US with poor grasp of English. There are many free ESOL resources; regardless, English is hard.

mejutoco 5y ago
> (in most US localities) I agree, there are some, but is this in most of the US? That is what was claimed, without any backup. I do not think that English is harder than any other language, but it is always difficult to learn a new language. We agree there too. It seems to me the argument is a bit backwards. If the poster cares about promotimg language skills for integration, why not address that instead of moralizing on people for not learning the right language?
ByteJockey 5y ago
English is one of the easiest languages to become "understandable" in. Presumably because of how many people invaded England historically. When another culture invades, some of the language rules are adopted, but they are universally the simpler rules, and the more advanced rules aren't integrated. Spoken English, with it's reliance on word order, lack of genders, relative lack of verb conjugations and noun declensions make it ridiculously easy to be understood in comparison to other languages. You won't be Shakespeare, but you will be able to communicate. Written English, admittedly, is much harder (mostly because of the early standardization), but enough natives also have trouble spelling enough words that you can still be understood.
- FabHK 5y ago
  Agree. I've seen this insightful bon mot attributed to G. B. Shaw (though I can't find a reliable source): English is one of the easiest languages to speak badly, but one of the most difficult to speak well.
- anthk 5y ago
  English has a very difficult ortography (or lack of it) making it very difficult to write down a newly heard word (or the opposite, pronouncing some word you read. Also it has far more vowels than the average romance.
  - odd_perfect_num 5y ago
    It's not a romance language, rather a west Germanic one.