English, the only language on the menu
As an American working for the ´óÏó´«Ã½, I often joke with my colleagues that we're separated by a common language. Different slang, different idioms, different cultural reference points that complicate everything, especially humour. Even though the US and the UK speak English, there is still plenty of room for confusion.
The US doesn't have an official language, but in this election year with immigration high on the agenda, the role of the English language in American society is a talking point. The has placed a sign in the window: "This is America, please order In English."
What do you think? Is a common language a common good?
One of our frequent commenters here on the World Have Your Say blog writes under the nom de plume, Ipanema, at her own blog called Land's End. She had this to say about the :
Wherever one goes, the person is bound to pick up language of a country and eventually master it. I used to receive cold welcome in countries I’ve lived and worked when I answer them in English. When I was able to converse in simple phrases, they warm up and they’ll help me enunciate and offer alternative word choice. To be able to assimilate properly, we need to communicate in their native tongue.
John, who writes a blog on MySpace, and lives in Ohio in the US :
Ah yes, only in America can immigrant families bitch about foreigners not ordering food in English.
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