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Old 08-04-2005, 08:08 AM   #5 (permalink)
matthewmurcia
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This is an interesting thread. I am a British linguist who lives in Spain. In England, for a few years now I seem to rember, there have been schools where the first language is not English but Hindu or Urdu or something, due to the number of immigrants from countries that speak those languages. Now the government is worried about radical islamic clerics that give their sermons in other languages and there have been similar concerns here in Spain with Arabic.

As far as Spanish in the US goes, I remember studying the phenomenon at university a few years ago. I think your politicians are too vote hungry to pass the speak English Bill you have mentioned. I've heard that many of them are even learning Spanish to be able to garner more votes from the hispanic community. I've also read about the increase in Spanish speaking media.

Here where I live in the south of Spain, we have road signs in arabic (this part of the country being oart of the motroway that leads from northern europe down to the north of Africa), and last year the biggest local newspaper even started bringing out a version in German due to the large number of German tourists that come and visit all year round.
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