Our children should speak Spanish

What's wrong with learning another EUROPEAN language? Oh...did you forget?

I HAVE TO ADD ONE THING FOR ALL WHO READ THIS.
OK SO WE "SHOULD" LEARN SPANISH BECAUSE THEIR POPULATION GROWTH?
HOW ABOUT DISTRIBUTING SOME DAMN BIRTH CONTROL SO THEY CAN FOCUS ON THEIR ENGLISH STUDIES SINCE THEY ARE COMING HERE?

I agree Tgarius

i think immigrants should learn english i mean the government does let most of them come in illegally just messing but no learning spanish or any other language is a good thing if your working in a situation where you need it not to live in your own country

So he can have his children baptised in and take them to a church that teaches it's congregation racism and hatred, but he can tell us how to raise our children. What a hypocrite.

you should all start practicing and i'll help you, ok??
es importante aprender varios idiomas, en especial español, porque despues del ingles o aun mas que el ingles el español es el idioma mas usado en estados unidos, y tambien el MAS hablado en relacion a cantidad de paises en el mundo.

hahaha, i remember once i was riding a bus with my aunt in new mexico (both plurilingual) and she was telling me something in spanish and this guy sitting behind us said "...this aint mexico, we are in america and you bettah speak english, ya know..." (hahaha) and my aunt's reply was "...if you want to understand what we are saying you should then learn spanish..."; as somebody said in a comment i read, there is NO official language in the United States of America, and YES the more languages you know the more knowledge about the world you have.
and to finish i'll share another story with you, living in Costa Rica, my country, and working for a call centre, providing customer service in various languages i knew a guy who spoke 5 different languages, and somebody called him IGNORANT because you could tell there was an accent, and his reply was "...i speak 5 languages and they are not perfect, but how many do you speak sir?..."
be real people, and OPEN YOUR EYES.

I agree it's worthwhile for everyone to learn a second language. But for him to insinuate the burden is on the English speaking people of America to learn "Spanish" (IE not "another language") rather than immigrants to learn English is not only ludicrous but insulting as well.

Outside of the U.S. you are considered illiterate if you do not speak more than one language. Welcome to the U.S., where people take pride in being ignorant. We are the leaders in funding cuts to education. Welcome to the U.S., the world leader in complaining while doing nothing. Welcome to the U.S., we will send you our jobs and not be able to figure out why we are not working. Welcome to the U.S., we are fighting a war on drugs while we sedate our citizens. Welcome to the U.S., our unemployment rate barely moves, while our employment rate has plummeted. We are here to be manipulated by our corporate media. All in english, or as I've heard said "I speak american" We don't need no edumacation here, we won't tolerate that kind of elitist B.S. By the way , can i borry a dollar ta feed my yungins. the plant shut down years ago an i got no job.

It's a very good skill to be proficient and fluent in more than one language, but I don't see why it should be made a mandatory part of what kids learn in school... how would you expect them to learn another language if they still have yet to master their own? It would be pointless anyway unless they actually use the language and immerse themselves... I say it should be optional. Keep it there for the students that are interested, and allow students that aren't to opt out of it.

One of my dreams is actually to become a polyglot, mostly because I plan to someday travel around the world. Aside from English, I speak Spanish (my parents are immigrants from the Dominican Republic) and some French (learned in high school). I'm thinking about learning a few Asian languages though, mostly Tagalog and Chinese.

One other thing folks here seem to forget that because we are a melting point, we don't have the same "cultural" equivalent that say Hispanics do or The French or Germans or Italians etc do.

American English IS part of the FABRIC of our lives.

Take that away and you start to disolve what is America.

i think everyone should learn to peak any language that u may run into i think Spanish was the chosen language in this speech only because is so close to home. the more we learn the more we grow people! we should all learn Chinese, Russian, German any language to expand your mind

Liberal - extinction said it well. RIGHT ON!!! Learn the language and stop whining whether you like it or not Hispanics are taking over and it affects us all. Some of us forget this is America and once upon a time English was not the language spoken. Unless you live in a reservation camp and don't pay taxes you are just like the Hispanics "immigrants" you just beat them to the punch.

I think that the people who founded this country should have learned native American languages and learned about their cultures instead of just driving them to extinction.

i really think americans should learn ARABIC and MANDARIN if nothing else.

learning new languages has been proven to keep dementia at bay , and insofar as having a high "IQ" can be described as the opposite of exhibiting symptoms of dementia , learning new languages can be said to be "healthy" - but i'd still say learning how to dance in 4 different styles is healthier .

I do believe that imigrants who come and decide to live here in America should learn english but only for their own benefit because we talk Engilsh here and it's the only way they'd be able to communicate with the vast majority, find good jobs, make friends etc. But I also do agree that it is better to know more than one language. I mean, we are a global society and we are getting larger everyday. It wouldn't hurt to know another language regardless of where you live, either in a northern state or southern state. Alittle more knowledge wouldn't kill us.

Learning another language increases the IQ - the more languages one speaks, the higher one's IQ.

i don't object to any american learning a foreign language - or anyone else in this world learning as many as they can in one lifetime - it's when our politicians here make an argument for bi-lingualism by trying to make us americans look stupid if we don't speak another language , and doing so in order to make themselves look "progressive" and garnering votes from "disillusioned" americans whom might be inclined to think that being "multi-culturally aware" will save us from the shit-hole this country is in - it's BS .
learning how to speak spanish should never take precedence over knowing american history - and no tax dollars should ever be diverted into language programs at the expense of any kid ( legally) in this country not knowing what the f--k it is to be an "american" , first and foremost.
one may ask : " who defines what an american is ? " - i'll give you a short course : an "american" is a person who'd prefer that tax dollars which might be spent on language programs go instead towards building up social security for the grandmothers / fathers of this country whom are , increasingly , raising their grand-kids while their sons / daughters are slaving away at shit jobs to make ends meet because the corporations are trying to get even richer .

Learning a different language will definitely help US citizens. It isn't essential, though, because most Americans don't really go anywhere else. As a nation, the majority of Americans just aren't globally minded, and if you factor in the hate that Americans have for Mexicans, and Chinese, and Indians who took their jobs, America becomes even more introverted. In that respect, Americans should not be forced to learn a different language, but we should at least encourage our kids to learn other languages, so that they can compete in a rapidly globalizing world.

I TOTALLY AGREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, as someone who's major revolves around foreign languages and linguistics, my opinion wouldn't be too objective. While i think it's necessary for those to immigrate here to speak English, I just don't see why people wouldn't want to have the opportunity to communicate with others from a different culture. You can make jokes and say that you only use Spanish when at burger king, but there are so much beautiful songs and literature in different languages that are just not translatable or the meaning gets lost in translation.Being in Spain, I've met a man from Estonia who spoke Russian, Estonian, French and English. A guy from Singapore who spoke Mandarin, Spanish and English and Brazilian man who spoke Portuguese and Spanish. All who I might not have had the same experiences with had I not spoken a different language to. You can relate to others a little better, make friends with people who you might not have otherwise and listen to some amazing amazing music. Learning a different language might make you more understanding of different cultures, when i first moved to Spain I thought I was gonna just vomit everytime I tried to communicate with someone else. Being taken out of your comfortable is a bitch and maybe you'd be more sympathetic of that undocumented individual that you blow off. Supongo.

Besides, the widely spoken language in Europe is techno.

what's truly objectionable is how Obama uses french as his example of how stupid americans are ( we can't say more than "merci.." ) - it's the same old dumbass idea about how "french" is the language of "refinement " - only a f--ng clueless , un-traveled , white , wanna be "sophisticate" yuppie in this country would fall for it . ugg

i hate how some of the media makes it seems like Obama wants children to learn spanish to accommodate immigrants when he clearly meant that children should have better education

This simply sucks. At first this guy looked great but he is slowly becoming a left nut.

Language is just not a means of communication, but a reflection of how a group of people think. Some ideas can be better explained in German, than they can in English, and vice versa, because different languages offer different view points.

If we were to have one official language in the US, we would limit ourselves to only one mode of thought, which is why our fore fathers didn't make English the national language. They wanted our country to be one of open exchange of ideas, and being able to speak in different languages adds more life to our national debate.

I agree with Obama that we should worry more about our children learning another language, especially in this day in age where we are faced with new problems (i.e., terrorism, climate change, etc.), and we need new ideas on how to face them.

Has anyone in the "English only" camp ever thought about how much fun & useful it would be to be bilingual?

I agree with all the people who are saying that immigrants should learn English. However, I think EVERYONE should learn another language. Spanish is a good one in many parts of the country because of how predominant Spanish speakers are. I don't see it as catering to immigrants or changing the tradition of the US.

I know Latin and some Spanish. People have made fun of me for learning a dead language to the point of fluency, but not only has Latin improved my native language, it has also made it considerably easier for me to learn (or even just understand) other Romance languages. I plan to continue learning other languages, especially since with every language I learn, I become more valuable as an employee. I recently was hired at a language school to tutor a student in Latin for a considerable amount of money.

Also, I can't believe the number of people making ethnocentric/racist comments about Mexicans and other Latinos/Hispanics/Whatever term is preferential. Why is there so much hate?

if everybody spoke swahelly i meen spanish(same thing)
all our people that our government paid$80,000.00 a year would be joining me on unemploument with no benifets

Con mente cerrado, somos chingados.

BS, we should learn other languages but NOT Spanish. That will reinforce to the too many already Mexicans here in America that Spanish is ok and English is not necessary.

I don't know why some Americans swear that teaching another language will turn this country upside down, English is dominant period. It'll probably stay that way for another hundred years. So while you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to learn something new for a change. Geez.

xenophobia.

America does not have an official language. English IS NOT THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. Get over it.

Besides, learning a language improves grammatical skills, improves creative thinking-which is what a lot of kids in this country could use-, and makes you a more cultured person than before.

So what is the big f'ing deal? Learn a language, slackers.

Start with spanish, it's the easiest one to get your feet wet on.

And PS-Obama WILL be our next President.

As an educator of young children I see the impact that not speaking another language has on our children. My bi-lingual students seem to understand topics faster than the others. I also hear from parents of Puerto-Rican descent that they don't want to teach their children the language of their people because they want their children to be "American". I try to talk them into teaching their children the language, for their own benefit and the kids are losing part of their heritage. Personally I want to be bi-lingual because it is a beautiful language and my hometown is 75% Hispanic and I don't want to be left out. Lets live life to the fullest and keeping up with the changing times is good for all of us.

Yes! completely agree w/ Senator Obama.

For all you dumbasses who think learning another language is a negative thing, well then keep living in your bubble.. at least while you can.

ShadesofInsanity: I'm all too aware that America has no official language and that's a problem for me. If you go to France, you need to learn French. If you go to Germany, you need to learn German. In both cases if you want to deal with the common people you need to know the local language. It should be no different in America. You're the one who is grossly ignorant. Allowing a multi-lingual people is the first step to the demise of a nation. If you come to America you need to conduct your business in English.

Shades,

Some folks are going to be able to do it and some not.

Kids have enough trouble today and you want to add more right?

I can just see a testing standard made up.

More baloney!

Hey Teacher, LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!

Look, this is America Senator NOT EUROPE and NOT MEXICO!

We speak ENGLISH here and like it or not ENGLISH is our language.

Kids today have it tough enough it seems as they are graduating and haven't learned enough to get a job!

Not only that but...

Not everyone has the gift to learn a foreign language and probably the worst...

This is going to ruin your GPA!

I don't know about you but I WAS GOING TO VOTE FOR OBAMA BUT NOW....

I WON'T VOTE FOR THIS JERK!

I believe that learning another language can be very beneficial. In the job world there are several employers looking for employees who can speak more than one language and are willing to pay well for it. However, I don't think that it is something that should be forced on the children. This decision should be left up to the parents and the child.

Dear Lord, some of you are ignorant.

America doesn't have an official language, and if someone does not speak English, they are of no fault.

In Denmark, their students learn SIX different languages. In Britain, French is widely spoken. In Japan and China, they learn English, as well as in Korea. Why? Its beneficial to their students, whether you use the language or not.

Learning a language helps one adapt to an ever changing, ever merging world. If you learn one language, it makes it easier to learn other languages. If you learn the language, it gives you the ability to better learn and be more fluent in the culture of a country.

Its not just for "illegals"; it can benefit you, it can help YOU.

Language is what makes this world go round; whether it be on the Internet, in real life, on the phone, in a business, ordering at a restaurant, reading a history book, watching TV - it all depends on a language of some sort. Spoken, written, body language.

The more language we know, the smoother the world runs, the easier life becomes for not only the immigrants to America, but for you, as well.

I can't believe the ignorance of some of you.

People who come to America need to learn English. If you refuse to learn it, you need to leave. This accommodation of self-righteous dweebs who come here and expect us to accommodate them is what is tearing this nation apart. I don't care what country you're from, YOU'RE IN AMERICA -- SPEAK ENGLISH OR GET THE HELL OUT!

We should all learn a second, third, or fourth language.

There here illegally because it's illegal for them to be here. I know alot of people who wish they could pay their taxes to have the lives that we have, but if they did they couldn't live the lives that they have. Everyone wants a better life. You don't want them here because you think that there taking something away from you. To me that's selfish.

SIGN LANGUAGE is actually the best way to go. If the whole world learned sign lanuage we could ALL speak to each other, seeing how this is planet earth and we're all human, not american, or mexican, or whatever, just human.

English IS NOT THE ONLY LANGUAGE!
I know Spanish, English, French and some Italian. :) I would love to know some Asian Language but... maybe later.

If you are arrogant enough to think "I can handle with Enlighs" you will stay the same idiot.

I agree 100% with Obama. Americans needs to embrace foreign language education/learning and stop this arrogance. We needs to become a nation of multilingual citizens before we fall behind in this global economy!

Why are all of you so surprised that he said this? He twice voted against English being our language. And did anybody notice that he said "instead of..." Our goverment has been inviting illegals to come here for years. They have done everything in their power to make it easier and more inviting for them to come here and have encouraged it as much as they possibly could. And instead of making sure they learn english like all the rest of the immigrants over the years, they have done the opposite and have encouraged them not to learn english. We now print everything in both languages so they dont have to. Dont you think there is a reason for that?

I took Spanish in school and I still can not hold a conversation with a Spanish speaking person. I think our kids should learn another language no matter what it is. It is my understanding that most countries teach their kids more than one language, why can't we?

Given the state of the economy, we should all be learning Chinese.

I have a different take on the entire thing. Learn Spanish indeed. Also learn to speak your languages with proper accent. A language should be used with respect. I don't know if he is referring to "getting by" or learning a language. There is a big difference. It's like doctors who cannot even love their patients due to rules and regulations. You remember that language faux pas. Or is it faux pax or is it Fox news. Or is it human animal hybrids. Learn the language and all of it's nuances and be dignified. Viva inteligencia! Viva educacion. Estamos aqui juntos. Vamos a vivir en paz. And, it goes both ways. People coming here need to learn our language as well. Senator Obama has some fresh ideas. Stop jumping his bones so much. I think the man has a vision. Mother Teresa was also said to have been arrogant. Ghandi too. Private Ibber

You know, the Dutch speak five different lanuages and smoke pot. We could be like that too if everyone just chilled out a bit. Americans do need to relax, quit being so uptight, and realize we aren't the only one's on this planet. Expanding our knowledge of other cultures and languages wouldn't be the end of the world.

If anything, we should all learn Chinese and Arabic... We have a tendancy to stick with the Romance languages and English. Though the US isn't as culturally diverse as the "Old World," being a polyglot is always good.

1. the i don't use it excuse- you may not use math or science but it's still good that you were taught how

2. the illegal alien excuse- not everyone who speaks spanish is illegal or an immigrant. what if your son or daughter goes into the business world and deals with clients from all over the world? they'll have an edge over others if they are bi- or multi-lingual.

3. the money excuse- we waste so much money on stuff we don't need that doesn't help anyone, what's a little money to make your kid smarter and help them get paid better at work?

4. the american defense- the english you speak is an amalgamation of many different languages, german, french, latin, spanish and hundreds of others. how did that come about? was it bilingualism?

lastly, speaking another language is cool

Why are people so afraid of education? Is learning really that scary? I love learning new things. I would gladly learn another language.

In Europe, students learn 3 languages. Frankly we're behind the curve.

it should be an option. i'd take advantage of it, and i did. i'm so much more for it.

Americans are lazy; learning another language needs to be required (and enforced) in schools or no change will happen. I've been abroad for over a year now in Europe, and I hide my head when I see other Americans making fools of themselves talking loudly in English. And no, you people lie if you say you'd learn another language when you go to another country. I've seen many, and no one tries.

I don't see what the hype is about his statement

You know, it's kind of sad. We're so blinded by the fact he's simply asking us to learn the language of our closest neighbors. People in Europe do it. Shouldn't the supposed super power of the world try and gain as much advantage in the field of language so we're not always stuck listening to the translators?

They have every right to do this. Nowhere in our constitution does it say our offficial language is English. They could make us speak Klingon if they wanted to.

It should be the other way around. Any foreigner coming to the States to work or live should learn how to speak english. I'm not born in the States but I put an effort to learn the language. As a healthcare employee, I'm having a hard time dealing with non-english speaking patients because of the language barrier. So frustrating.

well obama just lost my vote

ira todo los mensas de piensan esta malo para aprender ingles, desgracidos!

all across the world it is commonplace to learn the languages of the NEIGHBORing countries. AND english is the most common of second languages. why would you think its okay to live somewhere for years (today i met someone that lived in the U.S. for vientesiete anos and she could NOT speak english) and NOT learn its language. i couldnt live in JAPAN and not learn japanese, really? how does that happen? why do you support that kind of ignorance?

im black and american as they come. and ha ha i speak you spanglish as well as castilian spanish AND GET PAID TO DO IT! that makes me proud. do you find it shameful that you always need help outside your own community to get things done. dont be mad because people are telling you, you need to learn spanish and NO it doesn't degenerate your CULTURAL PRIDE by learning a second language. it means your kids have an even chance in school, your wives understand whats going on when she is naciendo su hijos, and your abuelita knows what kind of medicine she is taking and why. TONTOS! getting mad! pues!

isnt it hard enough? why make it harder over learning some new words? what cant handle it? is learning english too hard aye pobrecita.

so the next time you need help. dont say "si hable espanol?" dile " lo siento(i'm sorry) no habla ingles(i dont speak english) si puede ayudarme(can you help me)

sincerly
labor and delivey (departemento de parto) TRANSLATOR

everyday all day i get paid cause your peeps wont speki de engles

Obama is so danm right, and it happens the same with British people, same actitude, they asume that no matter where they go everybody should speak english, even if they are in Spain.

The amount of hate for someone who wants to fuse us with knowledge. Sad state of affairs.

Why should our children be learning Spanish?

So that they're intelligent and well educated in a globalized world.

That's why.

The ethnocentrism in this country is disgusting.

I think its a good idea for everyone to learn another language. It expands your knowledge and allows you to, at least, peer into another culture in our Americanized world.

Whoops! Then I actually watched the video clip. The key point is "Immigrants should speak English". What he says about "when Europeans come over here" makes complete sense along the same lines because they learned their native language then ENGLISH as a second language. Why? Because English is the business language of the world. It is far less valuable for those that speak English as their first language to learn a second language unless they specifically intend to live in the place of that second language for an extended period of time. With the American education system so half-assed as it is, they may want to put off wasting time teaching kids a second language until they've mastered their first one and safely made it into if not through college. It is more embarrassing that so many Americans are grossly overweight if you ask me. If you can't afford to travel to a foreign land (Obama is out of touch in that regard), then why should you waste your time learning the language?

Our country has borders with Mexico and Canada. As far as I know, we DON'T have borders with Germany, France, Spain, or Ireland. Maybe that explains our bilingual differences from many Europeans.

I agree 100%. We live in a "global village" and, as the world is only going to become more "International", America needs to start teaching foreign languages to all children from a very young age.
This is done throughout the world, and while it is obviously necessary for immigrants in America to speak english, if Americans want to compete in a global competitive society, it is imperative to be at least bilingual.

A few people here sound so pompous and I hate to say this but it is a direct reflection of most of the American way of thought. I'm ashamed.

Think about this:

"The Hispanic origin population is projected to increase rapidly over the 1995 to 2025 projection period, accounting for 44 percent of the growth in the Nation's population (32 million Hispanics out of a total of 72 million persons added to the Nation's population). The Hispanic origin population is the second fastest-growing population, after Asians, in every region over the 30 year period.
In 1995, the Hispanic origin population is the third most populous race/ethnic group in all regions except the West where it ranks second. The Hispanic population is expected to comprise a substantially larger share of the total population in 2025 than in 1995 -- up from 21 to 32 percent in the West, from 9 to 15 percent in the South and Northeast, and from 3 to 6 percent in the Midwest. " http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/ppl47.html#tableg

Sooner than we think, English speaking people will be outnumbered by Spanish speaking people. Don't let ignorance scare you. Growth is uncomfortable for everyone.

There is nothing we can do about the evolution of society. It's out of our hands. Learn the language if you wish and quit whining about it!

Dear Senator Obama,

Go f#(k yourself.

Sincerely,

Liberal_Extinction

P.S. Chinga tu madre, pinche puta.