Press ONE for English!

More later on this, from the granddaughter of LEGAL immigrants.

OK, I'm back.

My maternal great grandparents immigrated through Ellis Island in the 1800s, in their summer white clothing, clutching the hands of three children and a parrot in a cage. They arrived in the dead of winter. They had been a family of great wealth from sugar, and privilege. I am proud to say they were rebels, and hid many slaves in their cellar to facilitate their journey to America and find their freedom. Francisco LaPiedra went to work on Canal Street in the import/export business and his sons worked for steamship lines. The daughter returned to Cuba. My grandmother was born here. So proud were they of being Americans, and eventually citizens, that they began learning the language immediately. They were not Cuban-Americans. They were Americans.

My father's family immigrated from the Abruzzi region of Italy, also through Ellis Island They came steerage. Grandfather Paolo was a shoemaker and came alone first. Grandmother Elisabetta, had babies and cooked a lot of pasta. Nine in all. Uncle Nunzio came with her; the others were born here. They loved America so much that they learned the language although by the time I came along, my grandfather had died, and my grandmother reverted to Italian, but I was not allowed by my parents or my grandmothers to speak anything but English. It was out of the question. I was, after all, American. My father could have taught me some words in Italian, but as I remember, none of them wanted me to have an Italian accent. My grandmother Decker spoke fluent Spanish, but never spoke it. It was a dead issue. No foreign languages. I was an American.

English is the language of this country. If you, as an immigrant, cannot accept that you are living in America, the country of your choice, whose language is different than yours, do not expect us who were born here and know the language, to learn yours.

Maybe I am old and crotchety. But I am an American and I speak English. If you are a naturalized citizen from a foreign country, I expect you to love your new country and honor its language. I respect that you will use your native tongue at home. But don't be a stranger to me. We are Americans. We speak English here. Be my friend and do not self-impose isolation by not learning your new language. Speak to me in English

You need to hear this one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJfS1v-fU0