I just returned to Los Angeles today after being out off town on business for a bit more than three weeks. My message machine was full, I must have had 30 messages that started with "press one if you would like to continue in English", then the got cut off while waiting for a response. It turns out, I had overlooked paying my cable bill before leaving...a whopping $50.35!

My gripe is not with having to pay the bill, rather it is with having to select "1" to continue in English. Geez, my family has been here for a couple of hundred years....we speak English... shouldn't the message have finished in English, and then offered alternative language options ? This is America, we speak English here, other languages are optional, and are supported out of courtesy, right?

On another note, while riding on the shuttle from LAX to my house, we got stuck in the traffic jam from hell. Well it turns out, there was a nationalization ceremony going on downtown for some 40,000 new citizens. Many of them could not stand the wait and simply parked in the breakdown lanes and walked to the ceremony .......I guess they didn't press "1" to continue in English !

I'm going to have a stiff one, put my feet up and chill until I go fishing tomorrow!

I may sound grouchy, but I'm not even old yet.

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1993 190E 2.6 135k
1989 Ford Thunderbird SC 5 Spd 79K

For a little while a few years ago, there were some that were 1 for Spanish and 2 for English. That generated a bit of a backlash, so we got 1 for English. Sometimes it seems like Spanish is taking over, but I've made the following observation in my neighborhood: many of the adults speak little or no English, but their kids are generally bilingual. For example, I went out to smoke just a few minutes ago and a little girl walked up to me carrying a kitten and asking something about cats in Spanish. After a "como?" on my part, we continued the conversation in English, and hers was nearly as good as mine.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

Just to understand the point are you making... Are you saying, that in another generation or so, we will be back to English as a primary language, based on your observations?

No slight or flaming intended, my relatives spoke German and Irish when they came here, and I'm certain they did so for some time afterwards.

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1993 190E 2.6 135k
1989 Ford Thunderbird SC 5 Spd 79K

Two of my grand-parents were 2nd generation Americans. Their parents had all come from Germany in the 1840's to 1860's. I never heard a single word of German spoken by either of my grand-parents and they had no accent whatsoever! It all depends on what the immigrant's attitudes are when they arive here.

My other two grand-parents were 9th generation americans, with their first antecedents coming over to this continent in 1630 to 1635. They are solid proof that a lack of an immigration policy caused havoc for the existing population!!!!

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1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150

Yes, unless English becomes so diluted and unused as to no longer have the attraction of being the primary language.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

Since English is one of the more popular languages used in the world I doubt it.

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2006 CL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2026 Genesis GV70
2007 Tiara 3200

It seems wrong headed to make english speakers do anything on one of those tele prompter thingies!

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

The best one I heard simply said, “press 2 to continue in Spanish” and then just went on in English.

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2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

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Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black

When I lived in California, we voted on bi-lingual education and bi-lingual voter information. Voters (like me) voted against it. We wouldn't pay for it. It was proven that if you teach children in Spanish that they don't learn English as fast.