You know, there was a very large and true problem in America for immigrants. When you came over, the youngest people would be ridiculed in schools for their accents. They would purposely drop their language and ONLY want to speak English in their homes (refusing to converse in the mother-tongue with their parents or grandparents, &tc.)

The fact of the matter is, if you were not a native speaker, then you had to work SO SO SO SO HARD to learn English, and the only way to learn quickly enough and thoroughly enough is to be fully immersed.

If you did not come over to America with money, having a different Tongue was your family's death-knoll. When my Great-Great Grandfather came over (I'm still 4th generation through a querk, btw), he did what all the Italians did--construction! If you think it's a dangerous job now, it was a death-sentence, then. Forget safety. The point to make, though, is that my Grandfather is the only one who knows Italian, anymore. My father went to Italy during his time in the Navy, and my mother speaks it (she's not Italian, but was raised by full Italians) because she sings in Italian. Still, though I was not raised to know Italian. I would hear a few words here and there, but English was our Tongue.

It was definitely this loss of the Italian language which fueled me at a very young age to look into Italian books once again. However, I was soon diverted to Spanish (of which I would say I am half-fluent....more than most non-Native speakers, actually....I can READ books in Spanish and understand it, and I can speak with someone for extended periods of time about general matters, but the ONLY thing I have a problem with are my verbs...so I'm probably more like 80% fluent....).

Now, I am learning Chinese (on my own and with the help of fluent Chinese speakers), and I plan to master many many more languages throughout my life.

Language, to me, is the key to understanding people.

__________________

I've officially retired from ZU, guys. I left loving this place, and I enjoyed the company of so many of you. Thank you for sharing with me, and I hope that in some way I've touched your lives (hopefully for the better and to God's glory). In Jesus' name, I end this chapter and open another! -BBD+
(and just for old times' sake...) :0( :0o :0S :0P'' ;0) ()_(); *_* >_> <_< o_O :0| :0\ :0O :09 and finally :0)