By Neil Macaulay Santa Monica
Julia Reeves writes on Sept. 14 (”Sick of Spanglish,” SMDP, page 4) that she is fed up with the “rampant” use of Spanish “everywhere." She strikes me as poorly educated with a negative attitude to other cultures and languages. There are 300 million Americans of all kinds and most are not narrow minded as she is. Ms. Reeves sounds like a typical know-nothing West Coast American. She knows nothing and she wants to know nothing.
Spanish is a beautiful language, possibly the most beautiful with the exception of Italian. It has a very regular grammar and very easy unambiguous pronunciation. English is a mongrel language and, as it is used (and much abused) in America, it has a steadily degenerating grammar and is not beautiful. I wonder how many Americans, including Ms. Reeves, could pass, right now, grade 12 English grammar tests. Maybe one percent? How well read is Ms. Reeves? Does she have a good command of the English language? Is she a credit to the English language as a speaker? I have a suspicion that those who are bothered most by Spanish are those whose command of English is poorest. Perhaps Ms. Reeves would like to contradict me.
One of the most attractive things about California is the extent to which evidence of Mexican/Spanish culture has survived the Anglo-Saxon onslaught. So many places have beautiful names like Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, La Jolla and of course California.
Has Ms. Reeves ever thought of improving herself by learning another language? Or is she such a philistine that she is incapable of appreciating the beauty of another language and culture. Has she ever thought of learning salsa, an intelligent dancing form vastly superior to the lame wriggling which passes for dancing with most anglophones? Has she ever thought of listening to Julio Iglesias In Spanish? She has no idea what she is missing because she is not equipped to appreciate Mexican/Spanish culture. Is she, when abroad, a typical American tourist who goes all over the world expecting everyone else to speak English and shouting more loudly until they do?
In Europe, Japan, Canada and most of the other former British colonies, most people become competent in two languages or three. They can see beyond their own culture. Almost all the Spanish speakers in California are bilingual. Many of them probably have a better command of English than does Ms. Reeves!
It seems to me that the American education system produces too many narrow minded, uni-lingual, culturally introverted people.
There are six billion people on this planet and they don’t all speak American English, eat hamburgers and dress like beach bums.
Me gusta la cultura Mexicana. La paz.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 17, 2007. Read the original PDF.