Gingrich Decries Bilingual Ed.(bilingual education ="language of living in a ghetto")

[rainbow4321]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GINGRICH_2008?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-03-31-16-38-31

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich equated bilingual education Saturday with "the language of living in a ghetto" and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages.

"The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He made the comments in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women.

"The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. ... We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.

"Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that's true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English," he said.

[ccpup]

1. crowd of 100?

compared to the thousands Hillary, Obama, Edwards and Gore get, that seems pretty laughable.

[juno jones]

12. ahem, OVER a hundred...

...which means they also counted the staff at the hall where this took place...:)

[Skidmore]

22. The crowd itself was made up of

Phyllis Schlafly clones.

[rainbow4321]

23. Much like when Giuliani came to TX

and his golf tourney to raise "run for prez $$" was held. A local article said that the "stand here for free to watch area" had 10 people standing there.

[Lost-in-FL]

36. 100 crowd = 1 brazillion n/t

[Robbien]

2. The fact that a person from this nation's leadership says such bigoted things

means this nation has changed into a completely different animal than the one it was just a decade or two ago.

Gingrich is speaking to the rich elite and cares nothing about anyone else's reaction.

[Bronyraurus]

31. No, he's not

Rich people don't give a rat's ass about official languages. It's the middle-class and working class whites he's appealing to.

[whistle]

3. Diversity in America as long as it is all English....

...as for "the language of living in a ghetto", what does Newt Gingrich mean by that exactly?

[CTyankee]

4. Putting on my Literacy Volunteers hat, I will say that

we believe that it is in the best interests of non-English speakers to learn English so they can get better jobs, help their kids in school, understand what they are being told in doctor's offices and hospitals,and to help protect them in times of emergency.

Gingrich is playing to the lowest common denominator in his party with this stuff about the ghetto. It is disrespectful for other people's languages to be called the language of the ghetto.

However, the basic fact is that new immigrants to this country do best when they learn English. I manage volunteer tutors in programs all over New Haven where people can learn English, not because we feel superior, but because we feel they can be helped in thriving in our society.

I say all this in great humility, as an adult learner of a foreign language. It is a tough thing to learn another language as an adult and I know it from personal classroom experience!

Newt is the lowest of the low in my estimation for what he said. Shame on him!

[roody]

14. The best vehicle to your second language is

a deep understanding and literacy in your first language.

[CTyankee]

21. That's is interesting. I think I know what you mean, but my problem

is that I have no Italian speakers to talk with in Italian (the language I am studying).

With speakers of Spanish here in this country, they do have the advantage of listening to American TV and, of course, English is spoken all around them. That is the difference.

But of course, yes, as I understand the structure of my language, I can better understand the structure of another. However, that is a difficult thing in learning to speak that language. I can read and write better in Italian than I can speak it and that is a problem in not being able to speak it on a regular basis (no one to speak it to). Language must be spoken if it is to be learned, as we tell our students in literacy classes.

[roody]

25. Language is acquired by listening.

[CTyankee]

26. Correct, but adult learners who are used to learning by reading

also need to engage in conversation. I use a combination of listening to tapes and repetition of the taped spoken Italian with reading and writing. I lack spontaneous conversation in the language. My Italian improves when I am actualy in Italy because I am thinking it and hearing it all around. It gets better if Idon't constantly speak English while I'm there. A good argument for total immersion!

[roody]

27. Yes, for listening and speaking, total immersion.

For reading and writing, you must have the basis of your first language literacy. Students who know more of their first language can acquire their second language so much easier. So if we want kids to be good in Englsih, we need to support their home language as much as possible, and illiterate adults will learn so much better if they learn to read and write their first language. I teach in a dual immersion program. One face, one language. Full literacy in home language taught.

[CTyankee]

30. One thing about learning through your own language structure is

that other languages have different structures. I was struggling with the passato imperfetto in Italian because it was so different from our English past tense. Also, assigning everything a feminine or masculine spelling that have past participle agreement was a major difference. For instance, in Italian the generic word for "table" is the masculine "tavolo" but when it is used to call family to dinner it magically becomes feminine with the saying "a tavola!"

Just one of the delights of the beautiful Italian language!

[roody]

32. I have found that studying another language

helps me understand my first language better, especially grammar. Knowing Spanish often helps me spell correctly in English.

[CTyankee]

37. I credit my two years of Latin in high school for my good English

skills, vocabulary especially. I told me kids they should take Latin, only one did but she was glad she did.

When I speak Italian I tend to speak it as an English speaker, tho, in that I will structure the sentence with subject, verb, object (a declarative sentence that is). In Italian you can get the subject at the end of the sentence. Hearing it often makes all the difference (I am convinced I would be great in Italian if I lived there for a few months!). But I can't quite roll my "r's"...

[DCKit]

5. Filthy minded, evil, evil man

Finding out he was having an affair while persecuting the Clinton's full-time just proves my creepdar was working all along.

[progdonkey]

6. maybe voting itself should require passing a test on American History...

...that would disqualify 90% of the Republican base right there. Sounds like a plan to me!

[DCKit]

7. Or Homes WITHOUT wheels, perhaps?

It amazes me that so many loyal Repukes are among the working poor.

What is it about the Democrats that doesn't appeal to every single working person in this country?

[49jim]

8. Newt, you are so "90's" N/T

[charlyvi]

9. Shhhhh! We want Gingrich to run!

No matter how much bullshit spews out of his piehole, HE'S THE TRUE SON OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WHO OUGHT TO BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO LEAD THIS GREAT NATION! cough***spread it around***cough

[madrchsod]

10. what`s the difference between the republican party and the aryan nation?

----nothing-----

[DCKit]

11. Better hair and fewer tatoos

[Bucky]

19. also, the Republicans drive much better cars

And then you get into the pros and cons of crystal meth vs. abuse of prescription drugs that's always divided the two.

[John Q. Citizen]

13. What a non-issue. What a panderer.

[Bucky]

18. Exactly right. Any immigrant who doesn't encourage their kids to speak English is a wanker

This is straight up pandering. It's like a politician taking a position: "As far as crime goes, I'm against crime! Vote for me!"

The debate is about how do you teach kids to learn English. Do you stop all other content instruction until they can master English, or do you expose them to science and history and math in their dominant language while also increasing their English usage?

There's problems with bilingual education--students basically have to learn the same content twice. But the alternative approach, called ESL, ends up mainstreaming limited-English kids too soon which can either leave them behind all their peers (I see this a LOT in my classes) or slows down class instruction as the teacher adapts instruction for those who learn the slowest in the class.

Most anti-bilingual ed appeals are only a stand-in for anti-immigrant feelings, anyway.

[CTyankee]

24. Not really. I work for LIteracy Volunteers andwe don't subscribe to the Newt

philosophy but we do tutor adults in English. They need it to survive and thrive in the United States, just as the immigrants who came before them did.

The difference is in our philosophy. We don't disrespect the immigrant's culture or language. We try to help them with their daily life here and how to get a better job, or how to do things they must do to just get along.

I take pride in our work. We are not prejudiced against immigrant groups, indeed, I work with refugees from some of the most violent countries on the planet and I am in awe of their resolve and their dedication to make it here! It inspires me every day!

[roody]

28. Dual language immersion is the best program.

Full literacy in two languages---for everybody. Also known as two-way immersion.

[roody]

15. OLD joke......

What do you call a person who knows 3 languages? Trilingual.
What do you call a person who knows 2 languages? Bilingual.
What do you call a person who knows 1 language. An American.

[Toucano]

16. Yes, Newt. And you should only be on the ballot in states with English names.

What's that, Virginia and the Carolinas?

[Colobo]

17. Newt can kiss my bilingual ass

[skipos]

20. Lord, please make Newt the Repub nominee!!!

Even Hillary could beat him.

[mainer]

29. And multilingual education has made the Dutch stupid.

Or is it that Americans are too stupid to handle multilingual education?

[Lost-in-FL]

33. He can kiss my "Big-ESOL-ass"... byotch!!!!

:rant:

[Colobo]

That's right, boricua!

[Colobo]

34. Dupe

[Lost-in-FL]

35. ""Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English"

Which American history? The same American history Republicans refuse to learn? Cause they keep repeating the same mistakes of the past.

I'll perfect my English when * learns to speak it.