Should English be the main language

[Twiligh]

Should the United States adopt English as its national language?

Currently the US has no national language. What do people think?

[KingRugger]

Why does it matter what you're national language is? I mean, i underestand were you are coming from buddy, but most of you speak english anyhow so it would be a waste of time and paperwork...agreeable?

[Me-Patch]

At 6/18/07 12:08 PM, KingRugger wrote: Why does it matter what you're national language is? I mean, i underestand were you are coming from buddy, but most of you speak english anyhow so it would be a waste of time and paperwork...agreeable?

Except for the time being wasted in classrooms when teachers have to re-teach their lesson plan in spanish and/or other languages every day.

[Tancrisism]

I'd say that's something to be left up to the states.

[HighlyIllogical]

At 6/18/07 11:46 AM, Twiligh wrote: Should the United States adopt English as its national language?

It is the national language, not the official one.

Making English "official" would complicate everything.

[morefngdbs]

At 6/18/07 11:46 AM, Twiligh wrote:

Currently the US has no national language. What do people think?

;
Why not try it?
We have supposedly 2 official languages here in Canada.
New Brunswick is the only bi lingual province.
Quebec is french & they have gestapo... I mean, language police that go around & make sure signage etc. is following the 'french language laws', there are no english laws there. seig hail!

The rest of Canada is English speaking for the most part.
Although the Goverment makes sure they waste billions of tax dollars keeping up the bi lingual Federal Policy of 2 'Official' languages.

So if your Goverment has some money to waste why not adopt 2 or 3 official languages.

[HighlyIllogical]

Making english "official" has problems...

According to http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-
t37/tab01a.pdf, 28,101,050 Americans speak Spanish or Spanish Creole at home (of that, the vast majority speak English "well" or "very well," though)

[B-Cadizzle]

At 6/18/07 01:58 PM, morefngdbs wrote:

At 6/18/07 11:46 AM, Twiligh wrote:

Currently the US has no national language. What do people think?

;
Why not try it?
We have supposedly 2 official languages here in Canada.
New Brunswick is the only bi lingual province.
Quebec is french & they have gestapo... I mean, language police that go around & make sure signage etc. is following the 'french language laws', there are no english laws there. seig hail!

The rest of Canada is English speaking for the most part.
Although the Goverment makes sure they waste billions of tax dollars keeping up the bi lingual Federal Policy of 2 'Official' languages.

So if your Goverment has some money to waste why not adopt 2 or 3 official languages.

ok well if thats it then we should also call spanish the official language. but me i just say why bother its just alot of paper work over something that dosnt make a big change in anything

[tawc]

English isn't even the official language of England, which strikes me as odd.

[fli]

At 6/18/07 03:11 PM, tawc wrote: English isn't even the official language of England, which strikes me as odd.

Obviously...
Because when the French tried to make Latin and French the official language-- (Technically, that's still the offical language in England, oddly...)-- it made the English more reluctant to adopot those languages fully and in fact... increased their stubborness.

By making English official in the US, all the immigrant populations will suddenly resist and become equally stubborn.

Look what's happened when California, my state, made English the "official language"-- diddly squat. In fact, it just made things a whole lot worse for people who wanted only one language. LoL-- The step out of the frying pan and into the fire.

[MortifiedPenguins]

At 6/18/07 03:17 PM, fli wrote:

At 6/18/07 03:11 PM, tawc wrote:

By making English official in the US, all the immigrant populations will suddenly resist and become equally stubborn.

There already resisting and being stubborn to assimilate into US culture. If they don't wish to learn the common tongue of the nation, then they can be content to picking stawberries for the rest of thier lives.

Likewise, I don't believe it should be left to each state to decide as well. If one state adopted English as the official language, and another adopted Spanish. Then complications would be met and be very undeserible. It's like two states issuing thier own currency.

[Grandmaster-J]

English should be the official national language. It pretty much already is.

[fli]

At 6/18/07 04:48 PM, MortifiedPenguins wrote: There already resisting and being stubborn to assimilate into US culture. If they don't wish to learn the common tongue of the nation, then they can be content to picking stawberries for the rest of thier lives.

Fenrus, not to be mean but you are truly speaking out of ignorance in a huge way.
First off... they assimilate and show they want to assimilate. But they wannt this slowly and by their will. However, Americans want to devoid them of anything that they percieve as "not American." And like how our "bigger, better, faster" culture dictates-- they want this instantly...

Never mind the fact that almost instantaneously all first born generation Americans are... Americanized. By the third generation, they have all but forgotten the name of their forefather's country orgins. Which is sad because when I have my kids, they probably won't be bilingual (actually, trilingual in my case...) just like me.

For a nation to not recognize it's own linguistical history... to remember its orgins when it was the underdog and a conquered people at that... to not remember how a gargled and variable language of a peasents who over threw the people who tried to exterminate not only the culture but the tongue...

Well, they deserve the resistance these strawberries pickers are putting up. Twice fold in fact becuase, as the expression goes... Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me...

And should the day come if when history repeats itself... when an underdog language topples the official language... maybe the US will be content that they couldn't be nicer to the children of these strawberry pickers.

Likewise, I don't believe it should be left to each state to decide as well. If one state adopted English as the official language, and another adopted Spanish. Then complications would be met and be very undeserible. It's like two states issuing thier own currency.

As far as the law goes, there are no states that has Spanish as an official language. Only English in certain states.

But I'm 100 percent against anyone establishing any official languages for its harming effects. It's aggrevigates people, and rightly so.

[MegalomaniacVirus]

At 6/18/07 12:08 PM, KingRugger wrote: Why does it matter what you're national language is? I mean, i underestand were you are coming from buddy, but most of you speak english anyhow so it would be a waste of time and paperwork...agreeable?

Making English the official language would make it so that all US documents and ballots would be printed in English.

Plus, schools will no longer have to speak spanish to a spanish speaking kid. Either he speaks english or he fails.

[ForkRobotik]

Assimilation seems like a bogus concept. I mean, how does one define being assimilated? Going to mcdonalds and shopping at walmart? Wearing only clothes that are made in china?!!

[HighlyIllogical]

At 6/18/07 07:28 PM, MegalomaniacVirus wrote: Making English the official language would make it so that all US documents and ballots would be printed in English.

Plus, schools will no longer have to speak spanish to a spanish speaking kid. Either he speaks english or he fails.

Those things are blatantly discriminatory, anyway.

It might lead to denial of service and equal opportunity to succeed.

Hence why adopting English as the official language UNDER LAW is bad.

[MegalomaniacVirus]

At 6/18/07 07:30 PM, HighlyIllogical wrote: Those things are blatantly discriminatory, anyway.

No....they aren't. Read Us anti-discrimination laws and there is nothing about language.

[MortifiedPenguins]

At 6/18/07 05:17 PM, fli wrote:

At 6/18/07 04:48 PM, MortifiedPenguins wrote:

Fenrus, not to be mean but you are truly speaking out of ignorance in a huge way.
First off... they assimilate and show they want to assimilate. But they wannt this slowly and by their will. However, Americans want to devoid them of anything that they percieve as "not American." And like how our "bigger, better, faster" culture dictates-- they want this instantly...

But thats the thing, not everybody or every group has the chance to assmilate or learn American values or traditions at thier speed. History has shown that.

Never mind the fact that almost instantaneously all first born generation Americans are... Americanized. By the third generation, they have all but forgotten the name of their forefather's country orgins. Which is sad because when I have my kids, they probably won't be bilingual (actually, trilingual in my case...) just like me.

One can keep thier culture and individuality while embracing what is American. I mean, we have german nieghbors that still speak to thier kids in German every once in a while so they don't forget the language. Thats not bad, I applaud that.

For a nation to not recognize it's own linguistical history... to remember its orgins when it was the underdog and a conquered people at that... to not remember how a gargled and variable language of a peasents who over threw the people who tried to exterminate not only the culture but the tongue...

I really don't know who you are talking about here.

And should the day come if when history repeats itself... when an underdog language topples the official language... maybe the US will be content that they couldn't be nicer to the children of these strawberry pickers.

By that point I will be long dead and that is none of my concern.
And the Mexicans tried that already, and failed.

As far as the law goes, there are no states that has Spanish as an official language. Only English in certain states.

I know that, I'm just giving an example for future reference based upon immigration patterns.

But I'm 100 percent against anyone establishing any official languages for its harming effects. It's aggrevigates people, and rightly so.

People are always aggrivated. Nothing new.

[bimus99]

England is not a country its part of the united kingdom and apparently we can't have an oficial langauge because they speak Welsh in Wales and Gaelic in Scotland alongside English.

[Elfer]

At 6/18/07 12:20 PM, Me-Patch wrote:

At 6/18/07 12:08 PM, KingRugger wrote: Why does it matter what you're national language is? I mean, i underestand were you are coming from buddy, but most of you speak english anyhow so it would be a waste of time and paperwork...agreeable?

Except for the time being wasted in classrooms when teachers have to re-teach their lesson plan in spanish and/or other languages every day.

Yeah, except that that wouldn't actually be affected, because you have no idea what adopting an official language actually means.

Hint: It doesn't matter at all unless you're going to have more than one.

[K-RadPie]

At 7/2/07 09:37 AM, bimus99 wrote: England is not a country its part of the united kingdom and apparently we can't have an oficial langauge because they speak Welsh in Wales and Gaelic in Scotland alongside English.

So your government is just waiting for those 30 people to die off, eh?

[pandaeater123]

it should be the language of the world.
or at least my world....

but seroiusly, it is the national language. If you knew your history, it was almost German, since we also had a massive influx of these germanese people.

[TheBasics]

Well, you see english is the main language in The US. However there is so many spanish people in the US that they don't bother making it the official language. Since most(not all) spanish people that immigrate to the US generally tend not to care enough to learn english, but simply go and live in mainly spanish communities.

[1337h4x0r2]

The majority of the first settlers spoke english, and the immigrants from Europe during the the 1800s-1950s all learned to speak English, so the Mexicans and other illegals that are crossing our borders illegally should at least have the damn decency to learn our language before they run around lowering minimum wage.
For all of you that 'non comprendo'.....leave....now.

[TheSovereign]

Yes, and any who comes to America should learn it with-in 3 years, if not, back to third world hell hole!

[TheBasics]

At 7/2/07 11:55 PM, TheSovereign wrote: Yes, and any who comes to America should learn it with-in 3 years, if not, back to third world hell hole!

I'm from the second world hell hole and I learned english in less than a year :(

[SolInvictus]

At 6/18/07 01:58 PM, morefngdbs wrote: there are no english laws there. seig hail!

it's sieg heil, et c'est la loi 101 tabarnac!

[psycho-squirrel]

english is the official national language. spanish isnt an official language, just a tag-along language.

[LordJaric]

At 7/2/07 11:58 PM, TheBasics wrote:

At 7/2/07 11:55 PM, TheSovereign wrote: Yes, and any who comes to America should learn it with-in 3 years, if not, back to third world hell hole!

I'm from the second world hell hole and I learned english in less than a year :(

It can take a longer than 3 years to learn one language, and english is one of the hardest to learn.

[Cuppa-LettuceNog]

Immigration Officer: Mr. And Mrs. Diaz, now all you have to do is sign this, and the green card is yours!

Potential American:....Kay?

Immigration Officer: *Denies visa*

Simply brilliant. And god knows that it totally won't drain school funds, who get money based on how well their students do on tests, when 600 of their students are in the 9th grade at the age of 27 because they never had a clue what the teacher was saying.