Another interesting session being sponsored by the Max Kade Institute. I wish they would hold some of these sessions in the Milwaukee area! -------- Original Message -------- *Debunking a Myth: * * **How Fast Did German Immigrants Learn English * * & /Why / Does it Matter Today? * * *Miranda Wilkerson & Joseph Salmons /University of Wisconsin–Madison/ / /Thursday, March 15, 2007 7 p.m. Memorial Union (See "Today in the Union" for room) This lecture will present a broad range of evidence on German immigrants to Wisconsin, showing that into the 20th century many of them and their descendants remained monolingual, often decades after immigration to their communities had ceased. Drawing on reports in newspapers, court records, and portrayals in German-language literature, the presenters show that English skills were often lacking across a surprising range of social and economic groups, and that German continued to be the primary language of communication and interaction in crafts and trades such as stonemasons, cheesemakers, blacksmiths, and merchants, and not only in such commonly expected occupations like farming or housekeeping. These ‘good old immigrants' explode the myth of an “age-old custom of immigrants” to make it “one of their first priorities to learn to speak English.” Click here for more information on the topic of this presentation <http://mki.wisc.edu/News/UpcomingEvents/Debunking-Abstract-MKI.pdf> (PDF)