Should English Be Made the Official US Language?

This is the kind of large-scale ridiculousness only found in America. Contemplating our official language.

No, it's shouldn't be English.

Just the fact it's gotten to this point is ridiculous in it's own right. I'm really biting my tounge here (aw hell with it...), but it's stuff like this that makes me want to print out my own t-shirt that says: Save the US, Kick a Liberal. :angry:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ May 19 2006, 06:11 PM) [snapback]258313[/snapback]</div>

Kick a Liberal? Umm, in case you didn't notice, this particular stuff seems to becoming from the conservative side.

 

start learning Mandarin
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ May 19 2006, 06:53 PM) [snapback]258407[/snapback]</div>

Well, the problem is that much of the bilingualism you see is actually mandated by law. This year, the "OC" in California will print the ballots in several different languages, including various eastern languages like mandarin and vietnamese, as well as spanish. The county is required to by law, even though only citizens are allowed to vote, and you are not supposed to be able to become a citizen without a "mastery" of English. So the pro english language folks are hoping to scuttle that, and the liberals are afraid this is the first step to "english only" legislation you refer to (where private businesses are forbidden to use anything other than english).

Beyond the liberal/conservative thing, one concern I have with the new immigration talk is that we seem to be setting up a permanent underclass of citizen, and want to make it hard for them to move out of "migrant farm worker" status. Someone who does not speak english will not be able to become a doctor or lawyer, but will probably remain in blue collar and agricultural jobs. America is not a land where there has ever been a permanent underclass among immigrants.

If we need workers, we should liberalize our immigration laws and welcome more immigrants who want to become part of our country. With a natural born population growth rate of something like 1%, and economic growth we want to sustain at about 4 - 5%, its obvious we will need workers. But they should be welcomed as immigrants, and they should learn our history, our culture, our language and assimmilate.

 

It's really rather odd when the neo-cons are arguing that our official language should be one that the president of the country can't even speak properly. As long as we are going to let our country be run by morons and xenophobes, the least we can do is switch to a language simple enough that they can speak it. Maybe the "language of the anthropoid apes" that the fictional Tarzan grows up speaking in the original Tarzan book. It's probably their native language anyway.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ May 20 2006, 01:36 PM) [snapback]258558[/snapback]</div>

I have one in my grubby little hands right now.

GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY ELECTION
ELECCION PRIMARIA de GOBERNADOR

SAMPLE BALLOT AND INFORMATION PAMPHLET
BALOTA DE MUESTRA Y FOLLETO DE INFORMACION

Freakin' twice as large as it needs to be and half as easy as it should be.
Freakin ' dos veces más grande que necesita ser y medio tan fácil como debe ser.

I feel sorry for those who English is their primary language, but are very poor readers.
Me siento apesadumbrado para los que el inglés sea su lengua primaria, pero soy lectores muy pobres.

“Excuse me poll worker, can you tell me who this Como Votar is, and what office are they running for?"
“Como Votare is Like Voting.â€
“Huh?â€
"Like Voting."
"Not so much any more since the ballots became twice as confusing . . . but who is Como Votar?"
“Sorry, I can't help you. If you would have taken Spanish classes in school you would not be having these problems reading your ballot.â€

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ May 19 2006, 10:43 PM) [snapback]258459[/snapback]</div>

Really...? Do you actually believe this?

Do you *really* believe that our system is providing equal footing to people of all ethnicities -- including Northern European -- who are seeking self improvement?

Discrimination in all forms is alive and well and all around us, whether we believe it or not.
[FYI, that knocking noise you're probably hearing is my head bumping up against a glass ceiling]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ May 19 2006, 03:23 PM) [snapback]258292[/snapback]</div>

And this is one of the reasons why I just can't get behind the Dems...calling everyone racist who doesn't agree with their social agenda of using our money to support illegal aliens.

I don't agree with mandating that the government provide any second language support other than offering legal second language speakers free classes to learn English and providing second language support services for immigration-related services.

Seeing the DMV driver's guide listed in several languages is just plain irritating <_<

Vince

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ May 19 2006, 09:53 PM) [snapback]258407[/snapback]</div>

In that case why even vote on it. We may be the melting pot but English still seems to be the common language - or do we speak American (whatever that is - after all we are not in England)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ May 19 2006, 06:23 PM) [snapback]258292[/snapback]</div>

Of course it should be. There should be immersion classes for children who are in our schools and they should also be made available to adults who do not speak English as well. I could not care less what other languages you speak, but if you live here you should be able to speak our language - and most importantly provide your children with the best chance at obtaining the American Dream - something that can happen much easier if you speak the language.

Name one other country that provides for its "people" of different language capabilities the way the US does? I dont see ballots in Aramaic being printed in France even though they represent 12+% of their population.

This is a free country, those that do not want to learn our language will present themselves with the difficulties associated with that decision.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ May 19 2006, 05:23 PM) [snapback]258292[/snapback]</div>

I don't think you can legislate successfully to promote a national language. Languages evolve and spread like organisms. The French have been trying for years to push French ahead (it used to be the language of diplomacy) but with little success. Whatever they speak at home young people will want to learn the language that seems to carry the most economic and academic advantage for their futures. That's why English is so widely spoken in Europe. It has become the main language of the internet but not because of any legislation.

 

Let's see...a republican controlled government in all sectors and yet the neocons want to blame such a bill on liberals then make up tshirts advising kicking liberals...typical hogwash of mindless people unable to run a string of facts to their logical conclusion. Don't they realize IT"S CLINTON'S FAULT!!!

 

When I worked with immigrants, most of them wanted to learn English. But it's not that easy to do. Most of them (contrary to the myths the conservatives like to tell) are working 40 or 50 or 60 hours a week, and most of them have had very little education in their own country. (It's the underclass that typically leaves home looking for opportunity.)

It took me 6 years of full-time study to learn Spanish, and these folks don't have full time to study one of the more difficult of languages.

I say, cut them some slack. Most of them want to learn English, and many of them do. Provide ESL classes and lots of folks will take them. But don't expect someone who's working 50 hours a week at back-breaking manual labor, and may be only semi-literate in their own language, to just take up the books and learn English like it was nothing.

Typically it's the second generation that learns English, and the third generation loses its ancestral language, which is the real shame.

 

I used to live in Queens, NY. Over a hundred languages are spoken by the people of Queens, the most ethnically diverse county in the United States. Their library catalog is available in 6 languages.

http://www.queenslibrary.org/

My wife and son are fluently bilingual, as are her brothers and sisters in China. I speak French, but not fluently. In Europe, students commonly study at least 1 foreign language and often 2. To speak only one language is considered uneducated. How could anyone feel threatened by foreign languages in the 21st century? Measures such as making English the official language are nothing more than cynical moves by neocons (not liberals) to harvest votes from the lowest common denominator electorate. Just like stem cell research, flag burning. gay marriage. I believe it used to be called "rabble rousing". Not such a bad term, maybe it could come back into use.

 

I though Mystery Squid was banned by majority vote.

Since neither our Yale educated President and probably 80% of the population, neither speaks nor writes American (English is the language spoken and written in England)particularly well. Why the hell are these 50 gutless wonders wasting both ours and their time. Do they not have anything better to discuss, like figuring out how to make us less dependent on foreign oil, wihtout trashing the enviroment or getting us out of Iraq without causing a major conflagration in the middle east.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Oct 19 2006, 07:24 AM) [snapback]334963[/snapback]</div>

Canada.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Oct 19 2006, 07:24 AM) [snapback]334963[/snapback]</div>

Are you sure?