I don't think anyone is really counseling people not to learn
English, but it is naive to think someone can move here as an adult
and easily learn to speak English well while working a very long
day. It is hard to learn a second language if you are studying it
full time, it is even harder if you have to work all day.
Of course, there are those people who come to this country and just
do not bother to learn English because maybe they are older, or just
live in a community where he or she can get by without it, but there
are many others who would love the opportunity to study, and who are
learning as best as they can, but who must also work to support
their families.
A friend of mine (native Spanish speaker, fluent English speaker,
bonafide surfing champion) was joking with me that I should move
down to CR permanently and be a lawyer there. I laughed and said, "I
do not speak Spanish. Do you know how long it would take me to not
only learn how to speak Spanish fluently, but also to read and write
in Spanish well enough to be a lawyer in Costa Rica???" Yet, some
how people here think it is so easy to learn to speak English.
That being the case, how do we communicate with a significant number
of residents who do not, at this time, speak English very well? We
can open an English as a second language school, for adults, for
free, so that everyone who wants to learn has that opportunity, but
even if such a school exists, it would still take years for those
students to speak well enough to be able to open more doors.
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "justifiedright"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I don't think Oak disagreed with me.
>
> Whether learning some other languages will kick open a few more
> doors for you is a different topic.
>
> Being in America and not learning English will close a whole bunch
> of doors.
>
> I see it as a real human rights issue. Anyone who isn't
counselling
> people to learn English in America is hurting those people.
>
> Would you ask them to get a job in a lab and not learn science?
> You'd be hurting them if you counselled them to do so.
>
> LEARN ENGLISH - FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, NOT MINE!!!
>
> Of course I also make it a point to not do to much to convince
them
> of my point. America is about competition. If they want to give
me
> a competive advantage and leave themselves disadvantage, I won't
> complain too loudly.
>
>
>
> --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "oakdorf" <oakdorf@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "fancypaaantz"
<fancypaaantz@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > I agree with Oakdof.
> >
> > please stop agreeing....
> >
>
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