As someone who is in no way xenophobic, and is, in fact, learning Spanish, I must say that everybody living permanently in the US needs to know and be fluent in English, something that many native speakers can't claim. (Try listening to any rap made in the last three years.)
I find that offensive. Maybe I wanted to practice for my spanish class or something, did you ever think about the fact that we HAVE to take AT LEAST two years of foriegn languagfe in high school? Maybe we're supposed to be bilingual! Stupid xenophobics. [No offense >;)]
Anonymous_miss, why would you decide to practice for your Spanish class when ordering a sandwich in an Italian neighborhood in Philadelphia? (I happen to know the place well.) The employees are all English speaking, and the photo is deceptive -- there's usually a huge crowd there and you'd be taking your life into your hands if you didn't order fast enough in English, let alone if you were unable to order in English at all!
I'm neither a xenophobe nor monolingual. I also don't insist on speaking English everywhere I go -- I found it much more useful to speak Russian in Moscow.
Love the placement of the quotation marks on the sign, though.
I think Anonymous_Miss was using this thing called "sarcasm." It's this way of speaking or writing where you state things in one way but you mean them in another way, usually the "opposite" way....
Just a note. Apparently this same restaurant has been there for many decades, but back in the 1960's they would only serve you if you spoke Italian! Same intolerant attitude, just a different language. What a charming tradition from the old country to keep alive in the new one!
I came looking to see if this sign had been noticed, and of course it had. I see that this guy has been upheld by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations --
Interestingly, the body of the article reports the sign as saying "WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" but I don't see a PLEASE in that picture. The owner "has said he never refused service to anyone because they couldn't speak English. But critics argued that the signs discourage customers of certain backgrounds from eating at the shop." Like human beings, for instance? But if he's telling the truth, why have the sign at all, except to show that he's a bigot? We never shoulda let the Wops into this country ta begin wit'.
From what I know of Americans whose brains shut down if they hear foreign accents, I also wonder what constitutes speaking English for purposes of "service" in his establishment.
pd, not everyone who goes shopping or eats in restaurants is necessarily residing permanently here. They might be tourists. And Americans are notorious, not without reason, for expecting everyone to speak English when they travel elsewhere. I think other countries should require minimal competence in their languages before they grant an visa to Americans.
Oh, and I wonder if Geno's Steaks hires illegal Mexican workers with minimal English to work in their kitchen? Someone oughta check.
14 comments:
This just might be the winner. One of my all time favorites.
"True."
You "rock"!!!
This is America. WRITE in English.
It could be argued that he's promoting a slogan, thereby making the quotation viable.
As someone who is in no way xenophobic, and is, in fact, learning Spanish, I must say that everybody living permanently in the US needs to know and be fluent in English, something that many native speakers can't claim. (Try listening to any rap made in the last three years.)
I find that offensive. Maybe I wanted to practice for my spanish class or something, did you ever think about the fact that we HAVE to take AT LEAST two years of foriegn languagfe in high school? Maybe we're supposed to be bilingual! Stupid xenophobics. [No offense >;)]
To pd: LOL, I totally agree!
English language rocks!
Anonymous_miss, why would you decide to practice for your Spanish class when ordering a sandwich in an Italian neighborhood in Philadelphia? (I happen to know the place well.) The employees are all English speaking, and the photo is deceptive -- there's usually a huge crowd there and you'd be taking your life into your hands if you didn't order fast enough in English, let alone if you were unable to order in English at all!
I'm neither a xenophobe nor monolingual. I also don't insist on speaking English everywhere I go -- I found it much more useful to speak Russian in Moscow.
Love the placement of the quotation marks on the sign, though.
To beldujour:
I think Anonymous_Miss was using this thing called "sarcasm." It's this way of speaking or writing where you state things in one way but you mean them in another way, usually the "opposite" way....
How is someone who doesn't know English supposed to know they shouldn't bother with this establishment when the sign is in English?
Just a note. Apparently this same restaurant has been there for many decades, but back in the 1960's they would only serve you if you spoke Italian! Same intolerant attitude, just a different language. What a charming tradition from the old country to keep alive in the new one!
I came looking to see if this sign had been noticed, and of course it had. I see that this guy has been upheld by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations --
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/speak-english-signs-ok-at-philly-shop/20080320083809990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
Interestingly, the body of the article reports the sign as saying "WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" but I don't see a PLEASE in that picture. The owner "has said he never refused service to anyone because they couldn't speak English. But critics argued that the signs discourage customers of certain backgrounds from eating at the shop." Like human beings, for instance? But if he's telling the truth, why have the sign at all, except to show that he's a bigot? We never shoulda let the Wops into this country ta begin wit'.
From what I know of Americans whose brains shut down if they hear foreign accents, I also wonder what constitutes speaking English for purposes of "service" in his establishment.
pd, not everyone who goes shopping or eats in restaurants is necessarily residing permanently here. They might be tourists. And Americans are notorious, not without reason, for expecting everyone to speak English when they travel elsewhere. I think other countries should require minimal competence in their languages before they grant an visa to Americans.
Oh, and I wonder if Geno's Steaks hires illegal Mexican workers with minimal English to work in their kitchen? Someone oughta check.
Americans don't speak English, they speak American. They took our language and F***ed it up! :-)
Post a Comment