Man Ordered to Speak English to Daughter

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3264446,00.html



Amador's attorney, John Allen Sellers, said he was
surprised that the judge ``would consider a
restraint such as this based on racial or cultural
differences of the parents.''

Creepy.

This is ridiculous. That child is lucky she has someone to speak to her in another language so she can learn it early. This will help not hurt her education.

:hi:

Being bilingual is a very valuble thing and if a person is going to learn a second language then the best time to teach it is in early childhood. I have read numerous articles on the practice of teaching high school students a second language and how little sense it makes. This judge has his head up his ass, as does the child's mother. What is her problem anyway?

But you knew that! Specifically, the ability to learn another language seems to be hindered for most people (not all).

Sounds more like a power play with child as pawn.

Also maybe the judge is a racist. This is the type of stuff that used to go unnoticed until the internet.

Spanish is the "hispanic language," as the dictionary definition of "hispanic" is "of or pertaining to Spain or Spanish-speaking countries."

:wtf:

My children were brought up trilingual and their English is better than most of their contemporaries' who only speak English.
And there is not such thing as "the Hispanic language." What a dork that judge is!

:spank:

Strip them of their language, and their culture and pride will follow.

Shame on Ronald E. Reagan.

Within a couple of years, 3 at the most, speaking any language other than English will technically be a crime.

It will probably be enforced pretty selectively, since strict enforcement would be impractical, but having the option will be hailed as a spiffy new weapon in the terrawaw.

will have to learn English now?

how do you say, "fuck you, you plutocratic rightwing neocon fascist POS" in espanol??

> how do you say, "fuck you, you plutocratic rightwing neocon fascist
> POS" in espanol??

Do you remember John Houseman as the Driving Instructor in "Naked Gun"?
The speech he gave to his driving pupil after someone cut them off
went someting like this:

Mrs. whatever, roll down the window.

Now place your hand outside the window, raised up as if
to signal a turn.

Now slowly extend your middle finger.

Good.

Atlant

"fuck you, you plutocratic rightwing neocon fascist POS"

"jodete, plutocrata derechista neoconservador facista (I'm not sure what POS is) de mierda (I added that). I know it was probably a rhetorical question but it was pretty funny and couldn't help myself.

He's lucky he gets to see his kid at all, no matter WHAT language he speaks.

can pick up any language that they hear often enough. They do not get their languages mixed up as long as they associate them with different people.

My mother and all her relatives relatives grew up bilingual in English and German, and my brothers and I grew up understanding, if not speaking, German.

The ranks of Japanese-English translators are full of former missionary kids who grew up speaking English at home and Japanese everywhere outside the house.

> Children before puberty can pick up any language that they hear often
> enough. They do not get their languages mixed up as long as they
> associate them with different people.

I don't think they even need the languages to come from different
people. Our neighbors' kids speak (at least) English, French, and
Dutch, so unless their Great Dane is a lot smarter than we think,
they're hearing multiple languages from both of the parents.

(I think both parents also speak all three with the wife also
speaking Malaysian. I'm awed by them! :-))

Atlant

the mother or any of her family should not be allowed to speak Polish.

of her daughter being able to converse with her father in a langauge that she does not speak? Or is she just trying to mess with her ex? It does not sound a rational issue....

apart from the sheer idiocy of this ruling, the other thing is that the best way to learn a language is immersion! This father should speak ONLY Spanish to his daughter, especially at that age.

My head is getting ready to explode!!

I think the mom was perfectly in the right here. It made no mention of her particular languages in what she can and can't speak. She apparently has primary custody because the father only has visitation rights. I would not want my child speaking a language I don't understand all the time. She's going to be with the mother 90% of the time, who will speak English.

If she were to go to her father and he only spoke spanish then the girl might get afraid or confused. If he tries to teach it to her, fine, the judge so 'Go for it.' but the father must speak English when he visits.

What if the father starts telling the daughter things her mom can't understand RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER? I wouldn't want that. He could be saying anything.

It makes perfect sense to me.

Learn Spanish.

"Those people speaking a foreign language are trying to keep something from me."

No, they're just more comfortable speaking their native language.

Can you imagine relating to your child--one of the most intimate relationships their is--in a language that is foreign to you?

If he wants to teach his daughter to speak Spanish, that's HIS business. She'd be better off to be able to speak a second language.

My first thought was the judge just denied this child the valuable gift of another language. I do know that learning a language at a young age matters and that many I know thought they didn't understand the language but actually had learned the language.

Still, my daughter's best friend is the child of a Mexican and Guatamalan immigrant. Brilliant folks who talked to her in Spanish while having her in English pre-schools and schools. She is mostly bi-lingual. Their son, however, had language difficulties and had problems learning any language. It was making it worse to introduce two langurages when he was having such problems. So they had to choose and chose English. They still converse in Spanish, many relatives are only Spanish speakers, but to continue in Spanish at home would have hurt him. So, for the majority of learners this ruling is ridiculous, for the few it may be the right decision.