ProEnglish.com

Why would we want to? This country has never been monolingual so why try to force it now?

Hector Medina said:

Dear conservative Americans,

For those of you who are conservative and proud of our country, there is a website. It is www.proenglish.com .

On it, you can easliy find out how to urge your U.S. Government representitive to make English the official language of the USA. Also, urge your federal or state representitive to support any political act that places English as the first language in this country.

Sinc.

Hector Medina

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Actually, the link is www.proenglish.org

I say that speaking English isn't the only step we need to take here. We need to also speak with the same British accent that our founding fathers likely had. That would make us TRUE patriots.

So when contacting your government representative, be sure to let them know it's not just English that should be the official language, but specifically British English.

Sphere said:

I say that speaking English isn't the only step we need to take here. We need to also speak with the same British accent that our founding fathers had. That would make us TRUE patriots.

So when contacting your government representative, be sure to let them know it's not just English that should be the official language, but specifically British English.

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Actually, if you read the site, you'll see they're not trying to ban languages other than English. There are legitimate reasons to want everyone living in America to be able and required to have the ability to communicate in English, and to have English as the official language of the United States.

Note that's not the same as fining people for speaking Russian out on the smoke-dock where they work, or Tagalog while congregated at the mall.

What I find most annoying about multilingualism is Spanish radio stations, which have eaten terrestrial radio alive here in California. In 1985 I could sit and eat a burger in my car while surfing the FM radio band, and find plenty of music. Not these days...every other station is Spanish, and when driving I-5 south I usually just shut my radio off once I get south of Stockton, because the FM band is a wasteland.

I'll probably end up getting satellite radio, but it galls me to have to pay for something I used to get for free.

TheNewWorldMan said:

Actually, if you read the site, you'll see they're not trying to ban languages other than English. There are legitimate reasons to want everyone living in America to be able and required to have the ability to communicate in English, and to have English as the official language of the United States.

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Require them? What's the punishment if they can't learn it? Fines? Jail Time?

TheNewWorldMan said:

What I find most annoying about multilingualism is Spanish radio stations, which have eaten terrestrial radio alive here in California. In 1985 I could sit and eat a burger in my car while surfing the FM radio band, and find plenty of music. Not these days...every other station is Spanish, and when driving I-5 south I usually just shut my radio off once I get south of Stockton, because the FM band is a wasteland.

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That's the only example you can come up with? Being annoyed at the radio stations? Come on.

It's annoying to have to fly with a baby screaming on the plane, not having to wait a whole 3 seconds to find an english radio station.

I live in Miami, and I don't have that problem. And we have a whole lot of spanish down here.

TheNewWorldMan said:

What I find most annoying about multilingualism is Spanish radio stations, which have eaten terrestrial radio alive here in California. In 1985 I could sit and eat a burger in my car while surfing the FM radio band, and find plenty of music. Not these days...every other station is Spanish, and when driving I-5 south I usually just shut my radio off once I get south of Stockton, because the FM band is a wasteland.

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"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness". Why don't you just learn Spanish?

I'll probably end up getting satellite radio, but it galls me to have to pay for something I used to get for free.

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That's capitalism for you.

Language is a "product" that is subject to "market forces" just like everything else.

I say allow each individual to decide for themselves. If a language needs to be "law" then this assumes the "language" needs some kind of special help and can't survive on its own. If a language needs such a "bail out" then maybe that language needs to decline or maybe become extinct.

You know, the way language evolved to begin with.

I don't like that term "pro English", as though those of us who don't think that we should force this country to become monolingual are somehow "against" the english language. Judging by the ranting I've done about misuse of apostrophes and other general grammatical errors, I'm far from "anti English".

I still don't buy that we should declare an "official language". What's the problem with Spanish language radio stations? Will I be considered a "subversive" because I have a Spanish language electronic Bible?
Ringo

joebudda said:

Language is a "product" that is subject to "market forces" just like everything else.

I say allow each individual to decide for themselves. If a language needs to be "law" then this assumes the "language" needs some kind of special help and can't survive on its own. If a language needs such a "bail out" then maybe that language needs to decline or maybe become extinct.

You know, the way language evolved to begin with.

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Language bail out...that's too funny.

All immigrant groups in the US have become fluent in English within two generations. Joebudda is correct in his conclusion that the main motivation for English-aquisition is economic. Current studies indicate that the present generation of immigrants to the US are becoming fluent in the English language slightly faster than previous generations.

So take a deep breath and either change the radio station or pop in a CD. There's no need for more laws.

Hector Medina said:

What especially annoys me is when you call a business, of any kind, and you hear:

For instructions in English press #1, para Espan'ol marque dos...

If it were up to me I feel, one should hear no language option OR:

If you speak the language of the greatest nation that exists press 1, if you do not we need not help you.

-Hector

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If you don't like the way that a business runs itself, don't do business with them.

I can't imagine why any conservative would advocate some big Government OneSizeFitsAll Totalitarian language law.

To me, that is the exact opposite of what conservatives should be trying to conserve

Hector Medina said:

I do not believe that at all! Especially for the border states!

Here in Texas I know several people who came from Mexico like 30 years ago and still DO NOT speak English. One of them is a landowner who is a neighborhood troublemaker. I cannot stand that! I feel that if she cannot speak the language of this nation she should NOT ... I will say no more, you get the picture.

As long as I live, I will advocate laws requiring immigrants who live here to learn English.

-Hector

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What you are illustrating is the difference between anecdotal evidence (your one lady, the "several people" you know) and statistical evidence, which gathers large numbers of incidents from a wide range of people.

It is absolutely true that, across America, the present generation of immigrants is aquiring the English language slightly faster than previous generations of immigrants. It is also entirely possible that in Texas they are doing so at a marginally slower rate, due to community cohesiveness, the large spanish-speaking population, and the abysmal state of public education in Texas.

However - maybe not. Remember, the first thing I said was "All immigrant groups in the US have become fluent in English within two generations." Remember the two generations. The people you spoke of "came from Mexico like 30 years ago". That's one generation. Do their kids speak English? I'll bet you all the money in my pockets against all the money in your pockets that they do.

My great-grandfather never became fluent in English. His kids did. Their kids didn't know how to speak Dutch.

The pill of chill, it is recommended.

Say whatever you want, but say it in English!

Hahaha just joking around.

People rage about the inhumanity of walls in Berlin and walls in Israel and the various barriers put on the southern border of the USA, but they forget another type of barrier: the language barrier.

A language barrier is exactly that. I visited a fellow forumer in his native Finland. He of course speaks English so everything went smoothly. However at one point in time his family visited and we all went out to dine. During the meal he got up to go to the bathroom. His parents don't speak English, and my Finnish is limited to things like "Hi how are you?" And "Where is the bathroom" and counting to 100. So we couldn't talk to eachother. It was then reinforced with concrete reality just how powerful a language barrier is. We were right across the table, knees almost touching, but we were in different worlds. That's how powerful it is.

The Berlin wall came down in a matter of hours. A fence can be hopped over in seconds. A language barrier takes years to tear down completely.

If it is inhumane to put up walls then what word is strong enough to describe the encouragement of language barriers within a country by dismissing the importance of a unifying language that everyone speaks and everyone embraces?

It is very hard to deny that encouraging linguistic enclaves and linguistic division is divisive rhetoric that tears us apart. Encourage the embracing of one language --English --by immigrants to the USA and you will be encouraging unity. By providing all these services in Spanish we are well intended, but badly executed in the sense that we are adapting to foreigners when they should be adapting to the majority, and thus we are enforcing and encouraging those linguistic enclaves. Assimilation is a good thing

Hector Medina said:

What especially annoys me is when you call a business, of any kind, and you hear:

For instructions in English press #1, para Espan'ol marque dos...

If it were up to me I feel, one should hear no language option OR:

If you speak the language of the greatest nation that exists press 1, if you do not we need not help you.

-Hector

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Hey hey.

We know you think your wife is the greatest woman in the world, and you're certainly in your rights to believe that, but there is a time and a place for saying so, as well as a time and a place to be polite.