Press 1 for English

[southerngale]

Ok, so I'm a little perturbed that everywhere I call, I have to press 1 for English. In America! Anyway, as annoying as it is, I've gotten used to it. This takes the cake! My phone rings AT HOME. It's a number that I don't recognize, but I pick it up anyway. I'm greeted with a woman's voice on a recorder that says, "Hello. To hear this message in English, please press 1."

Are you kidding me?

They call MY house, don't even tell me who they are, and to hear their message when they called ME, an English speaking household, I have to press 1 for English? Unbelievable.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a human on the other end of the line to hear my response before I hung up.

[coriolis]

Just wait'll you have to press "2" for English. You can't stand in the way of history.

[Derek Ortt]

well... we are a bilingual nation now.

Here in Miami, Spanish is the first language. What do I do, hablo espanol cuando tengo que hablar espanol! It's not that big of a deal

[brunota2003]

"Press 1 for English. Press 2 to hang up until you've learned to speak English, then call again."

[Category 5]

I'm in favor of making english the national language. Not because I hate every foreigner, but because a country that speaks 10 different languages would be just plain confusing, and its becoming that way in places. (like Miami as derek mentioned)

[TYNI]

We've been this way in Canada forever, press 1 for English, 2 for French...

You get used to it, but only when YOU initiate the call... not receiving a call...

[HURAKAN]

Having just one language makes all the sense in the world but at the same time, diversity is what created the United States of America.

[JonathanBelles]

As we are in America, the melting pot of cultures, it should be expected. If they did not ask which language, they could start speaking to you in a different language. We have 100's of languages in the US that are spoke every day, and we will all have to adapt whether you like it or not. I am not in favor of making english the national language because it excludes half of the american population. I do think though that all americans should be able to understand and reply in English. Most other major countries overwhelmingly are bilingual or trilingual, why shouldnt the most diverse country in the world be the same??

[Category 5]

Having just one language makes all the sense in the world but at the same time, diversity is what created the United States of America.

And now we're getting so big that a national language is becoming impossible.

[brunota2003]

How about the language the Cherokee used?

[Derek Ortt]

I'm in favor of making english the national language. Not because I hate every foreigner, but because a country that speaks 10 different languages would be just plain confusing, and its becoming that way in places. (like Miami as derek mentioned)

There are not 10 different languages spoken in Miami. The first is Spanish, the second is English.

I support official bilingualism, since we never declared English as the official language and a large percentage already speaks Spanish

[coriolis]

My wife accuses me of speaking engineer-speak.

Even English is a very diverse language.

[Cryomaniac]

I speak a small amount of Spanish (as I've shown on this board in the past), but as I intend to live in the Miami area sometime in the future it might be wise for me to learn some more.

[gtalum]

We're a multilingual nation, whether people choose to accept that fact or not. Companies would be stupid to simply ignore the millions who speak other languages as their primary language. It's time to embrace change, not fear it. Static cultures always die.

Spanish is quickly becoming passé. Mandarin Chinese is the new language to learn. I'm refreshing my Spanish via Rosetta Stone, and plan to move on to Mandarin Chinese next.

[Pburgh]

You really don't want to hear my comments on this.

[somethingfunny]

You really don't want to hear my comments on this.

I wish I could press 3 for Swedish. Can I request that my call be taken by someone with a Texas accent or a New York accent or a Wisconsin dialect? What about Press 1 for big 5-dollar words and 2 for hillbilly hickspeak. 3 for babytalk, what if a child needs to use the service? This could get expensive to set up so many different sets of forms and recorded messages and labels and signs.

The thing is, when you come to the United States you do so with the understanding that you must pay your employees over the table and pay taxes to our government, you must use the US Dollar, not Pesos or Yen or Euros, and you need to learn and use English. That's what my grandparents had to do when they came here from Russia in the 1800s, and it's what my dad had to do when he came here from Sweden 30 years ago. I guess if they didn't want to speak English, use dollars, and pay US taxes, then they'd still be over there and I wouldn't be here today.

[DanKellFla]

I'm in favor of making english the national language. Not because I hate every foreigner, but because a country that speaks 10 different languages would be just plain confusing, and its becoming that way in places. (like Miami as derek mentioned)

There are not 10 different languages spoken in Miami. The first is Spanish, the second is English.

I support official bilingualism, since we never declared English as the official language and a large percentage already speaks Spanish

Creole is also spoken by Many in Miami, so is Hebrew. There are locations where French is very common (Aventura). And the English of Jamaica can be heard all over the place. Miami is very diverse. Spanish is the most common language by far. But, even there you have all the different dialects. I don't understand, but I know that Columbians have their own way of speaking that is different from the Cubans for example. I can't really tell the difference. My Spanish if very poor.

[gtalum]

I actually really like Miami for the same reasons a lot of people seem to hate it. It's a lot like visiting latin America without having to leave the US.

[Derek Ortt]

a running joke is you need a visa to pass from Miami-Dade to Broward County LOL

Yes, Creole is spoken and all elections are also written in Creole. However, it is very small compared to the Spanish.

For the record, I do not expect people to talk to me in English. I have been here long enough that I should be able to converse well in Spanish. If I cannot, the fault lies on me as I knew coming down here that Spanish, not English, is the primary language

[Ptarmigan]

Creole is also spoken by Many in Miami, so is Hebrew. There are locations where French is very common (Aventura). And the English of Jamaica can be heard all over the place. Miami is very diverse. Spanish is the most common language by far. But, even there you have all the different dialects. I don't understand, but I know that Columbians have their own way of speaking that is different from the Cubans for example. I can't really tell the difference. My Spanish if very poor.

I can kinda tell the difference of how Spanish is spoken. It also has to do with wording.
Mexican-Emphasizes the "r's"
Argentinian/Uruguayan (Rioplatense Spanish)-Speaks with an Italian accent, especially in Buenos Aires area.

America has many languages spoken, but not the most. America has 311 languages. Some nations have more language spoken than in America. India has 427 languages, while Papua New Guinea has 820 languages.

http://www.vistawide.com/languages/20_c ... guages.htm