Go has a point.

I like to go to England, the country where our language first evolved. It's a hoot, chatting with people there, and watching them observing my Americanisms and accent. I can't say what, if any accent I have here at home, but in England my language stands out. Certainly I can communicate well, but it is interesting to note that the English anticipate certain attitudes just because of my accent. Often my iconoclastic approach is a real surprise to them.

But our language does continually evolve. We are constantly adding words and terms that leave foreigners baffled. "Twenty-four seven" is fairly new, and it's a mouthful as compared to always. Y2k, less than a decade old and has basically become a 'word.'
We don't make it easy for those new to the language, what with our endless idioms and slang.

 

> Being born and raised in a country makes one a Native of that country

I think I can agree with that.

After all, noone was really "born" here in the USA, every so called "native" American (north or south) likely has Mongoloid (sp?) DNA. The so called native Americans (Indians) were killing each for thousands of years afterwards to "claim" each other's terrority as their small clans rose and fell after being wiped out entirely. They were far from a perfect society with their idol worship, spirit worship, sexual immorality, human sacrifice, etc.. The so called natives met people smarter, and better at killing, simple as that. Manifest Destiny.

 

A specious and clearly untenable analysis of American Indian culture born of colossal mental necrosis.

 

Well, it seems we all slimed our way out of the big pond originally anyway.

 

I was going to write a rational, reasoned response to this post, but why bother. Ignorance and bigotry are evidently cake, not crimes - so by all means, help yourself to seconds...

(quietly walking away, trolling not... grrrrrrrr)

 

You are a nice guy Tex

 

Yes, he is.

 

Well, for a start I don't like to refer to these people as "illegal aliens", they are merely people, like you and I who are striving for a better way of life.

Should it be my responsibility to victimise them? I think not. I don't blame them for wanting out.
They don't decide to run across a desert, hide in sealed containers, risk thier life in an old fishing boat because they feel like a rush. They do it because that risk is less to them than is the risk of them staying in their own country.

We have had a discussion about what you consider "an American". I would like to add to my post in that thread that I believe people that are "Australia" are not only the current residents of it, but also anyone who wishes to be an Australian.

I believe there should be an easier way for people to LEGALLY enter the country, but I would like a screening process first. What can they bring to this country?

A lot of the "illegals" here are the hardest workers I have come across. It has got the point where I rarely see an "Anglo-Saxon" Australian driving a Taxi, picking fruit, working in manufacturing plants etc.
Mainly because a lot of us think we are "beyond" such jobs.
Meanwhile we have 5% of our (and your) population that is unwilling to work. While it may be harsh, I say, keep these "illegals" coming, and ship those continuously dependant upon welfare somewhere else.
Maybe that way they will get a real feel for how "tough" life can be.

I am not overly concerned if people don't talk in English around me, and if things are labeled primarily in another language other than English. I enjoy being a part of it.
It would be remiss of me to say I disliked seeing Mandorin written on food wrapping, when I am at the moment eating some of the finest Sour and Hot Eel Soup.

I believe that there are 2 problems here.
1, them actually entering the country illegally, but also them entering the country.
What makes the US so much more attractive over Mexico? The answer is quite simply MONEY.
Or, more to the point, financial inequality. While I don't believe that we should get a tax hike, but I believe it is our responsibility in being wealthy nations to have some form of responsibilty in assisting (and not necassarily financial assitance) our neighbours in building thier economy. It is in OUR best interest to do so - even if it may not be immediately apparent.

Create an environment where nobody would want to risk thier life in trying to get to the US of A (or Australia), because life where they live ain't all that bad.

 

Folks, keep this thread respectful without the jokes and it can stay open.

As to language, generally you'll find that language experts point to the "Smokey Mountain English" dialect as closest to Britain's English as spoken original during the early days of this country. It has the most archaic words and pronunciations. The Southern coastal dialect is closest to the the original "colonial English".

References to mid-western English being the closest to the original are incorrect. This region has huge outside influence in the language.

The more isolated the culture from outside languages and later waves of immigrants, the less dialect shift.

I find the subject of language drift fascinating.

 

Here in SE VA, its not that bad, yet. That might be due to the fact that it is mostly military/gov't jobs around here. I was at the DMV the other day and noticed that they had a driver's manual in spanish. That makes no sense to me, unless they are going to start putting spanish on the traffic signs.

 

Does anyone share my opinion that most of the complaining done on the internet comes from uninformed, immature, bigotted, dunder-heads?
How moronic is it to whine and cry about something that makes absolutely no difference to anyone outside your own miniscule universe!
We complain about "illegal aliens" without defining the term in the proper perspective, not realizing that the western US belonged to them long before caucasians immigrated here. We complain about the wonderful opportunity the government is giving us to learn about other cultures, and to learn another language.
The world is not a large planet, and thanks to technology and "progress," it's getting smaller by the second. We need to learn to be more accepting of the differences in people and start getting along. Even with Canadians.

 

http://www.politicsforum.org/images/...s/flame_38.php

 

Oh, so true!!

 

i usedto live 15 mins away from the 7-11 where they would stand and if you went down there mid day there were a good 50+ of them there waiting for a truck to come buy and pick them up.

 

Ken, you are correct, and I was hoping that my note that I was being facetious would be a clear indicator that what I was saying may not be entirely factual. I was just using that particular scenario to make a point.

If you listen to a Briton imitate a Southern American accent, it almost invariably sounds identical to that of a Virginian or Carolinian. I can not do a southern accent nearly as well as most British folk that I have heard.