Mexican immigrants who don't speak Spanish growing in number
WOODBURN, Ore. (AP) — In a dusty plowed garlic field under a broiling sun, Simon Santol inched along with other stooped-over Mexican workers, tossing parchment-covered bulbs into buckets. But the chitchat across the furrows wasn't in Spanish.
Most was in Santol's native Triqui, Mixtec, Zapotec or other languages indigenous to regions within Mexico. He is among a growing population from poorest Mexico that often barely gets by in either English or Spanish.
"It was hard at first," the 28-year-old Santol said in halting Spanish. "We would look for someone who spoke our language and Spanish. Now I have learned a little Spanish. Grace of God."
These (probably illegal alien) guys come here speaking an indigenous language and instead of thinking they need to learn English to get by they want to learn Spanish to work. How sad is that.
Growing evidence that Oregon's official language is going to be Spanish.
6 comments:
Hey Daniel, long time no-comment...
I've got a recent post that deals with a little of the migrant worker thing. I'm interested in your thoughts...
~Diesel
This is a problem with not being bilingual. What the problem is here is the public and home schooled children aren't getting taught a second language. At least not in the way it needs to be. My son, who goes to private school, is bilingual--fluent in both the English and Spanish languages. He benefits greatly knowing both of them.
One thing many seem to deny is that Spanish is very clearly a major language spoken in our country. Not sure of the percentage, but it is the second most spoken language besides English. Those that keep denying that it is or saying it isn't important are just kidding themselves. Spanish is and will become increasingly more widely used. Just look at the demographics of those having children.
My advice for you is quite fighting the inevitable and go take a Spanish class. Our country benefited for decades by using and abusing Spanish speaking immigrant laborers and it is too late to turn back the clock. This is the destiny our parents chose.
PS: it is already press #2 for English for many companies. My company uses the #1 for languages other than English and #2 to skip ahead from the Spanish message after the English one. It isn't a slur against English, it is just the way it is set up--get over it.
I recently blogged about a sad story of a young kindergärtner.
Our country is slowly dying and our government is doing nothing to stop the bleeding.
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