Laugh for the day
|June 16, 2006|
Going over the accumulated copies of the San Francisco Chronicle from the past 2 weeks, I find this gem of a headline, its article reprinted from the NYT:
Bush urges immigrants
to learn English, history
Now there’s an idea.
Posted in Blog
Perhaps the tip on learning English reflects Bush’s experiences in navigating through life with inadequate English skills.
It’s interesting how scathing the remarks get about someone’s English skills when we would never say such a thing to any other person trying their best to speak correctly. I have a friend who was a colonel in the Air Force who said he had difficulty expressing his ideas correctly and any person who could express his ideas well, no matter how poor the ideas, was one step ahead of him. Usually our English facility begins in the home. Because English was spoken well in my home, my grasp of grammar is ok. I never had to take English grammar courses in college. But that does not mean I have “adequate English skills” or that my ideas are stellar.
My ancestors came over from Norway and they all immediately set to work learning English. I regret, in fact, their lack of insistence that we all would keep our hold on Norwegian. However, we all have the wonderful midwestern accent that is so unmercifully made fun of by the coastal peoples. No doubt we also have inadequate English pronunciation and should hang our heads.
The irony of Bush encouraging better English… I think the best thing to say at this point is, “Is our children learning?”
I’ve never made a comment before, and I just barely found this blog, but I’m so excited, because I just found your two most recent books on audible. I’m a graphic designer, and so I spend ridiculous amounts of time at my computer. I’m thrilled to have something I know will be awesome to listen to.
Thanks!!!!!!
Thanks for the laugh, Laurie. I share the opinion that your cat may have been alert to the coming quake . . . it happens.
I must say, Vicki, when I lived in Wisconsin for a dozen years, it was the Swedes and Norsky’s (they called themselves this or I’d not take liberties)and Lutherans who made the most fun of their ‘isms’ and accents. The whole time I’ve lived in L.A., I’ve barely run across anyone except fans of Prairie Home Companion who even know what a ‘real’ midwestern accent is, much less make fun of it. Funny how individual experience differs.
I agree with Tai……..IS our children learning?? I always have to wonder at the “elite” of this country who had the best possible education and still can’t put together a sentence or spell potatoe/potato.
Worst example for me was the OJ suicide note. I always suspected USC was just a football factory, OJ’s note proved it.
I’ll leave the irony hanging–it speaks for itself just fine–but will point out that, taken at face value, it’s darned good advice for pretty much everybody. The language skills of my husband’s high school students are out-and-out horrifying.