I agree with SB that many of my generation and my kids generation (even more so) lost or missed out on much of the culture. I had every opportunity to learn Italian and kick myself in the ass for not learning it. My grandparents (as my parents) felt we it was more important to learn English. My older brother is the only one of the four of us who speaks Italian well. The rest of us understand very little.

So, in that respect I think my grandparents and my father particularly knew that in order to survive in American you MUST learn the language. That IS missing today (at least in California) Too much catering to and not enough incentive to learn IMHO.

But I TOO think it is entirely possible to keep your heritage and pride of your roots and at the same time speak the language of the country you live in. Too many times I've seen first hand (at the school regularly where I worked) very little attempt to learn the language. A while back they wanted to change L.A.'s official language to Spanish. It never did go through at least not yet.

I DO think if one is going to make a living in another country, he/she should learn the language of their country of residence. Doesn't mean they can't speak their native tongues also. Maybe in the 20's & 30's people "got by", but in today's world I think it's the smart thing to do, especially if you want to do more than just "get by."

TIS