Illegal alien arrivals now greater than American births?

[Bootstrap]

I should explain the pun here. "Penning" sounds a lot like a German word that means "take a nap". Szdfan said he had been penning a lot lately. I responded in German to say that I nap (Ich penne) frequently.

I knew Szdfan would understand the pun. It doesn't make sense in English without an explanation, and when you explain a joke like that, it's no longer that funny.

While the pen may be mightier than the sword, I assure you that I’ve been penning and not swording.

Ich penne sehr häufig.

[Szdfan]

If it weren’t for the two World Wars, the U.S. might be bilingual today, English+German.
And a whole lot more.

Americans of German descent paid a heavy price in those years, it’s impossible to know all the ways; as well, all the losses to the overall U.S. It’s ignored as if it never happened.

I’d say that the two World Wars probably accelerated the assimilation of German speaking groups, including Mennonites.

[temporal1]

If it weren’t for the two World Wars, the U.S. might be bilingual today, English+German.
And a whole lot more.

Americans of German descent paid a heavy price in those years, it’s impossible to know all the ways; as well, all the losses to the overall U.S. It’s ignored as if it never happened.

I’d say that the two World Wars probably accelerated the assimilation of German speaking groups, including Mennonites.

That’s a different study, one i’m sad to think is not of much interest in the world.
My sense is, American Germans just quietly gave up their identity in those war years, no one thinks about it or cares.

Small reminders show up occasionally. Like in maps reflecting principle locations of German names in the U.S.
Many look at those and ask, “Whaaat?!”

Sad, considering the importance Germans had in building the country.
Just the loss of that one thing, German used+taught in public schools, was a huge loss! To my knowledge, uncontested.

Imagine the broo-ha-ha if anyone dared remove Spanish from the everyday U.S. experience!
the wild passions!

[QuietlyListening]

Imagine the broo-ha-ha if anyone dared remove Spanish from the everyday U.S. experience!
the wild passions!

I believe there are some major differences in people of German descent dropping their language and people who are Hispanic who have not dropped Spanish. We went to war against Germany and those who were of German descent, who still spoke German were under suspicion - rightly or wrongly. We did not have a major war with Spain- we did have one war but apparently it didn't cause suspicion of Spanish speaking people. And we not only have a major border with Spanish speaking people but many of our states were either part of MX of Spain in earlier years.
However more and more I see many people retaining their native/home language and hear them speaking it to each other in stores etc. I remember as I was talking to one of my ESL students and encouraging her to speak English with her children or parents or whomever often so they could learn she didn't want them to lose their native language. That too is understandable.

So not sure we are comparing apples to apples with people no longer speaking German and people continuing to speak Spanish.

And as I've read- we have a rich heritage of many from Europe, Asia and Africa and you see that throughout the country. Some places reflect one culture more than another but overall we are a country that has many cultures blended.

[Szdfan]

Imagine the broo-ha-ha if anyone dared remove Spanish from the everyday U.S. experience!
the wild passions!

I believe there are some major differences in people of German descent dropping their language and people who are Hispanic who have not dropped Spanish. We went to war against Germany and those who were of German descent, who still spoke German were under suspicion - rightly or wrongly. We did not have a major war with Spain- we did have one war but apparently it didn't cause suspicion of Spanish speaking people. And we not only have a major border with Spanish speaking people but many of our states were either part of MX of Spain in earlier years.
However more and more I see many people retaining their native/home language and hear them speaking it to each other in stores etc. I remember as I was talking to one of my ESL students and encouraging her to speak English with her children or parents or whomever often so they could learn she didn't want them to lose their native language. That too is understandable.
So not sure we are comparing apples to apples with people no longer speaking German and people continuing to speak Spanish.
And as I've read- we have a rich heritage of many from Europe, Asia and Africa and you see that throughout the country. Some places reflect one culture more than another but overall we are a country that has many cultures blended.

I'm a bit confused that the loss of American German is mourned, but not Spanish. Spainish has centuries-old roots in this part of the country. For the past 15 years, I've lived south of the Arkansas River, which was the border with Mexico until 1848. The regional geography reflects that history -- names like Colorado, La Junta, Las Animas, Salida, Raton, Durango, Pueblo, Las Vegas (NM), Santa Fe and Albuquerque are all part of that Spanish legacy.

This area was Spanish before it was American.

Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico had their own unique Spanish culture which has largely disappeared, though bits remained. Most of the families that were here before 1848 don't speak Spanish.

If American German was worth preserving, why wasn't American Spanish?

[temporal1]

Imagine the broo-ha-ha if anyone dared remove Spanish from the everyday U.S. experience!
the wild passions!

I believe there are some major differences in people of German descent dropping their language and people who are Hispanic who have not dropped Spanish. We went to war against Germany and those who were of German descent, who still spoke German were under suspicion - rightly or wrongly. We did not have a major war with Spain- we did have one war but apparently it didn't cause suspicion of Spanish speaking people. And we not only have a major border with Spanish speaking people but many of our states were either part of MX of Spain in earlier years.
However more and more I see many people retaining their native/home language and hear them speaking it to each other in stores etc. I remember as I was talking to one of my ESL students and encouraging her to speak English with her children or parents or whomever often so they could learn she didn't want them to lose their native language. That too is understandable.

So not sure we are comparing apples to apples with people no longer speaking German and people continuing to speak Spanish.

And as I've read- we have a rich heritage of many from Europe, Asia and Africa and you see that throughout the country. Some places reflect one culture more than another but overall we are a country that has many cultures blended.

Certainly my words there were cursory or anecdotal, even playful. Nothing more.

[Only an Anz]

If it weren’t for the two World Wars, the U.S. might be bilingual today, English+German.
And a whole lot more.

Americans of German descent paid a heavy price in those years, it’s impossible to know all the ways; as well, all the losses to the overall U.S. It’s ignored as if it never happened.

I’d say that the two World Wars probably accelerated the assimilation of German speaking groups, including Mennonites.

That’s a different study, one i’m sad to think is not of much interest in the world.
My sense is, American Germans just quietly gave up their identity in those war years, no one thinks about it or cares.

Small reminders show up occasionally. Like in maps reflecting principle locations of German names in the U.S.
Many look at those and ask, “Whaaat?!”

Sad, considering the importance Germans had in building the country.
Just the loss of that one thing, German used+taught in public schools, was a huge loss! To my knowledge, uncontested.

Imagine the broo-ha-ha if anyone dared remove Spanish from the everyday U.S. experience!
the wild passions!

I'm not sure how quiet it was. My grandma and her twin sister were bullied mercilessly and punished at school (in Kansas) for speaking German.

[barnhart]

I'm not sure how quiet it was. My grandma and her twin sister were bullied mercilessly and punished at school (in Kansas) for speaking German.

I agree. Just because it was "given up" doesn't mean it wasn't valued. Some truly valued it but faced stiff discrimination and made hard choices. My ancestors faced something similar a generation or two earlier after the Civil War. Living in the defeated south among neighbors who lost limbs and sons was not the space for public displays of your German identity as that automatically attached you to abolition and unionism. That was the last generation to speak German, it seemed more valuable to lie low and blend in.