No habla espanol

[Dees]

Today I was in Food Lion supermarket I usually go to in Delaware. I live in Maryland but this super is only eight miles away and Delaware does not have sales tax. The small DE community is an agriculture and poultry processing center. There are many Hispanic folks living in the area. Let me first say that I have absolutely no bad feelings about the Hispanic people and don't condone racism of any kind. I often shop at this market because they have two complete isles of Mexican authentic foods you can't find anywhere else around here.
I was shopping along when the store PA system came on. The complete message was in Spanish (a store employee) not some prerecorded sales promo for Hispanic shoppers. The reply to the message by another employee was in Spanish. It pissed me off. It shouldn't have but it did. I'm going to brush up on my Spanish I guess.

[calico1]

1. I am Hispanic.

I think that if there is a large Hispanic population then the announcements should be made in Spanish because a lot of them are probably recent immigrants and you just can't learn English just like that. However.....I also think it was wrong to not give the same announcement in English. Even if an area is heavily populated by Spanish speaking people its not right to assume that no English speaking people are around. I think that was pretty rude. Did you bring it up with the store manager?

[Dees]

3. I considered it but I did not.

The majority of the employees are Hispanic and are extremely courteous and helpful. Most of the patrons today were Anglos.

[charlie]

2. It might not have been meant for you

Could've been a call for a stockboy to retrieve shopping carts from the parking lot or somesuch.

[calico1]

5. I didn't even think of that.

In that case it would make sense. If most of the customers were white it would make no sense to make a public announcement in Spanish only but if they were calling a stockboy or something that speaks only Spanish then it would. Still, I can see why someone who doesn't speak Spanish might find it confusing to hear what they think is a public announcement in Spanish only.

[charlie]

8. You're just not used to it

Yet. In a couple of decades, I'm sure Spanish will be America's de facto second language.

My home of record (I'm overseas) is mostly Hispanic. My wife is Mexican-American. My son speaks Japanese. I'm used to hearing languages I'm too dumb to be fluent in :)

On edit: Oops. Missed your name. I thought I was talking to Dees. Please forgive.

[sisenor]

24. I am Hispanic too

And I am sure the comments were for the workers there, please take no offense.

But that is also the reality and the charm of America, there are definitely pockets of many cultures. And it is good when we are brave and tolerant enough to venture outside our own pockets as you do.

[babylonsister]

39. Sisenor, that's a great post!

"But that is also the reality and the charm of America, there are definitely pockets of many cultures. And it is good when we are brave and tolerant enough to venture outside our own pockets as you do."

Yes, we should all be tolerant, this coming from someone who lives in Texas and lives near a large Hispanic community!

[sisenor]

46. thanks!

[olebrowser]

47. People in other countries routinely speak 3 or 4 languages

If the message was meant for the general public it should have been in english or both languages (or however many are necessary to communicate), however if the page was not meant for the public its OK to communicate as best they can.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. Big deal.

Why would that offend you? One employee talking to another in the language most easily understood by both.

[Dees]

6. I'm still asking myself that question.

I guess I consider the store PA system kind of public.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. I've lived on the west coast most of my life.

Guess I'm used to it. In fact, I kinda like hearing other languages, even if I can't understand a word. I live in an area that has a lot of immigrants from all over the world. Hispanics, Russians, Indians, Pakistanis, you name it.

It's kinda nice hearing a language other than some middle aged woman impersonating Shirley Temple trying to sell me soap powder or Twinkies.

[Gaffey Duck]

11. I love it. :-)

I hear a lot of Urdu and Mandarin at school.

[porphyrian]

9. It can be frustrating.

I lived in south Florida for the first third of my life, and there is a similar situation due to the large Cuban populace. It sucks when you can't understand what people are saying where you live. It feels like a foreign invasion into your comfort zone, especially if the other party doesn't speak your language at all.

The truth is, this is a failing of the education system of our country and ultimately an unconscious arrogance of our society. People in European countries, for example, speak two or three languanges as a rule. Sure, it has much to do with the smaller size of those countries, but it also has to do with the higher value placed on education. These countries don't see it as a "tax burden" to make sure their children are adequately educated. Sadly, we are the product of a society that favors consumption and distraction over knowledge and understanding.

By the way, though I've forgotten most of it, I took Spanish in high school, and it is pretty easy to pick up.

[Dees]

10. That's probably it. After taking

two years of Spanish I couldn't understand a damn word that was said!

[calico1]

13. Sometimes if I am out with one of my

non Spanish speaking friends and we are in a place where there are people speaking Spanish, they ask me what the person said. And if the people are talking and laughing my friends will usually say something like "Are they talking about me?" I think it creates a sense of insecurity for some people because you don't know if the person is saying something about you. AT least that's what my friends tell me. But I go through the same thing at work with some of the Asian people we have working there that are from other countries (not born here). I was in the gym locker room at work the other day and there were two Asian women talking and laughing. For all I know they could have been saying "look at the big butt on that one!" I just don't know. :shrug: LOL. Thuugh I really doubt they even noticed I was there much less talk about me! I just think its natural to feel somewhat vulnerable if you can't understand what other people are saying. I can tell you though that 9 out of 10 times when you hear people speaking Spanish (and I'm sure any other language) they are just talking about everyday things like we do. They are just more comfortable speaking in their primary language and will naturally revert to it when they are with other people that also speak that language primarily. Most of them don't do it to be snotty or anyting but just because they feel more comfortable with their main language.

[Virginian]

12. I was at a grocery store in the DC 'burbs where

only one of the 5 checkout clerks spoke English.
Sorry, I didn't know Spanish would be required when I studied French 35 years ago in high school. The older you get, the harder it is to pick up new languages. It would be a bit easier on us older folks if a sign designated, "This lane speaks English."

In Asian and Indian markets, all the clerks can usually communicate in English. I'm glad they don't also consider our language too difficult to learn, that would really make this a town of babble and miscommunication.

[halley]

14. I grew up in Miami

Aside from EVERYTHING being Spanish, I would stand in line to vote and these poll workers would give instructions only in Spanish.
Really pissed me off. The ballots are in Spanish and now Creole
(for the Haitians), the driver license test is in Spanish, you name it. Whereas you "might" understand this stuff, when I was in a crowd (I am blonde) I would be signaled out by someone asking a
question in Spanish.

When I moved to Ft Lauderdale, it was really like moving back to America, since the time I was eight (when Fidel took over) everything
progressively got Spanish.

[Swamp Rat]

15. Ai, pobrecito. Casi todo mundo entiende el Español.

Why do you think only one language should be spoken in public in America? This is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual society. Get with the program dude. Turn over a new leaf and learn Spanish today!

Also consider this: the more languages you know the smarter you'll be. Most of my European friends know at least three languages and many millions of Latin Americans speak two. When I go off in Portuguese, Spanish or German, foreigners are surprised, but I claim that most Americans are brilliant polyglots and that I'm below average. Of course, this lie doesn't work for long, but it's fun to watch their confusion since they have been trained to think that Americans are dumb and ignorant.

I'm sick of this stereotype. MANY Americans can speak more than one or two languages, and those of us that do, do not want to be represented by this negative stereotype. I hope MORE Spanish is spoken in our supermarkets, thus forcing curious mono-lingual Americans to educate themselves (linguistically).

If none of this motivates you, then imagine (if you are single) how many more dates you will get. :D

[DrWeird]

16. I'm sure they were saying very nasty things about you.

That's what they're always saying when they're speaking in them furrin tongues.

:eyes:

[m berst]

17. not understanding

Growing up in Detroit, then working in San Francisco, and traveling in Europe I don't ever remember one time in over 40 some years ever being annoyed or disturbed by someone speaking a language other than English. I can't imagine being upset about it.

The English language in the United States has been turned into such an aggressive and dominating propaganda tool, that I actually relax and feel less annoyed when I hear people speaking another language.

As far as the "they ought to learn English" statements I hear, my observation is that for adults it is difficult to learn a second language, so many people who arrived here as adults never become proficient in English. Nor would I ever become fluent in Russian were I to move to Russia at my age. The children of immigrants to the United States, however, are so anxious to learn English that I doubt that it could be prevented. The struggle for immigrant families is not to get their children to assimilate. but rather to get them to remmeber and honor any of their parent's culture including the language.

I have a great-grandfather, and two great-grandmothers who arrived here without being able to speak English and who never learned English very well. I am certain that they were met with a lot of hostility and suspicion, but I am glad that they had the courage to struggle in a foreign culture and dedicate their lives to a better future in a free country for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

It is primarily people who are deeply and sincerely dedicated to sacrificing themselves for the benefit of others - their children - and who have a lot of courage and vision, who immigrate to a new and strange country. They bring with them culture and traditions from other places that can only enrich and revitalize our culture and our communities.

I can't for the life of me figure out what people around me are saying half the time even if they do speak English. Example - "They hate us for our freedoms." That is in English, but what the Hell does it mean? How about "gay agenda" or "feminazi" or "pro-life" or "environmental whacko" or "reverse racism" or "illegal aliens" or "islamofascist" or "weapons of mass destruction" - can someone translate those for me?

[uhhuh]

23. Excellent observation

[karlrschneider]

26. Nice post and welcome to DU. I'm somewhere around 62% fluent in Spanish

(took it in High School but that didn't do me nearly as much good as travelling & working in Central & South America)...Up until Chimp was selected, I was never so embarrassed by my own fellow Americans as the time I was in the bar of the Continental Altamira Hotel in Caracas (always my favorite when I'd go there -because- unlike the Tamanaco, Hilton, etc., it wasn't a "tourist" posada. In the bar one night I witnessed a very ugly scene brought on by a man and his wife from the midwest...I can't imagine how they ended up in that hotel :eyes: but
they started cursing at one of the young waiter kids (well, teenage) because he didn't speak English. Hell, NOBODY on the staff did, more than a small bit. I walked over to their table and said "you people are the perfect example of the "Ugly American." They looked at me like I was an alien from Alpha Centauri then got up and left. Afterward, 2 of the waiters invited me to go out with them to a "disco" (yes this was many years ago)...and they paid for everything in spite of my protestations. We had a great time. I fell in love with those kids.
:D

[babylonsister]

42. Thanks for your 'global' insight!

And you're right as far as I'm concerned. Simply, to paraphrase Dave Mathews at the concert supporting Kerry, "It's not "us and them", it should be just "us". I think people who are able to travel have a better understanding of this; awareness and tolerance of different cultures is not a bad thing. That's why I'm so praying Kerry and Theresa can be our ambassadors, instead of this current corrupt admin.

[leftofthedial]

18. most murkans no habla ingles either

being from a small town in southern New Mexico, that doesn't bother me, it makes me homesick

[Celeborn Skywalker]

37. Where are you from?

I'm from Silver city.

[leftofthedial]

44. I've spent lots of time in the Gila

Lived in Roswell, Las Cruces and points north

[stavka]

19. So you left one government to avoid taxes, and are annoyed

...that they don't speak english for in store announcements? - are you annoyed you can't read the bar codes too?

How do you know they didn't say "clean-up in aisle six"?

My biggest regret from high school was taking German and not Spanish...

[Dees]

28. Tax evasion? Nah..I go there

for the great Mexican food selection hombre...fortunately I'm in a position to not have to worry about sales tax that much. I perceive the announcement as being.."watch the Anglo in isle two. He has a jar of mole in his basket". BTW..for what it's worth, I've traveled abroad a fair amount, co-owned a mfg. co. with the Japanese, employed people from around the world and currently live in a resort area where the service workers are from all parts of the globe and lived in two university communities with extensive international populations. Just thought I would throw that in.

[stavka]

33. ...then I guess I don't understand the point of your post?

...and thank you for your service in Viet Nam BTW

wrong war, wrong place, and I think the country owes all who served honorably an appology (But I was born during the Tet offensive, so what do I know)

[NuttyFluffers]

48. if only they said that, i'd gladly mod that jar of mole

but then i love a bit of attention. i guess i could understand the self-conscious feeling - it is a surprise when you are expecting a monolingual experience. it's funny how the intellectual part of you (and me too!) can be totally ok with stuff, but our emotional part throws us a curve ball when we least expect it. maybe leftover programming from childhood past? it's sometimes like that for me. gut regurgitates bigoted nonsense and fear from past (that you never believed in, but was exposed to - like everyone is), but my mind knows better that all that stuff is full of crap. i see your post more of a curious introspection to the the inner-archie-bunker gut curveball that we *all* get from time to time. it's just you are honest in talking about it. a funny phenomenon, surprising how the negative vibes we are exposed to in everyday life can pop up in the most mysterious of ways.

[mitchtv]

20. Anda , compra en otro lugar

si te ofende.Eres estados unidense no?. wow, go to a latin store and they speak Spanish, how rude.

[Vickers]

21. How very inconsiderate of you to have a thread title in a foreign language

Who the hell do you think I am, Jeb Bush?

:spank:

[Swamp Rat]

22. ¡Ja ja ja!

¡Muy divertido!

Jeb Bush es un pendejo.

[Cleita]

32. Oui! Oui!

Tambien el Jeb Bush y su hermano son mojones! :evilgrin:

[Swamp Rat]

36. Como un mojón de caca?

Eu concordo com você. São pura merda do lagarto alienígeno!

[Cleita]

38. Yo no hablo su lengua,

pero entiendo que dice.

[Swamp Rat]

41. Ah, mudei ao portugües... desculpe.

Pues, si prefieres el español, entiendo porque es más facil y popular aquí. Cuando aprendas o portugües, poderás entender frances y italiano mucho mejor, especialmente el español. :)

abraço :hug:

[Cleita]

43. Abrazo, tambien!

:hug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. I grew up with relatives who spoke German and Latvian

My Latvian-born grandfather would invite friends over, and they would sit around speaking Latvian, which no one else in the family, including my grandmother, understood more than a few words of.

Having grown up in a German-speaking family, my grandmother understood that speaking your native language in a foreign country is like kicking your shoes off and changing into shorts and a T shirt.

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, immigrants who are speaking their native language are NOT talking about you or otherwise keeping secrets. You're just using that accusation to cover up your own feelings of inferiority.

I spent two weeks in Japan last month, and on several occasions, I went out to dinner with expatriate friends, speaking English with all of them (seeing as they were either American or Australian). At no time did I ever hear a Japanese person say, "You're in Japan. Speak Japanese" or anything else to that effect.

NOTE: I can speak Japanese, and so can all the people I had dinner with. (They're translators like me.) But it would feel weird to have a whole conversation in Japanese with another American if there were no Japanese in our party.

[Cleita]

27. So now you know how they feel when everyone speaks

English around them. Probably it was one employee telling another that she or he was wanted on the phone or at another station. It probably wasn't anything everyone needed to know or they would have announced in both languages like they do here in California.

[noiretextatique]

29. why were you pissed off?

another californian here. on any given day, i may hear russian, spanish, portugese, tagalog, french or any other language spoken...at work, in the grocery store, or just walking down the street. i never assume people are talking about me :shrug:
maybe it is time for you to learn spanish...at least you will know they aren't talking about you.
i've been trying to learn for several years, and still can barely speak it...good luck.

[Dees]

31. Converations anywhere in non English

languages don't bother me in the least. I have been with folks upon hearing anything other than English being spoken get tighter than a dollar watch. My usual comment is "ah, don't worry about it". When I heard the Spanish over the Food Lion store PA I said to myself, "that's interesting". For something to go out store wide for all to hear, employees and customers, should have probably been repeated in English. Not fair to other non Hispanic speaking employees as well.

[noiretextatique]

34. i'm sure if the employees complain

the management will set some language policy...but that might not be fair to the people who don't speak english.
i am working temporarily at a media school, and one of the first things i noticed is that most of the employees are not americans. i have come to believe that means the company's wages aren't very competitive...in my experience, that's almost always the case.

[Maestro]

30. Truly I wouldn't give a second thought

The announcement was probably not important and something that had to do with "fulanito de tal" (So and so or Joe Blow) who had to report somewhere or clean up something. If you go to a grocery store that caters to the Hispanic community these sort of announcements are to be expected. If it were an announcement for a sale of certain goods or some other business related announcement, it is simply their (the business') loss for not doing it in two languages, but no offense was meant.

I am very wary of language issues and people who promote English as the all inclusive standard for language (not that Dees is implying this and I know she isn't) but the whack job right loves to use English and language as a polarizing issue because they refuse to accept the huge paradigm shifts in populations that are ocurring. Basically, some just need to learn to accept it and adapt because you can not legislate culture or language. As a bilingual teacher in Texas I am faced with this daily from rethuglicans some of whom are teachers in my school, not many but some. However, by next year I will make sure they are gone! It's nice when you are near the top! :)

For more on language issues please visit my site at

www.irvingisd.net/~spollard . It hasn't been updated in forever since I am getting ready to redo it but if you click on the research link you can find some great links to language issues if you feel the need to research more. If you have Mozilla or Firefox you'll have to view it in IE to get all the page to view correctly. That is another reason I am redoing the site. I use Firefox and I can't even view my own page without going to IE.

[illcommandante]

35. My shipmates were troubled

by the fact that when winter came I got darker while they got lighter. The explanation appears to be kidneys, but they came up with something that excited them more. My fellow Oregonians arranged a blanket party for me (Not so nice a thing, and occaisionally fatal) with the approval of the brass. One of their number actually enjoyed the problem they thought I had and warned me. I escaped to Tijuana at night until the danger passed and I was reasonably white again. Insurrectos made a home for me when America wanted to see me dead. When you lose your hearing the first thing that goes is that second language. But, I lost my first. Tierra Y Libertad!

[monchie]

40. I'm pretty used to this, and I understand Spanish...

For close to 20 years, I've lived in Santo Domingo del Norte aka Alto Manhattan aka Upper Manhattan. In the eastern half of the neighborhood, the population is heavily Latino, mostly Dominican immigrants, while on the west it's more of a mixture of people. The local supermarket is staffed almost entirely by Latinos, mostly young people who do speak English but often use Spanish among themselves. And I do hear Spanish announcements on the PA, but they're never messages to the customers. They're messages between the employees, such as the manager calling for a cashier to come to a register.

When I get to the register, the cashiers always address me in English, but speak to the people who are obviously Latino in Spanish.

I've been to Montreal quite a few times, where you have a similar bilingual situation but with a few twists. Unlike the situation in NYC with Latinos and Anglos, it's not easy to distinguish a francophone from an anglophone by sight. So, store clerks generally greet you with a "Bonjour," but even if you respond with your own "Bonjour," if they detect your Anglo accent, they'll often continue in English.

[Jack_DeLeon]

45. There is no official language in the United States...

alot of people seem to take it for granted and assume that English is the language of the land. However that is not the case.

Its entirely possible that some day spanish will be the language of the land.