Lingusitics Should the US Declare English as Its Official Language?

[loseyourname]

In the meantime, why should those who do speak English learn Spanish? That does not make sense.

You don't think it's a good idea to learn such a prevalent language? You can get by almost anywhere in the world by knowing just those two languages - Spanish and English, because someone is going to speak one of them. Although I'm starting to think that learning some Chinese would be a good idea as well. Maybe when I've become somewhat proficient in Irish Gaelic, it'll be time to tackle Mandarin.

 

[SOS2008]

Of course there is nothing bad about being able to speak more than one language. LYN, the point is that English must be learned first and foremost in order to maintain a common language, and learning other languages should be optional and by individual choice. Here is a news report tonight regarding debate over making Spanish mandatory for educators:

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everybody.
Tonight, surrendering America. Dallas, Texas, votes on an incredible proposal that would force school officials there to learn Spanish and speak it on the job. All of this, instead of forcing parents and students to assimilate into U.S. society and learn English.
----------------------------------------------------
ROMANS: Educators and teachers unions are watching this one closely. If Dallas passes this, it sets a precedence that could change the face of education in all ethnic neighborhoods.

And with many urban neighborhoods already facing shortages of qualified administrators, a recommendation to speak Spanish or Cantonese or Vietnamese, whatever the language, could have a chilling effect, these educators say, on recruiting and retaining top talent in these schools.

DOBBS: Well, it could certainly do that, Christine, as you report. But also, it is absolutely upside down. English is the language of this nation. The suggestion that students not learn English and not be capable of translating for their parents, or their parents assimilating into this culture, is utter madness. And for a public school district, the trustee, Joe May, is he out of his mind?

And corresponding CNN poll results as of this time:

Do you think the interests of society are best served by requiring public schools to:

Teach students English - 97% (4,542 votes)
Teach principals Spanish - 3% (123 votes)

After prop 200 passed in Arizona, I'm shocked that Texas is even remotely considering such a requirement in their state. And for those who don't think there is hostility, once again as reported tonight:

In Yuma, Arizona, a group of violent illegal aliens attacked a Border Patrol helicopter, and they forced the pilot of that helicopter to make an emergency landing. The U.S. Border Patrol says those illegal aliens threw rocks at the helicopter similar to this one that patrols the border with Mexico. One rock, we're told, the size of a baseball, was thrown into the rotor blades, damaged one of them. The pilot was not injured, nor was the U.S. Border Patrol observer with him.

]http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/25/ldt.01.html

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

What in this bill addresses illegal immigration? I don't see it anywhere.

How does this bill help those who want to learn English? And why would helping those who want to learn English require making it the official language?

Do you guys want to force people to learn English? If some group is planning a hostile takeover, I doubt they will want to learn English voluntarily. I don't think that forcing people to learn English jives with our other laws - how would you feel about being forced to learn another language? And how would that work - start deporting people who can't speak the right language?

Making english our official language wouldn't mean that people will be deported because they can't speak english. It wouldn't mean that people couldn't get jobs if they weren't proficient. It wouldn't mean people wouldn't be able to get information in other languages from the government either. It just means that english is our official language. The only substancial thing I can see coming of this is that learning english will be required in public schools and people will not be able to get around that by saying there is no legal precident for it.

I pointed out that spanish was spoken in California before english. My opinion is that it was nothing more than a wedge issue to keep people diverted from the real issues.

Requiring that kids in school and adults in college learn english will not create divisivness except where people wish to resist aclimation to an english speaking society. I really can't think of much that will divide people more than not sharing a common language.

I began to realize this is a hostile take over. You won't get any statistics on this, it's the kind of subversive thing you find out for yourself--you know, 'learn on the street' kind of thing.

I think this might be just a wee bit extreme. Not entirely unfounded though.

This deals predominantly with California, as you can probably tell, but the subject is all about the issues of illegal immigration and the roles of both the US and Mexican government in it. I'm sure it could easily apply to other border states as well even though it focuses on CA. Haven't read it yet, but if I remember to I would probably pick it up myself.

 

[Clausius2]

I am afraid the mental image you are acquiring about spanish. Please, keep in mind that an spanish from Spain is not the same as an hispanic, and that an spanish (Spain) inmmigrant in US surely won't dedicate his time to do the same things that the majority of hispanics inmmigrants do when they pass the borders. Here it is the same with almost all morocco inmmigrants who enters by the south border of Gibraltar, they come for nothing except causing problems.

I am going to SoCA, and I will try to do my best in saying I am from Spain==Europe, and I am not going to US to do nothing harmful to US society. I do undertand the antipathy that hispanic inmmigration might be caused in american native people, because I have said here it is the same with morocco's. And I do understand the antipathy that spanish language might cause for this, but keep in mind also that the spanish language is not the same than "hispanic" language. The latter is a poor degeneration of the first one.

The main purpose of all my comments is do not confuse Spanish with Hispanic, please.

 

[honestrosewater]

Making english our official language wouldn't mean that people will be deported because they can't speak english. It wouldn't mean that people couldn't get jobs if they weren't proficient. It wouldn't mean people wouldn't be able to get information in other languages from the government either. It just means that english is our official language.

Right, deporting people was just regarding how you would forcing people to learn a language. I think the title of official language is merely symbolic. Nothing else that people want to get done requires English to have the title of official language.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I am afraid the mental image you are acquiring about spanish. Please, keep in mind that an spanish from Spain is not the same as an hispanic, and that an spanish (Spain) inmmigrant in US surely won't dedicate his time to do the same things that the majority of hispanics inmmigrants do when they pass the borders. Here it is the same with almost all morocco inmmigrants who enters by the south border of Gibraltar, they come for nothing except causing problems.

I am going to SoCA, and I will try to do my best in saying I am from Spain==Europe, and I am not going to US to do nothing harmful to US society. I do undertand the antipathy that hispanic inmmigration might be caused in american native people, because I have said here it is the same with morocco's. And I do understand the antipathy that spanish language might cause for this, but keep in mind also that the spanish language is not the same than "hispanic" language. The latter is a poor degeneration of the first one.

The main purpose of all my comments is do not confuse Spanish with Hispanic, please.

I don't think I have ever met anyone actually from Spain. And don't worry if people think you are from Mexico, unless that in it self bothers you, you shouldn't have any problems. People here, for the most part, don't have any problems with people from other countries. What they have a problem with is their tax money going to an ever growing populace of people who do not pay taxes. It's not the people themselves, it's the government that is allowing this to continue that bothers them. Even then those people are probably a minority. This is one of the most liberal states in the country. You'll most likely be quite welcome here. Please don't let this issue think you'll be made a pariah. And if anyone does treat you badly I apologize in advance.

 

[Clausius2]

I don't think I have ever met anyone actually from Spain. And don't worry if people think you are from Mexico, unless that in it self bothers you, you shouldn't have any problems. People here, for the most part, don't have any problems with people from other countries. What they have a problem with is their tax money going to an ever growing populace of people who do not pay taxes. It's not the people themselves, it's the government that is allowing this to continue that bothers them. Even then those people are probably a minority. This is one of the most liberal states in the country. You'll most likely be quite welcome here. Please don't let this issue think you'll be made a pariah. And if anyone does treat you badly I apologize in advance.

I quite understand you, because here we feel the same!. You have said the government has the blame, and I do think so. Here the government also makes silly advantages to illegal inmmigrants such as complete legalization without scarcely any requirement and the instantaneous convalidation of the license driver. If you may have been read the european news last times, the whole european community is astonished seeing how Spain has applied a new law of inmmigrants legalization without consulting EU.

To say the truth, we sometimes blame to the inmmigrants about what is happening. But we have to accept they have some part of the blame too. Me, as a future visa inmmigrant in US, I am aware I'm going to a foreign country, I must respect to native population and native costumes, and I have to be grateful for being hosted by a foreign country. This feelling is not shared by, for instance, the majority of morocco inmmigrants who come to spanish shores. They haven't got any respect for us, they don't come here to work. Anyway, it is my personal impression, my words are not universal, and surely there are exceptions about my statement.

I am glad of what you said about CA. I hope so and I hope that american native people know how to differentiate between an hispanic who go to US to be a delinquent, and an spanish mechanical engineer who go to US to do research.