english english reaction message jack aubert understand mean sure whether compare things actually compared however bilingualism really means u means making easier non english speakers get life without learn speak english u mistaken idea english national language makes easier people take granted one well get life without learn language since language learning also entails getting know different culture people miss opportunity learn ways living eating etc national plural monolingualism curse everything say mention one single argument english national language spanish would say number citizens speaking spanish fluently outnumbers amount people speak english fluently u tops continent great majority speaks spanish speak english country north latin america history saddled us curse done belgium ethnic conflicts counterexamples like hutus tutsis two flavors irish trace back language basque catalan separatism based language canada may end breaking two states disgruntled linguistic minority basque catalan separatism based language never hear anything galician separatism iberian peninsula galician language different spanish different portuguese name region galicia part spain galician language much older spanish used poetry kings ancient times still hear lot galician separatism neither hear anything leonese separatism aragonese separatism andalusian separatism simply exist separatism peninsula nothing language everything historic rights old kingdoms comparison belgium might good one northern part belgium used dutch reason people speak dutch u regional division groups nativespeakers belgium like catalunya euzkadi much probable separatism dutch speaking belgians french speaking belgians encouraged easy say k since flemish live north walloons south nt split country would hold u likely situation since spanish speaking citizens live country also big historical difference mexican family living chicago never able say jee neighbours people chicago illinois michigan indiana etc used belong another country country spanishwas language soil born owe thousands compatriots used belong spanish speaking country canada breaks long peace really think use wrong arguments mean use arguments like look china done tibet invading country destroyed important cultural religious heritage tibetans forced learn chinese tibetan culture lost soon please allow spanish u nt use argument either compare cat bird allowing example native spanish speakers living u avoid learning english young possible well possible etc allowing millions millions people modern industrialized country like u avoid learning language greatly surprises really practical point view trying agree jack aubert would like conclude yes course plural monolinguism problem make sense expect half population country worse access good education going make step learning two languages well investigated minority regions europe proved people learn language well know language well reason frisian language got reintroduced schools frisia seventies frisia region north holland people speak frisian dutch schools cities dutch main language frisian second language countryside least first three years mathematics everything taught frisian dutch second language separatism frisia fact frisians among dutch speak dutch best since lot dutch speak local dialect ununderstandable someone comes another region since children spanish speakers u go spanish school learn mother tongue thoroughly never able learn english really well seems realistic expect ones already speak mothertongue well generally speaking better access better education would learn spanish let become bilingual maybe monolingual spanish end jelly julia de jong atw k h jatstraat 26 dept general linguistics 9712 ek groningen university groningen netherlands e mail julia let rug nl http www let rug nl linguistics jellydejong html