Learn Spanish

Why Learn Spanish?
Objections
There is a great deal of controversy today on the practice of learning to speak
Spanish, particularly in light of the fact that the number of illegal immigrants
travelling from Central America to North America (that we know of) has increased
dramatically in recent years. Many claim that if Americans were to learn to speak
Spanish it would simply further the problem of illegal immigration by making it
easier for them to function in society. The common belief is that if they were forced to
learn to speak English to survive in society the immigration issue would rapidly
evaporate on its own.
The simple fact of the matter is that Americans are extremely arrogant when it
comes to their language. The fact that English is a fairly universal language has led
them on a slow slide into complacency. Almost every other country around the world
requires that its school children learn to speak (at the very least) English and the
native language of the country; as a matter of fact, if you were to visit a school in
Europe you would find that their children devote a great deal of time to learning to
speak not only their own language, but that of each of their neighboring countries as
well. That means that anyone studying in France would learn to speak both French
and English, as well as at least the fundamentals of Italian, German and Spanish in
order to assure that when the time comes for them to take their place in the workforce
they will be able to interact with their neighbors, both at home and abroad.
Americans have never been required to do so, for the simple fact that English
is taught in most foreign countries. Upon travelling to a foreign country they are
almost guaranteed to be able to find at least one individual who speaks English in any
establishment that they go to. This means that the practice of learning the language of
your neighbors has been cast aside. By rights Americans should learn to speak both
French and Spanish, in order to give them a leg up on doing business with their
closest neighbors, Mexico and Canada; however, this has been spurned in the arrogant
belief that anyone wishing to have any interaction, whether it be for financial or
personal gain, in the United States must learn to speak English in order to do so, as
English is the language of America.
Never mind, of course, that until recent years the United States didn’t even
HAVE an “official” language in the eyes of its citizens. The United States is a melting
pot, and its original settlers came to her golden shores speaking every language under
the sun. In fact, in some parts of the United States this is still apparent. French is
spoken extensively in Louisiana, and throughout California, New Mexico, Texas,
Arizona and Florida Spanish is considered to be the “official” second language of the
region. Throughout parts of the mid-west textbooks were printed in German until
World War II, when the national distaste of all things German following Hitler’s reign
of terror led to said textbooks being reprinted in English and the German language
slowly but surely being nudged into obscurity. In light of the extremely diverse
linguistic history that the people of the United States enjoy, it is difficult to
understand precisely where their objection to the presence of the Spanish language
“from sea to shining sea” evolves from.
The Real Reason That Many People Choose Not to Learn Spanish
Of course, these are the reasons that many give based on the political conflicts
in the United States. The question is, are these the real reasons? Are we seeing the
whole story? Or is there another underlying cause to their complaints that has nothing
to do with patriotism or the continuation of a way of life?
There are a number of reasons why a person may choose not to learn the
Spanish language, almost all of them completely unrelated to the political climate of
the country they choose to inhabit. For most of those individuals who firmly refuse to
learn to speak in a foreign tongue (this applies to all languages, not just Spanish) the
fear of failure is their driving motivation. It is far simpler for them to convince
themselves that they do not want to learn than to face the possibility that they may at
some point in the future make a mistake when they are speaking and appear to be a
fool in front of their friends and colleagues. What does this mean? It means that the
biggest challenge that you are going to face when it comes to learning to speak
Spanish is not from the outside world, but from within yourself!
Benefits
Once you have acknowledged and discarded the obstacles which are going to
stand in your way on your quest for knowledge...