I understand illegal immigration

[HAL 9000 96]

There are A LOT of puerto ricans moving to Florida, NY or NJ in the past years ...

Not just NJ/NY but PA too. There are entire counties of northeast PA that are have gone Rican in the last few years. Heck, region homebuilders use images of Rican-looking families in their ads now.

And that must REALLY pizz off some racists.

And of course, to the eyes of most americans, they have no right to be there. Do Americans look down upon Hawaiians moving the mainland (serious question)?

Who the heck are Hawaiians? The only Hawaiians I know are on TV.

Isn't Hawaii some place to go on vacation?

This brings me to something else. I use to have a boss who preferred to be called African American (if a label were to be applied that is). She was born here in the US and in fact has never even visited another country. I countered with, being born here makes you AMERICAN, perhaps your ancestors were from Africa, but you are not.

This will stir this pot, I am sure. But here is my question. If we are to truely, someday, become a less racist country (btw, I personally don't believe there are different races, we are all the human race...there are only different ethnic backgrounds and ancestory, but that is a different thread), don't we need to eliminate the labels that separate our ethnic backgrounds? My ancestors were from Russia and The Czech Republic, but I call my self American.

-Blu-(boil, boil, toil and trouble)

I also believe we are one race.

Skin color, OTOH, is a defining factor in many places- both for the racists as well as for the ones playing pride identity. African Americans are Americans and I think they know that fairly well.

[Ladylethal 12]

Nationality in the legal, citizenship sense, yes. US (American). In the nationality-cultural sense, very much Puerto Ricans. That's why Puerto Ricans can't be considered like Texans, etc. It is a different national identity, a colonized one.

It was for the haters who think they're not part of America at all.

Puerto ricans are usually very proud of their culture and heritage. Luis's grandma has a boyfriend though who loves to say he wanted PR to drop the Spanish and the Salsa. Needless to say the rest of the family dislikes him somewhat.

[HAL 9000 96]

Nationality in the legal, citizenship sense, yes. US (American). In the nationality-cultural sense, very much Puerto Ricans. That's why Puerto Ricans can't be considered like Texans, etc. It is a different national identity, a colonized one.

It was for the haters who think they're not part of America at all.

Puerto ricans are usually very proud of their culture and heritage. Luis's grandma has a boyfriend though who loves to say he wanted PR to drop the Spanish and the Salsa. Needless to say the rest of the family dislikes him somewhat.

Yeah I got cha. It really is a thorn in the side of modern day morons. Ironically some of these folks just could have been part of the Jingo brigade calling for the US to declare war on Spain for its remaining colonies... already on the road to independence.

Funny you bring it up... there is no way in Hell PR will be allowed to use Spanish as an official language if it becomes a State. Reason #34076 it will never do so. Estadistas try skirting around that... but FAIL.

[Ladylethal 12]

Well, at least the majority of the younger generation is all fully bilingual. I mean, my in laws start sentences in Spanish and finish off in English. My ears had to get used to the constant switching.

[Marina-Del 10]

I agree, people are not African American unless they (or maybe their parents) were born in Africa. I had this conversation with my "African American" friend a couple years ago and she agreed. Her family had been in the states longer than mine!! She preferred that people call her black and not African American, but I guess that's just up to different peoples opinions and preferences.

My grandparents were from Italy and I even hold an Italian passport!!! But I don't speak Italian and I've only lived in Italy for 6 months of my life (about a year ago), but I don't call myself Italian American, just plan American -that's where I was born, raised, and plan on living soon.

Del and my children I suppose might be Brazilian Americans...but that depends. Yes, Del is Brazilian and yes, we'll speak Portuguese in our household. But (at least as far as plans go now) they will still be born and raised in the US and only visit Brazil once a year (at most)...so that's still pretty much American.

[HAL 9000 96]

Well, at least the majority of the younger generation is all fully bilingual. I mean, my in laws start sentences in Spanish and finish off in English. My ears had to get used to the constant switching.

Yeah I hate that too.

The brain isn't circuited for that kind of use. Different languages activate different parts. Of course... maybe the use of Spanglish has made faster thinkers, activating different areas of language cortex in succession... but I doubt it.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Well, at least the majority of the younger generation is all fully bilingual. I mean, my in laws start sentences in Spanish and finish off in English. My ears had to get used to the constant switching.

Yeah I hate that too.

The brain isn't circuited for that kind of use. Different languages activate different parts. Of course... maybe the use of Spanglish has made faster thinkers, activating different areas of language cortex in succession... but I doubt it.

Then why is it so common? Not just Spanglish but other forms of 'hybrid' communication as well. Most urban kids in India will switch between Hindi and English multiple times in the same sentence without batting an eyelid. I can't do it like they can but I think it's very cool.

[Ladylethal 12]

Try being in my house the days I'm talking to my family in Brazil through Skype, my husband is sitting next to me talking in Spanish, and we're on the phone with the airline company, in English, trying to schedule our next trip to Brazil.

I've had situations where I was translating from English and Spanish to Portuguese and vice-versa all at the same time, and yes, I will sometimes speak Spanish to my family in Brasil and portuguese to Luis in the middle of this mess.

And it's true, I'm now mixing all 3 languages while I talk to my husband, and mixing Spanish and English when I talk to his family.

Edited July 1, 2009 by Ladylethal

[HAL 9000 96]

Well, at least the majority of the younger generation is all fully bilingual. I mean, my in laws start sentences in Spanish and finish off in English. My ears had to get used to the constant switching.

Yeah I hate that too.

The brain isn't circuited for that kind of use. Different languages activate different parts. Of course... maybe the use of Spanglish has made faster thinkers, activating different areas of language cortex in succession... but I doubt it.

Then why is it so common? Not just Spanglish but other forms of 'hybrid' communication as well. Most urban kids in India will switch between Hindi and English multiple times in the same sentence without batting an eyelid. I can't do it like they can but I think it's very cool.

What would that be called? Hindish?

Sure... the brain can learn how to do it... and in time it can even become a new language outright. That's how our family of languages has evolved, IMO.

What we could be seeing, a few centuries down the line, after millenia of having languages evolve into differentiated structures... is a further evolution into more simplified forms where eventually we may end up with one global tongue. That would really be interesting.

Try being in my house the days I'm talking to my family in Brazil through Skype, my husband is sitting next to me talking in Spanish, and we're on the phone with the airline company, in English, trying to schedule our next trip to Brazil.

I've had situations where I was translating from English and Spanish to Portuguese and vice-versa all at the same time, and yes, I will sometimes speak Spanish to my family in Brasil and portuguese to Luis in the middle of this mess.

And it's true, I'm now mixing all 3 languages while I talk to my husband, and mixing Spanish and English when I talk to his family.

Substitute Basque in there... as was my case with my ex.

[Wyld Blu 35]

Try being in my house the days I'm talking to my family in Brazil through Skype, my husband is sitting next to me talking in Spanish, and we're on the phone with the airline company, in English, trying to schedule our next trip to Brazil.

I've had situations where I was translating from English and Spanish to Portuguese and vice-versa all at the same time, and yes, I will sometimes speak Spanish to my family in Brasil and portuguese to Luis in the middle of this mess.

And it's true, I'm now mixing all 3 languages while I talk to my husband, and mixing Spanish and English when I talk to his family.

OK...there is an I Love Lucy episode like this! Hahahahaha

-Blu-(Wait til I learn dutch, mixed in with my limited spanish I try to speak and English...God...that's Duishlish)

[AlHayatZween 2]

Well, at least the majority of the younger generation is all fully bilingual. I mean, my in laws start sentences in Spanish and finish off in English. My ears had to get used to the constant switching.

Yeah I hate that too.

The brain isn't circuited for that kind of use. Different languages activate different parts. Of course... maybe the use of Spanglish has made faster thinkers, activating different areas of language cortex in succession... but I doubt it.

Then why is it so common? Not just Spanglish but other forms of 'hybrid' communication as well. Most urban kids in India will switch between Hindi and English multiple times in the same sentence without batting an eyelid. I can't do it like they can but I think it's very cool.

Now see, i used to think this was very cool, too... until i started teaching and my students would write me essays inter-changing English & Spanish... and most of the time it wasn't correct in either language... (This was in a high school...)

i don't know... i'd like to study the reason for it though, from a linguistic & developmental standpoint.

[HAL 9000 96]

Well, at least the majority of the younger generation is all fully bilingual. I mean, my in laws start sentences in Spanish and finish off in English. My ears had to get used to the constant switching.

Yeah I hate that too.

The brain isn't circuited for that kind of use. Different languages activate different parts. Of course... maybe the use of Spanglish has made faster thinkers, activating different areas of language cortex in succession... but I doubt it.

Then why is it so common? Not just Spanglish but other forms of 'hybrid' communication as well. Most urban kids in India will switch between Hindi and English multiple times in the same sentence without batting an eyelid. I can't do it like they can but I think it's very cool.

Now see, i used to think this was very cool, too... until i started teaching and my students would write me essays inter-changing English & Spanish... and most of the time it wasn't correct in either language... (This was in a high school...)

i don't know... i'd like to study the reason for it though, from a linguistic & developmental standpoint.

THAT is the problem... its not that they speak/write two languages correctly a lot of the time. The switch happens a lot when there is a deficiency in proper use.

[Ladylethal 12]

That is definitely why I mix the 3 languages at times, to make myself understood as my Spanish is not perfect. I try Portuguese and if the word is not similar I go ahead and use English. Besides, Luis fails to correct me sometimes so I end up having to mix if I want to convey an idea.

[Marina-Del 10]

Yeah, I definitely switch back and forth between Portuguese and English, most especially when I am having difficulty. I'll talk to you in Portuguese as long as I can figure out the words...but as soon as I get to a word that I don't know, I'll switch back to English and most likely wont go back to my weaker language of Portuguese.

[Niels Bohr 72]

I hate those Mexicans who pretend to be Peurto Rican and blasts their boom cars across the streets. They have time to collect welfare checks, and use it to party.