atpwannabe

No...not a linguist!

Just a member of the "ilk" that uses the verbiage which is prohibited from being posted.

However, if I'm not mistaken, hooomes is usually associated with the Latino community. Where as "Hey Bob! How's it goin?" is usually associated with those of Northern European descent.




atp

Grumble

You're right, I would try and learn the language. However, how many ex-pats here working abroad speak the language? Cathay, you learning Chinese or Mandarin? Have any thoughts of going to Emirates? Going to learn Arabic, and the specific dialects? They all have billboards in English as well as the native. None of them demand you learn the native language and most speak English and will help you out. If you're speaking with another American I'll bet a months pay you're doing it in English.

If the guy fueling your jet can't speak English, you're right that's a monumental safety hazard. However if he's speaking to the ramper who also happens to be Hispanic, in Spanish, and both are fluent in English... whats the problem?

pokey9554

Maybe I think differently than others except Grumble, but I like to put myself in the shoes of the other person. Not every person is fortunate enough to be born in a land where we share the freedoms afforded to us in the United States. I'm proud of the people who had the courage to try to better themselves and leave their oppressed previous life. You don't know how long they've been here. I'm willing to bet they also can't afford college courses or home study courses to learn English. From my experience, I think the "lost boy" employee has done a fantastic job of assimilating to the American lifestyle considering their lack of resources. Instead of thinking you're better than them, encourage them to keep trying and maybe even offer to help them learn.

Now, if you're a gangster, and you want to "represent" your "peeps", I've got no sympathy. I just haven't seen any gangster rampers lately.

LeftWing

I disagree. There is nothing wrong with this. It's not even debated etiquette.

mundo1

Actually, there is a HUGE reason… Money! The US is the second largest Spanish speaking country in the world (see Spanish language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and corporations cater to this huge market. Consequently, marketing campaigns in Spanish are only going to increase. It is the new normal, whether we like it or not.

jungle

Tower of Babel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for those not familiar with the story, which transcends many times and cultures.


There are two languages which are universal, mathematics and music. The rest of history is a struggle to achieve, despite the constraint of varied language.

In the end we try to communicate as best we can in our culture. Most of us don't worry too much about a counter culture, Darwin seems to take care of that.

Pilots are fortunate that the technical nature of their occupation allows them to traverse the earth without much trouble. A triumph of the deconstruction of Babel.

I think we can all agree that a single language would speed progress and accomplishment, whether that of the individual or of the Empire.

Words are fairly simple to use with reference to numbers, as we so often do, but may serve to clarify or obfuscate when we refer to more abstract concepts.

We can adapt or not, there will always be a need for people to cook fries, dig ditches and shoot heroin.

vagabond

jungle, can you please repeat all that, but in simple 8th grade English?

Seriously, I'm not sure I understand what all the angst is here. I am a first generation American; English was not my first language nor my second language; married to a Kansas boy; finished law school; doing kinda ok in the world. Must be the legal aid lawyer in me, but I always give people the benefit of the doubt and I respect the desire and urgency many people have in living the American Dream.

It's true the economy sucks right now, but compared to many other countries, we are living a very good dream. I wouldn't want to be some subsistence farmer in the Sudan or get sold by my illiterate parents to human traffickers.

I was lucky in that my parents believed in educating their kids (male or female). Our priority upon disembarking from that Northwest Orient flight so long ago was twofold: go to school and become a citizen. We accomplished that in very short order. Many others are not as lucky. They have to work, care for family members, probably not well educated to begin with, and thus starting out life here handicapped already. When someone from their village got a job as a ramper and found it was a viable job, it is understandable to try and get the same jobs for their countrymen. I think that as long as safety is not at risk, they can speak to each other in their native language.

jungle

Prosperity is another universal language, along with basic human freedoms.
Not many have mastered it.

Grumble

Sadly, that kind of "can do" spirit is all but dead in this coutnry. I find it amazing that a family can come over from India, China, Korea, you name it... and start any number of businesses from nothing, and be succesful. Yet there are millions of Americans on subsitence programs because they can't do anything for themselves, and picking lettuce or digging ditches is still beneath them.

jungle

It can be hard to see over a few decades or a lifetime, but I think there is a movement toward freedom and prosperity. Not all participate, but the fences are coming down.

Even within our own country people are migrating toward greater freedom and more respect toward property.

People around the world are still willing to risk their life for a better way. The failure of socialism, communism and the denial of the individual all point to a better future.