Comments on: Yo No Hablo Espanol http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/yo-no-hablo-espanol/ Atheism, politics and general obnoxiousness! Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:11:24 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Nestor http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/yo-no-hablo-espanol/#comment-2141 Nestor Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:11:52 +0000 http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/?p=1206#comment-2141 Another possibility is to learn with live video classes. A good alternative is to use webs like Linkua.com. FREE classes with real teachers at: http://www.linkua.com/free,option,auctions_show Another possibility is to learn with live video classes.
A good alternative is to use webs like Linkua.com.
FREE classes with real teachers at:
http://www.linkua.com/free,option,auctions_show

]]> By: Gord Hunt http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/yo-no-hablo-espanol/#comment-1999 Gord Hunt Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:47:13 +0000 http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/?p=1206#comment-1999 A great site for ESL students is AIDtoCHILDREN.com. AIDtoCHILDREN.com is a dual-purpose site for building an English vocabulary and raising money for under privileged children in the most impoverished places around the world. Check it out at http://www.aidtochildren.com A great site for ESL students is AIDtoCHILDREN.com.

AIDtoCHILDREN.com is a dual-purpose site for building an English vocabulary and raising money for under privileged children in the most impoverished places around the world.

Check it out at http://www.aidtochildren.com

]]> By: SkyWayMan http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/yo-no-hablo-espanol/#comment-1994 SkyWayMan Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:29:53 +0000 http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/?p=1206#comment-1994 My mother once asked her mother whether she had learned English first growing up or Spanish. She said my grandmothers eyes looked down at the floor and she softly said, "but you learned English so quickly." In small town Iowa in the 1940's as a young child my mother had to learn English though. The schools would not have accomodated her otherwise. All the radio stations were in English. We were one of the first Hispanic families in that town too so no classmates would have spoken Spanish. I grew up learning English but I studied Spanish in school. I lived in Mazatlán for a time in '82 and was able to get by easily with it. I wouldn't say I was fluent. A lot of it on television especially went by so fast it was hard for me to understand. If I wanted to live there then I had to learn it though. I went back in '91 for the total solar eclipse. Cable television had arrived since my last visit along with all the English stations. My Spanish wasn't as good and I had a harder time communicating. Sadly I didn't need it either. I could live there quite comfortably now without ever bothering to learn another word. Unfortunately thats the experience a lot of our newly arrived immigrants have. Since the 1970's there have been areas of this country where you never really had to even try to learn English. You could get by your whole life without ever having to learn it now. You won't have the best in life but you can get by. Sadly that's good enough for a lot of people here now. You don't have to learn that much to be a cashier either but at times I have dealt with some that couldn't even learn the numbers. I may go to Buenos Aires this coming southern summer. I'll probably get a refresher course in Spanish :) My mother once asked her mother whether she had learned English first growing up or Spanish. She said my grandmothers eyes looked down at the floor and she softly said, “but you learned English so quickly.” In small town Iowa in the 1940’s as a young child my mother had to learn English though. The schools would not have accomodated her otherwise. All the radio stations were in English. We were one of the first Hispanic families in that town too so no classmates would have spoken Spanish.

I grew up learning English but I studied Spanish in school. I lived in Mazatlán for a time in ‘82 and was able to get by easily with it. I wouldn’t say I was fluent. A lot of it on television especially went by so fast it was hard for me to understand. If I wanted to live there then I had to learn it though. I went back in ‘91 for the total solar eclipse. Cable television had arrived since my last visit along with all the English stations. My Spanish wasn’t as good and I had a harder time communicating. Sadly I didn’t need it either. I could live there quite comfortably now without ever bothering to learn another word.

Unfortunately thats the experience a lot of our newly arrived immigrants have. Since the 1970’s there have been areas of this country where you never really had to even try to learn English. You could get by your whole life without ever having to learn it now. You won’t have the best in life but you can get by. Sadly that’s good enough for a lot of people here now. You don’t have to learn that much to be a cashier either but at times I have dealt with some that couldn’t even learn the numbers.

I may go to Buenos Aires this coming southern summer. I’ll probably get a refresher course in Spanish :)

]]> By: Chris http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/yo-no-hablo-espanol/#comment-1992 Chris Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:19:41 +0000 http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/?p=1206#comment-1992 Esperanto has its good points, but it is a made-up language, and is not a native tongue anywhere on the planet. Meantime, I know a joke about Welsh. :) Someone once observed that the Welsh must have had contact with the Polynesians back in the day. They traded off their vowels and got all the consonants... I didn't say it was a <em>good</em> joke. :) Esperanto has its good points, but it is a made-up language, and is not a native tongue anywhere on the planet.

Meantime, I know a joke about Welsh. :)

Someone once observed that the Welsh must have had contact with the Polynesians back in the day. They traded off their vowels and got all the consonants…

I didn’t say it was a good joke. :)

]]> By: Bill Chapman http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/yo-no-hablo-espanol/#comment-1991 Bill Chapman Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:15:48 +0000 http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/?p=1206#comment-1991 I hope you'll allow a comment on language from Wales in the United Kingdom. I am not sure that English is as widespread or useful as people claim. I would like to argue the case for Esperanto as the international language. It is a planned language which belongs to no one country or group of states. Take a look at www.esperanto.net Esperanto works! I've used it in speech and writing in a dozen countries over recent years. I hope you’ll allow a comment on language from Wales in the United Kingdom. I am not sure that English is as widespread or useful as people claim. I would like to argue the case for Esperanto as the international language. It is a planned language which belongs to no one country or group of states.

Take a look at http://www.esperanto.net

Esperanto works! I’ve used it in speech and writing in a dozen countries over recent years.

]]> By: tokyo5 http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/yo-no-hablo-espanol/#comment-1989 tokyo5 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:08:42 +0000 http://wilybadger.wordpress.com/?p=1206#comment-1989 >if I moved somewhere where the primary language spoken was something other than English, I’d be doing my level best to learn that language. That's the right attitude, I think. Many foreigners (especially those from native English-speaking countries) come to Japan (and, I'm sure, other countries) and never bother to learn even the basics of the local language. >if I moved somewhere where the primary language spoken was something other than English, I’d be doing my level best to learn that language.

That’s the right attitude, I think.
Many foreigners (especially those from native English-speaking countries) come to Japan (and, I’m sure, other countries) and never bother to learn even the basics of the local language.

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