[Kenny Bunk]

A student of Spanish, I tried to order, but the language of Cervantes got me nowhere at Betty's. That is because this woman is an idiot who thinks she speaks "Spanish," and Cervantes would not understand her either. It has been my experience that no matter how "un-Castilian" the local argot is, the locals understand it perfectly well. Just as an American can understand the "Queen's English."

And like those of us who appreciate well-spoken English, even though the speaker is not from Maine, the natives of all Spanish-speaking countries, by and large, understand good Spanish.

I drop into the local schools to substitute for Spanish teachers and I assure you that many pubric scrool sSpanish teachers would die of thirst before they could get a glass of water in a Spanish speaking country. Unfortunately, ditto their students.

[GOPlibertarian]

If anything, proper Spanish is dying in the U.S.. I'm not fluent, but I find that I, an Anglo, sometimes have a better command of Spanish grammar, spelling and where accents belong than many native speakers of Spanish.

Latino kids in the US grow up hearing Spanish, but never learn proper grammar, spelling, etc. There are few institutions that teach or use proper Spanish in the U.S.. A professor from the Dominican Republic told me that most Spanish spoken in the US is simply atrocious, and very, very dumbed-down.

You know what I really can't stand? Spanish hip hop/urban music. It's the worst.

[spintreebob]

"Spanish teachers would die of thirst before they could get a glass of water "

Yes, in my daughters' suburban HS, the English teachers were affirmative action Hispanic immigrants who could not speak English well. And their Spanish teachers could not speak Spanish. They knew what a TACO was, but not what a TORTA was.

But both of those teachers were better than the social studies teacher who thought the constitution was just a museum piece that had no relevance outside the museum.