Should English Be The National Language of USA?

[Unkotare]

Some of us have even been here for over 10,000 years.

...

Damn, how old are you?

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

Spanish is a peasant language

Refried Slur

It's the baby-talk of the Latin language. "Fill ee oos" changes to "ee-ho", "foo-gee-ray" changes to "weer," etc.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

addressing people as either "holmes" or "pendayo" depending on whether they are a friend or a piece of shit.

Nada Nads

Pendejo literally means "pubic hair."

 

[Mushroom]

Damn, how old are you?

He was talking about ethnicities. And some of mine came here from Asia during the last ice age.

 

[Confederate Soldier]

Some of us have even been here for over 10,000 years.

"America" is not a nationality, it is a dream.

People don't apply for citizenship for dreams.

 

[Samofvt]

But in any case, there should be a policy of stimulating the Spanish language and all its promotion, transferring half of the media and television broadcasting to Spanish. This will promote integration with South America and become an obstacle to German-British imperialism.

That's actually not a bad idea. It's too late for me to learn a new language, but I see no reason our kids couldn't be asked to learn the basics while they are young, and eventually (in generations) everyone would speak the language naturally. The most important thing is that the people be able to communicate among each other within the nation in a common tongue. One problem with the hypothesis is that Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish. And many South American countries already have mandatory English classes in their primary school systems.

The other problem is that the country of origin, Spain, is painfully socialist and seems to be failing, along with several of the socialist South American countries (Venezuela, Chille). I'm not sure I could accept the influence toward failure.

 

[frigidweirdo]

There are many beautiful languages in the world. I always have a good amount of respect when I hear another language besides English being spoken. The second most common language in this country, Spanish, has many qualities that are intriguing and poetic, although many English speaking people find the language to be superfluous. I've heard some Spanish speaking people go on for minutes describing something that would take one sentence in English

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. This is a big change from what I've perceived in the years before internet search engines. I wonder if these results are being skewed by big tech companies (operated mostly by non-American, non-English speakers) and those with deep pockets who sell language teaching services.

The truth is that having multiple languages can cause dis-trust among the citizens. It's human nature: If you hear someone speaking a language you don't understand, you immediately wonder what they are talking about and if maybe they are saying something "behind your back". This is one of the biggest reasons in favor of a single national language. For many, many years, basic English competency was a requirement for acquiring citizenship. My mother came to this country not knowing a word of English (only French), but she explained that she did not regret for a moment the fact that she was required to learn English in school.

Why shouldn't the USA declare English the national language and require basic competency among its citizens? People are free to speak anything they want at home or even in the workplace, that should be a fact. But doesn't it make sense to require a common language to foster better communication?

It's funny because all the arguments AGAINST having English as a national language are right wing arguments. And yet you can imagine the right wing demanding English being the national language.

 

[Unkotare]

... It's too late for me to learn a new language, ...

It's never too late.

 

[braalian]

What would making English the “national language” change? What does that even entail?

 

[rupol2000]

That's actually not a bad idea. It's too late for me to learn a new language, but I see no reason our kids couldn't be asked to learn the basics while they are young, and eventually (in generations) everyone would speak the language naturally. The most important thing is that the people be able to communicate among each other within the nation in a common tongue. One problem with the hypothesis is that Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish. And many South American countries already have mandatory English classes in their primary school systems.

The other problem is that the country of origin, Spain, is painfully socialist and seems to be failing, along with several of the socialist South American countries (Venezuela, Chille). I'm not sure I could accept the influence toward failure.

Spain doesn't matter. The socialist regimes in South America must be overthrown. But these are only dreams, the US must first deal with its own socialism and return people to California

 

[Unkotare]

It's the official language, and official is national enough for me.

??????????????

 

[Mushroom]

People don't apply for citizenship for dreams.

Oh, really?

So no immigrant has ever had a dream to become an "American".

I hate to tell you sunshine, you are wrong.

 

[Mushroom]

It's funny because all the arguments AGAINST having English as a national language are right wing arguments. And yet you can imagine the right wing demanding English being the national language.

Actually, in most ways it already is as there are already laws requiring that business in the Government be done in English. And that all official documents be available in English.

They may be required in other languages, but English is a mandate. This is even the case in California. Which also has laws requiring things like election ballots be distributed in over 20 languages.

 

[Confederate Soldier]

Oh, really?

So no immigrant has ever had a dream to become an "American".

I hate to tell you sunshine, you are wrong.

Oh Immigrants have dreams, but America isn't some "dream" America is a nation. the dream is found inside that nation.

 

[Unkotare]

Bottom line: America does not and will not have a "national language," but English is and will remain the dominant language in America.

 

[Frankeneinstein]

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.

There's a difference between a "national" language and an "official" language,
the founding fathers when drafting most everything official including the constitution used the "national" language, no one needed to know by proclamation what it was, they were all writing, reading and speaking it.
what language did the explanations in your search use for explaining English is not the official language?
of all the things that unite cultures and countries the language is by far the most unifying...making the national language in a country the official language would be a major setback to anyone wanting to subvert a culture and its people.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

Actually, in most ways it already is as there are already laws requiring that business in the Government be done in English. And that all official documents be available in English.

They may be required in other languages, but English is a mandate. This is even the case in California. Which also has laws requiring things like election ballots be distributed in over 20 languages.

I wish you were right. There is no language mandate. Without being forced to communicate in English many choose not to. In New York the city had to pass a law requiring businesses to display their business names in English. They shouldn't need a law.

Are laws requiring English signs discriminatory? | OUPblog

By Dennis Baron English on business signs? It's the law in New York City. According to the "true name law," passed back in 1933, the name of any store must "be publicly revealed and prominently and legibly displayed in the English language either upon a window . . . or upon a sign conspicuously...

blog.oup.com

 

[EvilCat Breath]

There is no need to make English the official language. Just stop accommodating other languages. Government documents only in English, no broadcast licenses to non English speaking media. Things like that can make a difference.

 

[Mushroom]

I wish you were right. There is no language mandate. Without being forced to communicate in English many choose not to. In New York the city had to pass a law requiring businesses to display their business names in English. They shouldn't need a law.

And they largely ghettoize themselves and largely do not matter for much of anything.

Such rarely lasts past a single generation however.

However, there is indeed a language mandate. It is a law that all business conducted with the Government be done in English. That of course has nothing to do with what private individuals and businesses do, but most also follow as that is the only way to get ahead in the country.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

And they largely ghettoize themselves and largely do not matter for much of anything.

Such rarely lasts past a single generation however.

However, there is indeed a language mandate. It is a law that all business conducted with the Government be done in English. That of course has nothing to do with what private individuals and businesses do, but most also follow as that is the only way to get ahead in the country.

All business with the government be conducted in English. You want to go with that? How many languages are voting materials in? Driver training manuals, DMV tests are in how many languages. Court forms? All in many many many languages.