March 2, 2002
I have lived in the South for the past 16 years, and I have to say that there are some things that just amaze me about this part of the United States in general, and Florida in particular.
One of them is the endless debate over the use of English and the attitudes expressed toward those who speak Spanish and may not have that much ability in English.
In high school, I took my studies of Spanish very seriously and, while I've forgotten much of it, I can understand most street signs and directions in that language. It's quite a beautiful language, and its grammar also has helped me to understand English grammar that much better. Any language with the imperfect subjunctive tense can't be all bad.
But there are those who see Spanish or any other foreign language spoken or written in their presence as a threat. Not being able to understand what other people are saying can be intimidating, but it also can serve as an important lesson.
Most of the rhetoric against the Spanish language is directed at people who are not that well off and lack education, and time to learn a new language is a luxury they may not have. Showing a little compassion for those who are different should be what America is all about, not hurling invectives at people for being different or not being as fluent in English as someone who was born here and grew up in an English-speaking household.
People who make the case for English only are fond of saying that this is America, we have all this freedom and that people here should do things our way, and our way alone.
When I moved to Vero Beach from Palm Beach County, the moving crew consisted of three Hispanic men. One spoke and understood English well, but the other two did not. Thanks to my Spanish training, I was able to speak to the two who did not understand English about where my furniture and other possessions were to go in the new place.
The crew leader thanked me for being so understanding, noting that some customers had an attitude problem about members of a moving crew not being able to speak and understand English. To me, it was just plain courtesy.
To have such a negative attitude toward Spanish also is ludicrous. Our state has a Spanish name, there are cities all over Florida with Spanish names and there are streets galore with Spanish names.
Instead of condemning the linguistic diversity that is all around us, we should embrace it. As a language, English has borrowed freely from all languages of the world and adapted words until they're as much a part of the language as the original English as spoken in England.
When I worked for the Boca Raton News, people wrote in all the time complaining about Spanish. This in a city where one of the main roads through one of the city's most exclusive areas was called Camino Real.
To me, part of that freedom includes speaking the language one grew up speaking. Damning people because they can't speak the language perfectly is not what this nation is about.
Vincent F. Safuto is a copy editor for the Press Journal. Reach him at Vincent.Safuto@scripps.com.
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