Should English Be The National Language of USA?

[Unkotare]

... For many, many years, basic English competency was a requirement for acquiring citizenship. ...

It still is.

 

[Unkotare]

...

Why shouldn't the USA declare English the national language ...?

The Constitution.

 

[Unkotare]

It's the official language,...

No, it's not. It is the dominant language and always will be, but not "official."

 

[Unkotare]

Many schools in the southwest are forced to teach in Spanish because the majority of their students do not know english, and they are afraid to crack knuckles and teach remedial english to the students. I've heard this through the grapevine in the past, I don't have any recent "links" on the internet to corroborate my statements.

Non native speakers of English ARE taught English in school.

 

[Unkotare]

Isn't that what the schools are doing? Without specific legislation or rules, in those regions they are changing the language to Spanish.

No they aren't.

 

[Unkotare]

It used to be. But now it is not required at all. ...

Incorrect.

 

[Unkotare]

...he was not required to know any at all, nor was he required to Pledge Allegiance or take any sort of oath......

Incorrect.

 

[Unkotare]

Incorrect.

.

 

[Pellinore]

Unkotare is bowling strikes. Ten for ten.

 

[Mushroom]

Nowhere in the Constitution is there anything about English being a national language. If you do a search on this topic, the results seem to have been very much skewed in favor of NOT declaring English as the official language in the USA.

Actually, you are wrong. Searches are not skewed, they are being accurate.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

10th Amendment.

And as language is never stated in the document, therefore it is unlikely that such could ever be a law short of a Constitutional Amendment.

What you believe does not matter, a "national language" was never stated, therefore there is none. In fact, at least one state is officially bilingual, and has been since it entered the Union.

 

[Mushroom]

Oh ok, that wasn't clear to me. If the demographics shift to the point where the Southwest is majority Hispanic, I could see bi-lingual requirements but not changing the official language to Spanish. Borders, language and culture define every country.

Actually, there is only a single state that has both English and Spanish as official languages. And that was done over 110 years ago.

 

[Samofvt]

Actually, you are wrong. Searches are not skewed, they are being accurate.

How do you know? The internet search engine's are controlled by people behind closed doors, not accountable to anyone. If they want to erase records pertaining to a subject and favor displaying websites that endorse their perspective, they will.

10th Amendment.

And as language is never stated in the document, therefore it is unlikely that such could ever be a law short of a Constitutional Amendment.

What you believe does not matter, a "national language" was never stated, therefore there is none. In fact, at least one state is officially bilingual, and has been since it entered the Union.

What I believe does matter. That's why this is a Democratic Republic, and if enough people agree with me, we are able to vote into office representatives that will carry out our wishes.

Otherwise, I accept your arguments about language not being mentioned in the Constitution. It's a shame, because unless everyone can communicate with the same language, there will always be distrust between the people who speak different languages. That's just human nature.

 

[Samofvt]

That's not the truth, that's your opinion.

You don't get out of your echo chambers much, do you?

Yes, that's my observation about human nature. Sue me.

 

[Unkotare]

...because unless everyone can communicate with the same language, there will always be distrust between the people who speak different languages. That's just human nature.

That's not "human nature," that's just your personal hang up. There have always been thousands of languages in the world. There have always been hundreds of languages spoken in the US. People (maybe not you, but people) have always found ways of communicating.

 

[Unkotare]

...

Yes, that's my observation about human nature.

NO, that's your opinion based on what sure seems like a lot of insecurity.

 

[Mushroom]

What I believe does matter. That's why this is a Democratic Republic, and if enough people agree with me, we are able to vote into office representatives that will carry out our wishes.

And because it is a Republic, your wishes are not enough. And Representatives can not do things that are against the Constitution, no matter how much you want them to.

You see, that is what a REPUBLIC means. This is not a DEMOCRACY, which is little more then mob rule by nose counting.

They very fact that you are making such obviously silly claims shows you do not have a clue what you are talking about. They could pass 100 laws, but if it is against the Constitution they are all worthless.

What, you think our country is run by wishes? You believe it, and if you wish hard enough your wishes will all come true?

*laugh*

 

[Mushroom]

Otherwise, I accept your arguments about language not being mentioned in the Constitution. It's a shame, because unless everyone can communicate with the same language, there will always be distrust between the people who speak different languages. That's just human nature.

And this had to be brought up separately, because it shows your paranoia and distrust of anybody that is not "like you".

"Always be distrust between the people who speak different languages" to be honest sounds like your own idea of racism, because I have never seen it. You are probably one of those who thinks that any you can not understand are talking and plotting against you, and I can't help you there other than to seek a mental health professional. I have lived in several countries where English was not commonly spoken, and never experienced that feeling myself. So that sounds very much like a YP, not a MP. And you need help with YP.

 

[Mushroom]

People (maybe not you, but people) have always found ways of communicating.

Ironically, I have only had a problem with that once in my entire life. And ironically, it was in El Paso.

Just across the border crossing in El Paso is an area called "Little Juarez", and it is the only place I have met in any country where if you do not speak Spanish, the stores will not deal with you. Even my wife was shocked when she talked to them, as almost every store owner had the attitude that "Anglos did not belong". I had never seen that in Panama, or Japan, or anywhere in the Middle East. Not even in Mexico itself. And when I talked to some later even others from Mexico said that those in Juarez have a bad reputation in most of the country.

The deadliest city in the world, with people who are rude, thugs, drug dealers, and kill and rape women. When even other people from Mexico avoid those from Juarez, that says something.

 

[Samofvt]

And this had to be brought up separately, because it shows your paranoia and distrust of anybody that is not "like you".

Far, far from the truth. And it's not just my observation, but my mother (who spoke only French when she immigrated to this country) also told me about this phenomenon. It is a human trait: if you can't understand someone who speaks a different language, you will automatically feel "left out" of the conversation. This manifests itself in many ways, depending on the observing person's internal frame of mind. Some feel the non-native speaker is somehow diminished and inferior. Some feel paranoid "Are they talking about me behind my back?" Some just feel frustrated in not being able to close a deal that normally would not take any effort if the other person only spoke their language.

"Always be distrust between the people who speak different languages" to be honest sounds like your own idea of racism, because I have never seen it. You are probably one of those who thinks that any you can not understand are talking and plotting against you, and I can't help you there other than to seek a mental health professional. I have lived in several countries where English was not commonly spoken, and never experienced that feeling myself. So that sounds very much like a YP, not a MP. And you need help with YP.

Sorry for you. I am multi-cultural and multi-ethnic. I know racism, have experienced it in many ways, although the best thing to do in its face is to ignore it. <== That is the only way and Dr. King was correct. But language and communication can be a barrier within a nation.

 

[rupol2000]

It would be ideal to go to Mexican, because most Americans are Mexicans. But now this is not easy to do.