Comments on: Obama and Spanish – Qué cabrón más distinguido!

By: ray_g

ray_g — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:43:19 +0000

“Wasn’t the original question with regard to establishing english as the official language?”

Yes, and the whole ‘Americans should learn other languages’ thing was a (not so) clever way of avoiding that question. Or he totally missed the point. I’m not sure which.

By: Good Ole Charlie

Good Ole Charlie — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:54:54 +0000

Roger:

Thanks for the agreement. Well into our Social Security Collection Time, my wife and I took some local Chinese lessons from a friend (native of Beijing) and looked into DVD courses.

We didn’t like Rosetta Stone: too glitzy and not well thought out. We finally found an outfit called Fluenz: seemed to be adequate and a good place to start.

However, the language school we are associated with in China made a BIG difference. Four weeks with the kids living with a Chinese family, two hours Monday – Friday with an individual tutor, one hour “Culture” M – F, plus regular assignments from their US (our) school. A 8:00am to 5:00pm schedule, plus a “culture tour” on Saturday. This experience was not a vacation, but a serious proposition.

Two factors helped: we were not in Beijing, but in a “small city” of nine million, Shijiazhuang, Hebei.

Second, in their Chinese Family, there was a same sex Chinese kid studying English: a great idea. Most of our people found themselves speaking English in the morning and Chinese in the afternoon or something like that.

BTW, due to relative heights, our guys were in demand for pick-up basketball games. The girls became experts on latest dress and shopping techniques with their step-sisters.

My wife and I followed the same schedule as the kids, except our tutor took us both together. Hard work for old farts, but we did learn a lot: taxi drivers understood me, saleswomen understood her, and we both could chat with curious Chinese who stared and stared and stared…

As in the case of the kids, an experience of a lifetime. So we go back with some of the originals for a second experience and more language. And eight new students, spread out over grade 9 to 12.

Zai Jian, Roger

By: Roger L Simon

Roger L Simon — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:11:13 +0000

Couldn’t agree more, Good Ole Charlie. Asian languages are the wave of the future. I wish I knew one. I’ve made some perfunctory passes at Japanese before me trips over there, but the language doesn’t seem to take in my aging brain — other than totomo oishi (totally delicious), which seems to work well when thanking the sushi chef. I am going to make another pass at it though. Has anybody had any luck with Rosetta Stone?

By: Good Ole Charlie

Good Ole Charlie — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:48:24 +0000

Hey guys, given what going on there, how about Mandarin?
My charter school is experimenting with an two year cycle of Mandarin, including four weeks of immersion in China. Last year I lead a pilot group of three 10th and 11th graders to China.
It worked: they found the spoken Mandarin not that hard, although memorization of characters was tough. But they were flexible enough and dedicated enough they pulled it out. Plus having had an adventure of a lifetime.
Two of the guys are going back with me and my wife this fall. And pushing on…
Kids will meet a challenge and take advantage of it. Which is more than some adults will.
The High School ages are a great time to learn a new language. Any language…
And so local high schools drop all languages except Spanish: it’s the school boards and the administrations that are the fools….

By: pepe

pepe — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:10:43 +0000

educado in spanish means you have social graces or manners. con titulo means you have a college degree. obama es un pendejo con titulo, pero es muy educado. ricpic you are wrong about mexicans not speaking english, its tough for people with a 6th grade education to get into learning a new language. the next generation will learn.

By: Mark Van Wagoner

Mark Van Wagoner — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:09:30 +0000

What an unctuous sycophant. Translate that! Ooops, se me ha caído el pendejo.

By: Grammarsquad

Grammarsquad — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:41:30 +0000

Try reading Michelle Obama’s thesis. We can’t even teach Princeton undergrads how to compose essays in proper English.

By: glenn

glenn — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:02:04 +0000

First, for Mr. Obama, I speak a smattering of three languages besides English. With that out of the way, two points. 1. English is not only the national language of the US, it is the business lancuage of the planet, without good English the world is a much smaller place for those who don’t speak it. 2. Lots of folks in Mr. Obamas’ class like it that way because it limits the competition that smart Latinos provide their kids. And it keeps the wages of domestic help down.

By: Lem

Lem — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:48:06 +0000

“then a bit down the thread, the word, “pendejo”.

It was a public declaration, that comment was not be helpful.

For any harm or hurt that this comment may have caused, I apologize.

My support for this blog is wide, deep and unequivocal

By: Ralph Woods

Ralph Woods — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:50:57 +0000

Every time the elitist portion of Obama opens his mouth to make statements such as Americans learning Spanish and that we are an embarrasment to the world, I think what an opening for McCain. But then McCain shoots himself in the foot Yosemite Sam style going off on campaign ads he hasn’t seen or mocking truthful remarks by Senator Gramm.