Explains a lot...
but I can’t understand the explanation...
43 percent of Californians ... speak a language other than English at home ... according to census figures released today ...
1 in 5 Californians ... feel they don’t speak English “very well."
uhm… yeah. es verdad it’s noticeable…
... “It’s very disturbing when 1 in 5 people is not communicating in the common language,” said Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. “Culturally, it creates a sort of tribalism. This country doesn’t have a predominant race or religion; it just has values. That’s a very thin bond. We have shared values and a shared Constitution; we also have to have a shared culture and language."
You can say that again, Mister.
"Culturally, it creates a sort of tribalism."
Thank you.
"The fact that people speak a different language in their homes is one of the most untapped resources in our country,” [Jin Sook Lee, an assistant professor of education at UC Santa Barbara] said. “With globalization in economics and politics, we need language competence. These speakers have a great potential to fill out this language gap in our society."
uhm, yeah… Have you met these non-English speakers, Ms Lee? They’re the ones who also have trouble comprehending your every-day business question and are completely incapable of making change is the power goes out. I do not think they will be, shall we say, competent as useful as tits on a board* able to contribute much in global economics or politics.
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*[pedant notice: yes, I know that’s not the original phrase—hence teh funnay, see?]
““With globalization in economics and politics, we need language competence. These speakers have a great potential to fill out this language gap in our society.”
I don’t suppose it ever occurred to Mr Lee that to fulfill this improbable dream, they have to speak at least TWO languages?
Fluently?
Posted by ZZMike on 09/23/08 at 11:18 AM
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