Chicago Geography?

[Fritzc]

I bought a bike from a guy in Chicago who lived in a Polish neighborhood where everyone spoke Polish and no one would talk to me in English.
The major street going through there was either Milwaukee St. or Wisconsin St. I can't remember. Can anyone tell me which is is???? This is just for the sake of an argument I had with a fellow about something going around on the Internet saying if immigrants come here they should learn the language. My view is you learn the language that is important to you in getting along with others or in a career. If you wanted to start a used car business in this section of Chicago it would be a good idea to learn Polish, don't you think?
If you go to Southern Louisiana and want to get along better, learn a little French or Cajun. Brownsville Texas? Life is easier if you know spanish, or French if you want to live in Northern Maine. Now making laws about official languages is another completely different story altogether. This all has nothing to do with Political Correctness, this is just the way it is!
Fantastic program tonight on "Speaking American" aired on PBS. It is amazing just how diverse the ENGLISH language is notwithstanding "foreign "languages.
Thanks y'all

Fritz in Owosso

[BMWRich58]

The major street going through there was either Milwaukee St. or Wisconsin St. I can't remember.

MILWAUKEE !!! .................we got us a WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your so right!
In the past 50 years,many old ethnic neighborhoods simply disappeared. These "immigrant" 1st generation parents passed on, and their children (our now 70+ aged mom's and dad's) moved to the suburbs during the 50's and 60's.
In the 70's immigration opened it's doors and many new immigrants came here to the U.S. Many Chicago "Ethnic" neighborhoods either were reborn or some changed totally to a different ethnic group altogether. But like I say,"Birds of a Feather,Flock together". I'm sure if your lived in a foreign land,you would seek out other english speaking Americans,who share your customes and way of life. Hense,an "American speaking" neighborhood.

The trend for the first early immigrants was to become "Americanized".
They would distance themselves from their native lands by changing their first names and or shortening their last names, and learning to "Speak English".
Today's "people" don't want to "Lose" their culture or "Heritage". So many now want to retain their native customes/heritage.

This is one of the reason's AMERICA is so GREAT!!!! :clap :clap :clap

[Fritzc]

MILWAUKEE !!! .................we got us a WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your so right!
In the past 50 years,many old ethnic neighborhoods simply disappeared. These "immigrant" 1st generation parents passed on, and their children (our now 70+ aged mom's and dad's) moved to the suburbs during the 50's and 60's.
(snip)

This is one of the reason's AMERICA is so GREAT!!!! :clap :clap :clap[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the positve response. Last night (5 Jan.) on PBS I watched that program Speaking American. It was a wonderful three hour program detailing how our "American English" evolved.
Linguistics is such an important study and tells us about our past culture. It is okay to preserve our traditions yet keep pace with today and be patriotic.
Message was to keep tradional written english but street talk is way to connect with individuals and marks your social group. ie the African American talking "hip hop in the hood" but after commute to his law office in the city he/she must revert to "Midland" english. Chicago, you and I are lucky we happen to live in Midland America where our dialect is the standard english.
The program also talked about how Jimmy Carter's Georgia drawl cost him votes. John Kerry's Boston twang also cost him some. Bill Clinton could switch back and forth with ease from Arkansas to Midland while GW, even though eastern bred, wants so bad to be a Texan he noticeably strains to achieve the dialect. Incidently a dialect will identify you as East Texas or West Texas. Is that true Texans??

[Burnszilla]

Clarification: the show is called "Do You Speak American? (http://www.pbs.org/previews/speak_american/)"
I was having trouble finding it when scheduling my TiVo online, but a google search found the correct title.

[manicmechanic]

I'll have to admit to the sentiment of learning English in this country. I've still got one grandmother alive who "came over on the boat", and speaks good English. None of my grandparents would teach us "home" language, because, "this is America, and they speak English here, so learn it." In a way I feel poorer for not being able to learn the "home" languages, but I am still just as proud of the heritage behind them.

[Hodag]

I watched some of the show, interesting.
My great-grandmother spoke German, and taught us some. My church had German only services into the late '70s. I came from a small town, and still refer to the Catholic/Polish side of town(which you wouldn't think of moving to). When asked if I was raised rascist I always say no, I had Polish friends. Is that considered Multi-cultural?
Gotta love the US.
Mark