WHY NOT TO LEARN SPANISH?
There is a great deal of controversy today on the practice to learn Spanish language. Particularly in light of the fact that the number of undocumented immigrants travelling from Mexico and Central America to North America (that we know of) has increased dramatically in the recent years. So many claim that if Americans were to learn to speak Spanish it would simply further the problem of undocumented immigration by making it easier for them to function in society. Hence the common belief is that if they were forced to learn to speak English to survive in society, the issue of immigration would rapidly evaporate on its own.
HOME AND ABROAD
The simple fact of the matter is that Americans may be arrogant when it comes to their language. Given the fact that English is a fairly universal language, this may have led them on a slow slide into complacency. As almost every other country around the world requires that its school children learn to speak English (at the very least) and the native language of the country. Contrary to that, if you were to visit a school in Europe, you would find that their children devote a great deal of time learning to speak not only their own language, but that of each of their neighboring countries as well. And that means that anyone studying in France would learn to speak both French and English, as well as at least the fundamentals of Italian, German and Spanish in order to assure that when the time comes for them to take their place in the workforce they will be able to interact with their neighbors, both at home and abroad.
LANGUAGE OF AMERICA
Americans have never been required to do so, for the simple fact that English is taught in most foreign countries. And upon travelling to a foreign country they are almost guaranteed to be able to find at least one individual who speaks English in any establishment that they go.
This means that the practice of learning the language of your neighbors has been cast aside. By rights, Americans should learn to speak both French and Spanish, in order to give them a leg up on doing business with their closest neighbors, Mexico and Canada; however, this has been spurned in the arrogant belief that anyone wishing to have any interaction, whether it be for financial or personal gain, in the United States must learn to speak English in order to do so, as English is the language of America.
OFFICIAL 2ND LANGUAGES
Never mind, of course, that until recent years the United States didn’t even HAVE an “official” language in the eyes of its citizens. The United States is a melting pot, and its original settlers came to her golden shores speaking every language under the sun. In fact, in some parts of the United States this is still apparent. French is spoken extensively in Louisiana, and throughout California, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and Florida Spanish is considered to be the “official” second language of the region. Throughout parts of the mid-west textbooks were printed in German until World War II, when the national distaste of all things German following Hitler’s reign of terror led to said textbooks being reprinted in English and the German language slowly but surely being nudged into obscurity. In light of the extremely diverse linguistic history that the people of the United States enjoy, it is difficult to understand precisely where their objection to the presence of the Spanish language “from sea to shining sea” evolves from.
THE REAL REASON THAT MANY PEOPLE CHOOSE NOT TO LEARN SPANISH LANGUAGE
Of course, these are the reasons that many give based on the political conflicts in the United States. The question is, are these the real reasons? Are we seeing the whole story? Or is there another underlying cause to their complaints that has nothing to do with patriotism or the continuation of a way of life?
There are a number of reasons why a person may choose not to learn the Spanish language, almost all of them completely unrelated to the political climate of the country they choose to inhabit. For most of those individuals who firmly refuse to learn to speak in a foreign tongue (this applies to all languages, not just Spanish) the fear of failure is their driving motivation. It is far simpler for them to convince themselves that they do not want to learn than to face the possibility that they may at some point in the future make a mistake when they are speaking and appear to be a fool in front of their friends and colleagues. What does this mean? It means that the biggest challenge that you are going to face when it comes to learning to speak Spanish is not from the outside world, but from within yourself!
Are there any other reasons why people choose NOT to learn Spanish language? Share with us!
