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[LouisaFerre]

Oh Lord, this is surprisingly close to where I used to live, just two towns over. I feel like Bergen County is more left leaning than most of the country, but I'm not really that surprised that this happened. After something similar went down in LA, which has a significantly larger Hispanic population, I've become aware that there are at least some people who are going to pull this type of shit anywhere you go in the US.

Hope they get what's comin'.

 

[zeemumu]

Technically, it's American English.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English

 

[Norwegian Rudo]

"Speak American" is a well-known BS line thrown by Rush Limbaugh and crew.

That's where it's from. It's intentionally mocking. They obviously know American is not a language. Makes the insult worse actually.

I used to listen to the NFL on the Armed Forces Network back in the early nineties, and there was legitimately a PSA they played all the time that claimed some words were American in origin, and "that's why we speak American" .

 

[Aselith]

Technically, it's American English.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English

In that case, American is an adjective. So, like if you said "there's a brown dog!" Brown isn't a type of dog. It's a description of a dog. Similarly, American English is a description of a type of English which is the language.

You can stop playing devil's advocate now, she's just an idiot.

 

[ClosingADoor]

I get that you want the students to speak English, because they are in class and not everyone might speak Spanish there. But her argument for it is total bullshit.

 

[Inuhanyou]

Is New Jersey above or below the Mason-Dixon line?

Asking for a friend that's a teacher

Ignorance is an insult, we're one of the blackest states in the US, fully blue outside of our shitty governor

Anyways, its easy for people who use english only to feel disadvantaged by latino folks who can talk about anything without them understanding it, that's where the racism starts.

 

[Nephtis]

"Speak American"?? looool

If this was an English class (or ESL class) I could understand it. I wouldn't put it in such an asshole way, but I do support discouraging students from speaking in their native tongue during class.

But to do so anywhere else is stupid. This substitute teacher needs to be fired and/or lose her license.

 

[airjoca]

I wish the student replied: "You mean English?"

 

[Crow Pudding]

Is not "American" half spanish and portuguese?

 

[Dusk Soldier]

Is not "American" half spanish and portuguese?

Well no.

Usually when people say ”American" in context to language, they're talking about the American dialect/accent of English.

If they wanted to refer to Spanish or Portugese dialects, they'd use the Spanish or Portugese words for "American" instead.

Also, American Portugese is commonly referred to as Brazilian, American Spanish likewise gets called Mexican a lot.

I somehow doubt there would be anywhere as near as much outrage in this thread if the teacher referred to those languages using those words.