English 101
You know, I don't see any problem with the idea of English as the American "National Language," as long as it has the same level of authority and gravitas as the Florida State Pie* and State Play. Somehow, though, I suspect it is intended to be a divisive and racist issue.
When I first moved to Miami from Broward County I admit, I was a bit taken aback by the amount of Spanish in daily use. It put me off, and I felt rather disoriented. I was afraid my earnest attempt to get a cup of coffee from the waitress would end up with a burly man coming out of the back of the restaurant with a cleaver in his hand and murder in his eyes. Eventually, though, I realized that this must be how non-English speakers feel when traveling to Sawgrass Mills. So I learned a few important phrases — Un cafécito, por favor. • ¿Cuánto dinero? • ¿Estás realmente una mujer? — and trusted to karma that the people I dealt with would be understanding of my own linguistic ignorance. Perhaps these English-only people feel their own ignorance is beyond any such understanding.
*Incidentally, introducing that masterful piece of legislation and guiding it through assaults from the Pecan Pie Lobby may be the most intelligent thing Larcenia Bullard has ever done.
4 Comments:
Estas realemnte una mujer? If I'd been drinking when I read this, it probably would have squirted through my nose. LMAO!
Although I think the right verb for that situation is 'eres' unless you mean to ask if she's a women at this moment in time (as opposed to all the time). That might apply in some Miami scenes, though, so maybe you're right after all.
But ignore me, I'm the last idiot you should take Spanish grammar lessons from.
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Oops. As I was saying. If you don't lose sleep over key lime vs. pecans, wait, and our friend at some cranky guy mistaking a lawyer for guacamole, what gives? What's this multi-cultural world coming to?
Now NicFitKid, give this well-meaning fella a break.
And as a Spanish-speaking lady, I still say: everyone should learn English, but it's nice that some people try to communicate, being realistic.
Manola, I swear I wasn't witholding breaks from the illustrious mkh, just laughing at his jokes and having fun with verbs, which almost always kick my ass when I speak out in my horribly disfigured half-Ecuadorian-but-never-really-learned Spanish. On the fabulous interwebs, however, I can look those little fuckers up.
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