Should English be the official language?

Question

Right now there is a proposition in AZ going through to make English the official language. Some Latino community advocates are calling this racist. They say it limits diversity. My question is, how can effective communication be achieved with a language barrier? How can you expect others to think that you truly want to be an American when you refuse to adopt its most common language? It is great to learn a new language. I know Spanish and am learning German as well.

But when I came to the US my mother insisted we only speak English, but some people I know still insist that their family speak Spanish to not lose touch with their culture. I don't think it's a matter of cultural pride, I think it's a matter of being successful and smart in this country. Your thoughts?

Answer 1

It's not racist. It's AMERICAN. No other country caters to criminals the way that we do. We are a laughing stock, and people are taking advantage of us.



We must start standing up for ourselves!!!



.

Answer 2

My thoughts are that English only laws are inherently racist. They are a way to take power from an entire cross-section of people. If it's true that we all need a single language to communicate, why don't we all learn to speak Cherokee? After all, it was one of the first languages spoken here in America, right?



I certainly believe that speaking English is very important. My father, an illegal alien, came to the US and learned to speak English very quickly. It helped him to be successful. He is a truly intelligent person.



But what about those people who, for some unfortunate reason, lack the ability to learn a new language? Maybe they are too old, or maybe they are ill, or maybe they just don't have the time because they are working too hard in their job? Denying these people the ability to understand only makes their lives worse.



The saddest thing is that these places that are pushing this racist agenda tend to be places where Spanish was spoken first! Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, California... all these places were once part of Mexico! The people who lived in that area of the US were originally Mexicans and Native Americans. It's sad that racist policies are being used to make their lives more difficult, especially when making those changes would be of no benefit either way to the dominant power structure of white folks. Is it really any skin of their back that someone can't speak English?

Answer 3

Bharris.

UK calling

We've known 4 a long time here that the more U rave about UR wealth, health & prosperity the more criminals we'll attract along with the genuine.

Not every1 is a criminal & it's a shame we can't tell just by looking at them!



I was told there R more Chinese in the World than the rest of us put 2gether.

Praps as a mark of respect we should all speak Mandarin Or Cantonese!



I think the divisions of years of oppression is fast catching up with the Affluent West.

I just want the whole world 2 live in harmony, regardless of race or colour.

We can learn 2 speak different languages there R no excuses 2 not trying 2 get on.

Answer 4

Latino activists call everything AMERICANS desire 'racist'. That word is meaningless anymore, pay it no attention. If we don't have an OFFICIAL language, people will not be able to communicate nation wide in the USA. We cannot placate every diverse language we have represented in the citizens of the USA. We should have ONE universal language in the USA and it should be English. That is the language used most and that is the language that has been spoken here since the beginning of this sovereign nation. No one is saying people cannot speak their preferred language at home or with others who speak their language. But, anyone who is a citizen of the USA MUST know English or they will not be able to communicate with the MAJORITY of USA citizens. They can know 15 languages for all I care as long as ENGLISH is one of them. If people don't want to learn ENGLISH, THEY will be left out. THEY can go back to their homelands.

Answer 5

My family also immigrated here and my parents insisted that we only speak English at home so that we would not have problems communicating in school.



While we shouldn't lose touch with our heritage we should all be able to speak and write in English, which I thought is the official language of the US.



I also speak French, Spanish and a little bit of Japanese and Tagalog. There are many Europeans who are muli-lingual. Learning English does not mean you have to stop speaking whatever your native language is.

Answer 6

Yes, English should be the official language. The U.S. does not have the historical background to make Spanish an official language, nor does the U.S. embrace multiculturalism which is a principle in Canada. Here we have two official languages, English and French, in keeping with our historical and philosophical bases. A country should have an official language because all the documents and communications to its citizens must be in a consistent language. The U.S. is just making it official that English is its language of operation.



It makes everything really complicated. But our politicians have to be bilingual and that makes it most interesting!





However, a state should have an official language that reflects its residents' needs.

P.S. Many of our govt. docs are available in Tamil, Farsi, Punjabi, Arabic, etc. too.

Answer 7

Many countries have no official language. Some even have more than one. Canada for example has 2 official languages.



The world is getting smaller as the population grows. Many countries also teach multiple languages in their schools, it's only logical since eventually you will need to interact with someone that speaks a different language.



You can't keep your head buried in the sand forever you know. The world is changing and we need to change with it. Isolationism is going the way of the dinosaur, adapt to the world or be left behind.

Answer 8

Well english is the official language. Some people are just too lazy to learn another language. Many Europeans know more than one language. I speak english, spanish, and a little french.

Answer 9

Their is nothing wrong about requiring at least those who wish to become citizens to be able to speak English,every other civilized country on earth as far as I've seen requires those who wish to become citizens to have a working knowledge of their language. To call it racist is a weak,wrong headed argument that signifies a debater who knows he has already lost the argument if it's based on facts. No coherent society can function with those within demanding to separate themselves in every way from the rest, that said if the Hispanic community wants to limit their opportunities based on unrealistic ideas on cultural identification then so be it,but we should not enable it.We should not spend millions putting voting info and such in other languages,as by law those who are citizens engaging in these activities should have a working knowledge of English,and those unwilling to do such a small thing as learning English should not be able to become citizens. A great deal of my family still speaks Polish even 80 years after my grandparents immigrated here but even my grandparents tried to also become a part of America more than what I see today.

Answer 10

'Diversity' is just one more little political palisade they've been hiding their little colony plan behind....learn english, or go somewhere else, that's how I feel about it. We can and should learn and speak other languages in america, I think that's positive, I think we already do it, too. But, when you say OFFICIAL language, as in 'language of public commerce/government/ business etc., that should be english.



Culture, smulture. You move to a different country, congratulations, you left the Old Country behind for a REASON...so, pick up where you left off in the new one. Besides, america's an amalgamation of different cultures, if you can't find something you like, go home.

Answer 11

English has already become the official language throughout the world.

Although to know the local language is good too, and I would like to know other languages as well such as Norwegian and Russian.

I am not a native English speaker.

Answer 12

English is already Arizona's official language according to the Arizona Constitution. And yes, there should be a common language for all people to communicate with inside of a country. Since, most of us already speak English, it should be English.

Answer 13

I don't think English should be the official language, but it should be mandatory that all Visa applicants, potential citizens, etc should pass an English speaking and writing test.



It is not racist. Every country, even Mexico, has an official language. I think it is racist and unacceptable for Mexico to manipulate our internal laws and policies by playing the race card.

Answer 14

English is the official language in the United States. Just about everyone in the US is of some other origin of descent, but "English" is the language.



Whether you'd like to speak 10 different languages or not - if you live in the US, you should learn English. Americans should not have to learn your language.



If you go to France and don't speak French - who should be concerned about it - them?

Answer 15

Most other countries have one united language that they speak - in England is English, in Germany it's German, etc...

Barring different dialects, it is a pretty standard practice for their to be a national language. Since the vast majority of the people who are citizens here speak english this is a sensible decision. The government could still offer brochures and services in other languages, but the emphasis would be on English.

It's not racist - it's just sensible. If you were to go to a different country you would not be given the same accomodations as you are here.

Answer 16

English is the common language of this nation.

It is racist for "latinos" to say we should accept spanish as a 'second" language and not chinese, or russian, or farci.

Why are all bilingual classes in spanish? We need some in chinese too, and farci, and phillipino, it is racist of latinos to think their language is more important than japanese.

We have people from every nation on earth, speaking every language on earth immigrating here, why do "latinos" think they are so much BETTER than everyone else that they don't have to learn english when they immigrate here? English makes us one, one nation, one people, it binds us under one flag, one set of laws, one government. If everyone refused to learn our language, ENGLISH, this country would be like the tower of Babel, it would fall.

Oh, and FYI....English already IS the "Official Language of the State of California" in legislation passed by the California State in 1982.

Answer 17

Gee, let people speak there own language....What about people living in the privacy of there own home, they can't speak Spanish or any other foreign language? In Hawaii, everything is in English and Japanese, and no one is up in arms about it....Did you know Switzerland has three official languages, German, Italian, French and why? Because it shares borders with these countries, and incidentally, it is one of the most educated first world countries....Stop fearing language differences.....

Answer 18

The U.S. is a country of immigrants.



With the exception of native Americans, U.S. citizens all came from different countries, cultures and creeds. But when they came here, they all learned to speak a common language: English.



How can you have a country where everyone speaks a different language? And why should Spanish be the only alternative language? How about Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, French, German, Italian, Greek, Swedish, to name a few? There are millions of people whose native language is not English.



In the past, immigrants came to this country because they loved it. They escaped poverty and persecution, and they treated their new motherland with respect. They didn't demand that everyone else speak their native tongue, and they did not parade with foreign flags.



I say to all immigrants, legal and illegal: Respect this country, learn its language, and don't fly foreign flags. And the citizens of this great country will embrace you.

Answer 19

I live in Arizona and my native language is English but I don't believe that the official language should be English because there is alot of Spanish speaking people in this state, no matter what race they are. I believe it should be both languages.

Answer 20

Having two official languages in Canada (where I am from) has done nothing to promote a Canadian identity.



in fact, it creates resentment and prejudice.



The entire world uses English to conduct business, scientific and medical research, to communicate through air traffic control and it is the default language of the internet.



When people speak the same language, dialogue and understanding can begin.



If you encourage people to speak different languages, you encourage isolation, mistrust and misunderstanding

Answer 21

English *is* the official language of the United States, isn't it? If I go to France on business, I speak French. If I go to Germany, I speak German. UNLESS the person to whom I'm speaking speaks to me in English, then I will use English...



It's not racist for a country (or state) to have an official language. It seems to me it only means, "this is the official language which you should speak in order to do business in this area." It doesn't devalue persons who don't speak it... just means they may have to hire a translator. Like I do when I have to go to Russia.

Answer 22

Your mother was a smart woman. I would support making English the official language for the entire country.

Answer 23

limiting yourself or your country to just speaking one language is myopic and reductionistic......



in Germany 70% of the people speak two or more languages......



we should be encouraged to speak more than one language after all this is the land of immigrants...... or so it is supposed to be.....



by the way it's not that immigrants don't want to learn English it's just that for a person to acquire cognitive academic language proficiency it takes 6 years for an educated person and even more for a non-educated person!!!!!!!

Answer 24

HOORAY for your family! And,YES English needs to be made the official language of this country! There should not even be a need for this discussion!

Answer 25

Many pochos like you know to speak English, so what is the big deal?



The important thing is that you don't lose your identity.



Respect the law, customs and language of the country you are in, but never forget where you are coming from. That is what many pochos like you don't understand.

Answer 26

So what next you tell the deaf mute that he can't Use Sign Language because everyone around him can not understand it....... or no one will provide him interpreters. People need to stop beating this dead horse. and realize that English is not the superior language that will prevail until the end of time. Shoot American English is not even true English. What next to tell the blacks that they can't speak Eubonics.

Answer 27

It's called "Lazy". These people want the right to go back and forth across the border and bring the rest of their family with them and at the same time keep all their customs intact and demand us to change to their ways. Sounds crazy, but it's true. They come here to have their babies and the babies are then citizens of this country - what a shame on us for allowing this to happen. Our schools and hospital emergency rooms are filled with illegal aliens who demand free medical care and Spanish speaking classes for their children all at the expense of the taxpayers of this country.

Answer 28

English should be the official language. Everything in the u.s. should be in english only.

Answer 29

English should be the official language.

Answer 30

Why can't people learn more than one language? Europeans typically learn several languages. English should be the official language, but it doesn't mean that people can't continue to speak their native language among themselves.

Answer 31

I am no racist, nut when America is kind enough to let you in, you should really make English your official language. If I moved to Italy i would make Italian my main language, it just makes sense!

Answer 32

Yes yes yes , and i am french(from Belgium)

English is good , everybody 's got something to learn ...sometimes.

It 's break the language barrier.

Answer 33

It is our official language. but is not our mandatory language we can even use our hands to communicate if we want.



Again ENGLISH is our official language and nobody is forcing you to expand your vocabulary but you can not can not can not can not tell me what or how to communicate, if you can not understand me find somebody else to speak with but do not try to deny me my right to speak what ever i want.

Answer 34

House democrats always again IT !! thats why they wanna kick Haster because if democrat control congress and give all amnesty and open border selling america to mexico as long they get vote form mexican and all illegal criminal

Answer 35

It should be the official language in ENGLAND. That's it.

Answer 36

Only if you use it the way it was meant to be used. Grab an Oxford English Dictionary, will ya? And fix your bleeding spelling as well. Those dreadful zeds are doing my head in.

Answer 37

no...so many people in this country speak SO many different languages/dialects...to make english the official language would be kinda rude and discriminatory

Answer 38

Thier culture is from the third world. If you want to sneak over our borders and drop anchor babies, at least teach them our language. It is the least we can ask in ruturn for your raping of our hospitals and social programs.

Answer 39

would you mind if i speak the language i want to?

Answer 40

of course it should be, declaration of independence, the bill of rights, the constitution, all written in english

Answer 41

Hell yeah english all the waaaaaaay

Answer 42

Heck yes, this is America.