English should be the official language?

[Xchel]

10 bucks says the majority of progressives believe the natives spoke Spanish.

$10 bucks says that was a pretty damn ignorant statement.

On the other hand, I took history going on 40 years ago, so I am of course wondering if the natives in what is now Texas weren't speaking Spanish.

I'm probably overdue for a refresh on American history.

The true natives didn't speak Spanish, they spoke native languages even in Texas, Mexico and so forth..that said, the Spanish and French arrived in the US before English even thought about the US so we had native languages and then Spanish and French oh and Italian before Englishmen even were interested in the New world. Italian would be one of those first languages arriving here along with Spanish after the natives..Christopher Columbus was Italian but he had Spanish on his crew and his ships were from Spain. Spanish, Chinese and English are all important languages and I have to wonder what some of my fellow Americans have against learning other languages? In fact, successful countries require it.

 

[BDBoop]

1. the US has always been based on the idea we are a melting pot
2. we don't speak English we speak a combination of languages. Words like faux pas are not English.
3. what exactly is it going to accomplish?
4. We weren't founded by English in reality...the natives were here first and there are so many languages and our language is so mixed that it makes no sense really. Why not make it Cherokee if you want an official language? after all we aren't English and in reality no one here speaks English.

For one, it would help weed out naturalized citizens versus illegals. Also If part of the immigration process was to learn to speak english, then you wouldn't have as many language barrier problems, cause it's not just mexicans that game the system by saying me no understand. Third, we could convey the word hideous, in a way that helps you take down that picture.

OMG. When I was a bill collector, I can't tell you how many times I had somebody answer the phone "He- erm, Bueno!" NOT amused when I transferred them to the Spanish reps. In fact, about 80% of the time, they hung up.

 

[Jos]

after 200 years North Americans Still dont Have there own language ? leave the English for the English

 

[Wry Catcher]

Gingrich got applause at the debate for saying English should be our official language. Agree or disagree?

English is our official language; by law we have made accomodations for those who do not speak English but live and work in our country. What I took away from the debate was the applause from the crowd. Emotinal issues stirred them, not reasoned and thoughtful ideas (of which those on stage offered few).

Our public schools ought to require the study of Latin as a lead in to a required study of at least one foreign language beginning in grade four. Matters that matter were not even mentioned let alone debated last night. What of the state of education in America? When will we begin to reparir/replace worn out infrastructure build in the 19th Century? Why do we spend more on defense than all other nations?

 

[Jos]

OMG. When I was a bill collector, I can't tell you how many times I had somebody answer the phone "He- erm, Bueno!" NOT amused when I transferred them to the Spanish reps. In fact, about 80% of the time, they hung up.

I hate it when people want to transfer me just because I have an foreign accent, and usually hang up

 

[BDBoop]

First Joe, this idiot is lying. You ever notice how jackasses always know a whole BUNCH of people that are the opposite of your point? It's amazing really. And living in a cave? where do they live? How many ceo's do they rub elbows with? I mean, it's just dumbfounding, how someone with those kinds of people in their circle can find time to post at 7:00 in the morning, much less be interest in it. You think those super successful friends of hers are posting right now? I call bullshit.

Still doesn't justify the personal crap. Calling bullshit on what you perceive as bullshit is a right of yours that I will defend 'till I'm euthanized, but there's never a call for phrases like "dummy" and "put the peyote pipe and the babies down". That's just mean.

I didn't know that I was here to change your pampers, or be your play date. By the way, it was intended to be mean. I'm not in the business of pacifying folks on this site. As it stands everyone at some point or another is at each others throat. I started out trying to be nice and was given the bums rush. I learned quickly where you folks hail from theoretically. Everyone believes in free speech, until you piss them off. Well now I cut to the chase. If I perceive stupid, I call stupid. This site is designed merely to inspire pissing contests anyway. Do you REALLY think you matter to the other folks that come here? I know I don't. Nor do they, to me. So I don't really think I need your opinion, or code of ethics on what's mean or not. Let miss fao chipowah defend herself.

And if somebody is so obviously nasty that it's apparent that they desperately need to get laid, but that's not an option, I take it it's okay to go ahead and point that out, too. Right?

 

[BDBoop]

Let what happen?

We are a country of individual rights and personal choice. If we are going to degrade ourselves and become a country where the majority enforces a language on the minority, we should be consistent and accept the consequences if the minority language reaches 51%

If everyone learned english at birth, or upon entering the country as a path to citizenship it would be a non factor then wouldn't it? when the country was just about all white which ethnicity was the dominant? are they the dominant now? how has learning and speaking english hurt them?

Almost all second generation immigrants speak English. speaking English is also a requirement for citizenship.

Immigrants always spoke other languages. We have this romantic concept that our ancestors immediately spoke English as soon as they got off the boat. Some picked up the language quickly while others maintained their mother tongue
In every major city we had Little Italys, Chinatowns, Germantowns, Swedesboros where immigrants flocked together and still spoke their native languages.
Second and third generations always managed to pick up English as their primary language

What are you afraid of now?

Good to know (the bolded bit). I had wondered.

 

[Avatar9]

1. the US has always been based on the idea we are a melting pot

Yep. And melting pot means integration. Integration means English-only.

2. we don't speak English we speak a combination of languages. Words like faux pas are not English.

Incorporating foreign words or phrases doesn't mean we don't speak English any more than putting sugar on your Kix means you're not eating Kix.

3. what exactly is it going to accomplish?

It's a necessary measure to preserve the nation. Without a common language, there is no common people.

4. We weren't founded by English in reality...the natives were here first

And they wrote COTUS and formed this nation?

Voted yes, but it begs the question, which version of English?

American Standard.

No. It should be the unofficial language. It would be against the First Amendment to make laws about language.

If it is so important to have English as the offical language, why did the Founding Fathers not authorize it many years ago?

The same reason they didn't ban nukes. They weren't psychics.

There were signers of the constitution of Dutch, French, German and Scandinavian descent. They all spoke English

So you recognize that a common language is necessary for this nation to even exist.

Hence to oppose English only and push for United States of babel is to actively seek to destroy the country by undermining the unity of the population and achieving a balkanization of America.

Words like faux pas are not English.

Yes they are.

no the word faux pas is french, the word patio is Spanish, sauna is a Finnish word, paradise is Persian and so on and so on I could go on all day telling you words we use daily that are NOT english that we use every day.

Wrong. Those are all Greek or Latin words that suffered vowel shifts and other mispronunciation. You see, we all speak the Ur tongue

Gingrich got applause at the debate for saying English should be our official language. Agree or disagree?

English is our official language

Cite the law.


The USA has no official language.

Our public schools ought to require the study of Latin as a lead in to a required study of at least one foreign language beginning in grade four.

Why should I be required speak someone else's language in my own country?

 

[BDBoop]

OMG. When I was a bill collector, I can't tell you how many times I had somebody answer the phone "He- erm, Bueno!" NOT amused when I transferred them to the Spanish reps. In fact, about 80% of the time, they hung up.

I hate it when people want to transfer me just because I have an foreign accent, and usually hang up

I'm not talking accents. I work with accents all day. I am referring to somebody who claimed not to speak English, because I was a bill collector. Her "hello" became "bueno" mid-word.

I talk to some amazing people from all over the country every day, and I've never had to transfer someone yet. If I can't get what they are saying, I ask them to spell it, and we make it through.

 

[Xchel]

Still doesn't justify the personal crap. Calling bullshit on what you perceive as bullshit is a right of yours that I will defend 'till I'm euthanized, but there's never a call for phrases like "dummy" and "put the peyote pipe and the babies down". That's just mean.

I didn't know that I was here to change your pampers, or be your play date. By the way, it was intended to be mean. I'm not in the business of pacifying folks on this site. As it stands everyone at some point or another is at each others throat. I started out trying to be nice and was given the bums rush. I learned quickly where you folks hail from theoretically. Everyone believes in free speech, until you piss them off. Well now I cut to the chase. If I perceive stupid, I call stupid. This site is designed merely to inspire pissing contests anyway. Do you REALLY think you matter to the other folks that come here? I know I don't. Nor do they, to me. So I don't really think I need your opinion, or code of ethics on what's mean or not. Let miss fao chipowah defend herself.

And if somebody is so obviously nasty that it's apparent that they desperately need to get laid, but that's not an option, I take it it's okay to go ahead and point that out, too. Right?

Don't worry it is apparent that Oracle is jealous...at 40 I still have a 25 year old fiancee...and wear a size 5 in clothing and can get away with a bikini and there are no babies..my baby is 15 and the oldest is 21 so I raised my babies and am not insecure...I am betting he is though since he finds the need to attack someone else and wail about their 'looks' ..I have to ask this to oracle..jealous much?

 

[Xchel]

OMG. When I was a bill collector, I can't tell you how many times I had somebody answer the phone "He- erm, Bueno!" NOT amused when I transferred them to the Spanish reps. In fact, about 80% of the time, they hung up.

I hate it when people want to transfer me just because I have an foreign accent, and usually hang up

I'm not talking accents. I work with accents all day. I am referring to somebody who claimed not to speak English, because I was a bill collector. Her "hello" became "bueno" mid-word.

I talk to some amazing people from all over the country every day, and I've never had to transfer someone yet. If I can't get what they are saying, I ask them to spell it, and we make it through.

I have been a bill collector as well..tough job..that said some Hispanics already use the word hello even in their native country. Here hello is the standard answer and it is a Spanish speaking country where non English speakers are abundant.

 

[Ringel05]

Wei. Nihao!

 

[FuelRod]

Nothing wrong with this.
Near as I can tell the first 150 or so years of our country's history immigrants came to this country from non english speaking countries and learned the language.

 

[Xchel]

Nothing wrong with this.
Near as I can tell the first 150 or so years of our country's history immigrants came to this country from non english speaking countries and learned the language.

actually they didn't learn the language. The first 150 years or so there were entire colonies of non english speakers that spoke things like German, Gailic, Polish, Italian, Spanish, etc...in Texas in the first 150 years of the US they spoke Spanish and also in the entire southwest for that matter.

 

[CoolBreeze]

Gingrich got applause at the debate for saying English should be our official language. Agree or disagree?

I agree, what other nation on this earth goes as far as we do to communicate with people that don't speak the native language? It has gotten so bad that we (the US Citizen) are suppose to be able to converse in the language of the foreigeners of this country, and if we can't it is our fault and not that of the person who does not speak our language. Not to mention the cost of printing instructions in several languages by businesses and the federal government. Do you remember how ebonics worked out.

Remember our motto,"OUT OF ONE COMES MANY we can not live upto that motto if we can not communicate in one laniguage with each other. The common language of this nation is English and if should take a law to state that than I am for that, we should not have to accommendate every near-do-well who comes into this nation or any other way.

 

[Xchel]

what other nation on this earth goes as far as we do to communicate with people that don't speak the native language?

All of them do..in Japan it is a requirement of their schools to learn at least 5 languages and one of the is usually English. In China they learn several languages including English. In most European countries English is also a requirement. In fact, the US goes to much less effort than other countries do. Even in Latin America in public school English is at least a minimal requirement.

 

[Ringel05]

Nothing wrong with this.
Near as I can tell the first 150 or so years of our country's history immigrants came to this country from non english speaking countries and learned the language.

I have been here for a couple of hundred years and still haven't lost my Transylvania accent.

 

[AVG-JOE]

First Joe, this idiot is lying. You ever notice how jackasses always know a whole BUNCH of people that are the opposite of your point? It's amazing really. And living in a cave? where do they live? How many ceo's do they rub elbows with? I mean, it's just dumbfounding, how someone with those kinds of people in their circle can find time to post at 7:00 in the morning, much less be interest in it. You think those super successful friends of hers are posting right now? I call bullshit.

Still doesn't justify the personal crap. Calling bullshit on what you perceive as bullshit is a right of yours that I will defend 'till I'm euthanized, but there's never a call for phrases like "dummy" and "put the peyote pipe and the babies down". That's just mean.

I didn't know that I was here to change your pampers, or be your play date. By the way, it was intended to be mean. I'm not in the business of pacifying folks on this site. As it stands everyone at some point or another is at each others throat. I started out trying to be nice and was given the bums rush. I learned quickly where you folks hail from theoretically. Everyone believes in free speech, until you piss them off. Well now I cut to the chase. If I perceive stupid, I call stupid. This site is designed merely to inspire pissing contests anyway. Do you REALLY think you matter to the other folks that come here? I know I don't. Nor do they, to me. So I don't really think I need your opinion, or code of ethics on what's mean or not. Let miss fao chipowah defend herself.

All I'm saying is that you'll catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar, giving instant value to your opinion, making it that much more likely that you're not wasting your time here.

And yes, I do think my opinion matters. I think yours matters too.

As far as the rest goes, calling stupid is as stupid does is kind of what this board is all about and it's certainly what keeps MY dear readers coming back for more. But a quick wit is all I have - I'm not lucky like Ravi to have both a quick wit and a smokin' bod.

 

[BDBoop]

Nothing wrong with this.
Near as I can tell the first 150 or so years of our country's history immigrants came to this country from non english speaking countries and learned the language.

I have been here for a couple of hundred years and still haven't lost my Transylvania accent.

I have a scandahoovian accent. Think Fargo, but not quite so thick with it.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Gingrich got applause at the debate for saying English should be our official language. Agree or disagree?

I agree for several reasons

It allows and encourages new legal immigrants to assimilate
It does not allow for "language ghettos" to be created (that is that people end up stuck in certain communities, usually very low income, based on a language if they don't speak the main language of english)
It helps create a sense of unity amongst all citizens.


I have more reasons...here check out this article it has a few good reasons in it Why the U.S. Needs an Official Language