Don't you need the accent markers to make heads or tails of that? The language training we got in Beijing was pitiful, but I do remember the importance of the tonal enunciation of the words.

well yeah, you do need the tones, but its far from impossible to decipher without them

lik when yoo spell with fonicks?

It pisses me off when I meet people who have lived in FL for ten or more years and cannot speak ANY English. There is no logical reason to choose to refuse to learn the language or anything about your chosen nation.
They should be deported. They have nothing to offer this nation at that point.

Their children will speak English, and children are the most important thing you can offer.

Their children will not necessarily speak English, and that's a significant problem.

Nothing's 100%, but for all intents and purposes, yes they will.

Generally spesaking: even in the most isolated and set apart immigrant population, the children born in the chosen country, speak the language.
I know of plenty of immigrants in England who don't speak English. I know of no single case of a child born in this country who cannot speak both their parent's language and English.

Spend some time in a migrant worker community.

Fair enough. I am only really able to speak of my own Yorkshire community, but I am pretty active in it and our main problem is with parents not speaking English, not children. Children learn languages so damn fast, I have never, in all the years I have worked in and around migrant communities ( nor heard of in my mum's work with migrant, refugee and asyum-seeker communties) come across a child who is over the age of 3, been in the country more than six months and cannot speak at least rudimentary English.

Like the thread... I don't think it has to do with one community, nationality or faith... it is about assholes & they need to be treated as such.
With compassion until one is positive they are taking advantage, then get rid of them.

*nods* I agree with you to a certain extent.

You got groups of people beating people up in a neighborhood... find out who they are and arrest them.
End of story. WTF?
What is the problem here?

In Australia, if a child has not learned English by the time they get to school, they don't have a choice but to do so. There are programs in place in all public schools to address this issue.

There are arguments for older family members needing to learn basic english, and I agree with that in principal however, in practice it's sometimes very difficult. Most people move to another country for the benefit of their children, so for me, if the children do benefit and work within the society, then that's the whole point.

Ali, you make a very good point.