Surely it’s a misunderstanding and it has nothing to do with his politics? He’s MAGA in case anyone was wondering, a huge Trump defender. Anyway, whenever I tell Grandpa (who I live with) that I want to see the world or go to Germany or Norway on a school trip, or see Norway when I get older with my dad perhaps, he says “Why can’t you just stay here?” or “Why can’t you visit this country first?”
Then he goes on about how people speak English in America and in Germany and Norway, they speak other languages when I want to learn another language. I want to be fluent in my second and heritage language Norwegian and in German, which I will hopefully become a polyglot in English, Spanish, German, Norwegian and Toki Pona by 2029.
Also, I’ve told him that I know several monolingual English speakers who went to other non-English speaking countries like Mexico, but he still won’t listen and help me save up. (I don’t have a job yet and I’m only 15).
Not only this, as much as I love him due to him being family, I don’t love his views. He doesn’t really like immigrants due to his thinking they all can’t speak English. If they speak accented English, he still tells them to “speak English”. Maybe he doesn’t want to “BECOME the immigrant” (in quotes, because well… we’re not Native). Also, I will forever not understand people’s hatred towards immigrants and their desire to embrace their home culture in a better country.
If he likes English so much he should move to England. America isn’t the place to live if you only want to speak English.
The vast majority of people do speak English, but England isn’t exclusively English either. Nearly 1 in 10 people resident in England and Wales didn’t list English or Welsh as their main language in a 2021 census.
Depending on how you count you can get 12 or more indigenous languages in the UK, at least 7 of which are commonly recognised (English, Welsh, Irish, Scots, Scots Gealic, Cornish, BSL). Scotland has 4 official languages, Wales has 2, Northern Ireland’s official language is Irish and notably not English, and England has no official language. Then there’s the non-indigenous languages like Polish and Punjabi, there’s enough speakers using those are their main language to be notable.
Yeah, but at least in England it’s the native language, so you have an excuse. There’s no excuse for not learning one of the many native languages in America