Help translate English to Spanish

I live on the edge of an Hispanic neighborhood, everyone at our local stores around here has heard me give my speech:
"When I lived in your country I had enough respect for you to learn your language, please show me the same respect. All the freedom you enjoy here is purchased with the blood of my ancestors, not yours, please show respect"

This is usually followed by an offer to teach them a new word or two every time we run into each other. And most are happy to try.

That doesn't mean we don't need to try to adapt too.

 

I have a buddy at my shop, Mexican, he is teaching me little by little how to get into a bar fight! Needless to say i cant use any of the Spanish i know in open forums....

 

That's funny because is what they want to learn first too. LOL

I recently taught an Indian convenience store clerk (speaks 6 languages) how to say "Get the F@@k out of my store before I kick your ###" in spanish

 

Also as they teach us they learn

 

Teach him how to say it in Russian or german. Angry sounding languages to a American ear!

 

I really want to learn Russian! or some Slavic language. Language is weird, a second is hard, a third less so, and a fourth or fifth gets even easier. It's that first new language that stops most in there tracks.

I had an app that had a beautiful Irish female voice for gps, unless you made a wrong turn then you got an angry German accent. I loved that app.

 

Ha! If you want to learn another language, the best tool is kids shows. Sesame Street has taught more esl people English than all of the classes and software combined.

 

Great observation. Confession time..... I learned Spanish from cartoons in Mexico city as a child. My father "taught English" (not his real mission I suspect) in the Mexican war college (their version of West Point).

Most cartoons are specifically designed to teach. In most parts of the world almost everything will enter on the left and exit on the right, training children's eyes which way to scan a page. They are actually very educational, repeating valuable lessons over and over again, Even more so shows like sesame street which are intended to be educational, you just need to get by most of the liberal bias. LOL

And I am the first to admit it is much easier as a child.

 

Applicability and regional proximity to another large language speaking body of people, I think.
If I lived in the ghetto in Baltimore or Philly, with slim hope of getting out... I'd probably be more concerned with my next meal or not getting shot. Ancillary tongues become of no concern.
If I lived further north in Maine, I'd have taken up French.
If I lived in Germany, I'd be best suited to get thru the day to day by knowing multiple European tongues.
As it were, I once married a Chicana, my Spanish improved by virtue of all the #### my ex-mother in law spoke. Applicability at work.

There have been studies in linguistics which suggest a correlate between the difficulty of the English language and our high incidence of autism. It's a mildly interesting concept, if nothing else.

Definitely. Neuro-plasticity still occurs at an older age, but the young brain so much more easily grasps and retains language based ideas.

 

I had not heard of the association with autism before. Interesting! Otherwise,
All true! My only question would be; are we not surrounded by a culture of that speaks another language? I'm not a big fan of open borders That does not mean that I should not adapt as our borders become open.
When I lived at the graduate housing at FSU there was a large contingent of Chinese students. Consequently my mandarin improved. As the years have passed it has suffered greatly from lack of use.
As far as living in a ghetto of a big city I see your point but would like to add that given the make up of this nations poor, Spanish might be considered a survival tool in most urban areas today.