Devilish34 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 You must be pretty well off if that is a serious issue for you. ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Crash Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I do however feel that English should be made an official language just because it makes everything easier when there is an official language. For what it's worth, I agree with you. English should have been recognized as the "official" language of the U.S. a long time ago ... And that is no slight toward people who want to learn/speak a second or third language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Devil Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 All way too far to the right for my tastes.... " " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 For what it's worth, I agree with you. English should have been recognized as the "official" language of the U.S. a long time ago ... And that is no slight toward people who want to learn/speak a second or third language. Can anyone provide 4 or 5 examples of how "everything is easier" with a national official language? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Crash Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Can anyone provide 4 or 5 examples of how "everything is easier" with a national official language? Although they were not my words, I think I get the basic gist his/her point. Generally speaking, an official language helps establish national protocol in the same way as having an official currency and having an officially recognized system of government. Nothing more than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMONPETEYD Posted May 21, 2008 Author Share Posted May 21, 2008 Why is Don always the # 1 Arguer to anything said on this board in regards to anything about the US. Just find it ironic that he isn't even American! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Leeds Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Why is Don always the # 1 Arguer to anything said on this board in regards to anything about the US.Just find it ironic that he isn't even American! Because Don is still trying to bombard us with his superior elitist liberal tolerant mantra garbage. Isn't Canada the one that's been fighting a language war for decades? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Because Don is still trying to bombard us with his superior elitist liberal tolerant mantra garbage.Isn't Canada the one that's been fighting a language war for decades? I have a French Canadien friend and a Canadian friend and language is a bone of contention in Canada. So are guns but that is for another thread. I recall a past thread on this language subject that I'm too lazy to search but in a nutshell Don said how expensive it is to print every single government doc in two languages (French/English). In the US what two languages should we choose? I'd rather see the money spent on helping people in need then printing 10,000 documents in their language so they can ask for help and have there be none available because we spent millions on printing documents. Language is a unifying factor no doubt about it, that's why we have "Latinos" or "Hispanics" rather than, Mexicans, Cubans, Guatamalans, Equadorians, Costa Ricans, Panamanians, Columbians, Peruvians etc. I don't know why it is such a horrible thing to suggest that the US have an "official language." I don't care if people speak pig latin when they are home, but when we are all together we should speak the same language. Wow a country of people able to talk to each other, such a terrible idea. I honestly believe this aversion to English has nothing to do with language but rather a disdain and for some an outright hatred of all things American. Blame the founding fathers, we could be speaking French! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Leeds Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 You mean Don is being a hypocrite? Perish the thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyx Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 You mean Don is being a hypocrite?Perish the thought. Seems silly to associate Canada's views on something with Don's. Do you know how he feels about multiple languages in Canada? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsfan26 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 ??? My point was if that is a major problem then you must have an easy life. Who cares if you had to repeat a few words in Spanish, is it really THAT much of an inconvenience? Other than the point about it being cheaper to print documents when there is one official language, I don't see why it is so important to have one. Even though it isn't official, I would think it's pretty hard to go far in this country without being able to speak English anyway, so I don't see why this is such a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 (A) I happen to be on an American message forum, which so happens to have threads about American politics. Was there some rule somewhere saying that I am not allowed to contribute my opinions? (B) It is quite true that it is expensive to provide services in both English and French. I was trying to get at that earlier... at what percentage of the population do you start providing services in both languages? At 20% like Canada? Or 30%? Or 50%? Right now Spanish is at about 10% of the American population... but what if, by legal immigration, that got up to 20%? Or 50%? © I don't think Latinos that haven't learned English "hate America". That's absurd. Learning a second language is very difficult. I think learning French, while difficult, has been a wonderful gift in that I can now communicate in either official language... and with 99% of the population of Ontario or Quebec. Personally, I think it shows a willingness to cooperate and share. If we would like the people of Quebec to be bilingual so that we can communicate in English, I think we Canadian anglophones should give the same effort to learn to be bilingual so that we can communicate in French. -=-=-=-=-=- 95Crash: But the United States has gotten by with leaving the decisions on official languages to individual states for over 200 years. What would this declaration change? What would it accomplish? The only thing I can see it accomplishing is to anger the Latino community, which I think is the goal of those that wrote the petition that started this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilish34 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 My point was if that is a major problem then you must have an easy life. Who cares if you had to repeat a few words in Spanish, is it really THAT much of an inconvenience? Other than the point about it being cheaper to print documents when there is one official language, I don't see why it is so important to have one. Even though it isn't official, I would think it's pretty hard to go far in this country without being able to speak English anyway, so I don't see why this is such a big deal. My life is far from easy and I'm guessing you have yet to find out what working is really like. I am fluent in Spanish and nor do I find it an inconvenience but if you are in another country at the very least learn the basics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devs4LIFE Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 You were pissed they spoke English? Fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOTCB Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Is Keith Olbermann a lib? Is the Pope Catholic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilish34 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Is the Pope Catholic? Yes he i$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senators Advocate Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Is the Pope Catholic? I prefer The Dude's phrase: "Pope sh!t in the woods?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilNurn Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 (edited) I really think that English doesn't have to be our official language. I think in general, it already is. Making it official would be good for certain things, but I think it's more a patriotic issue than anything else. The things that would have to be in two languages would still be (like things at the DMV, etc.), and it's not like we see national papers being printed double and it going to waste. That's one thing computers are great for; bytes are less wasteful and less expensive than trees. And in terms of people migrating here, I think it would have little effect in deterring them. I doubt people would be dissuaded unless we just were to deport anyone who couldn't speak our national language, which is totally infeasible, not to mention insane. I just feel that anyone who is so concerned with the moral fabric that they need it to be confirmed by a law or amendment, they're just insecure about their country. I, for one, accept that people will speak other languages here, and that although it's not written in a lawbook somewhere, the language of America is English. Edited May 21, 2008 by DevilNurn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 List of countries that have official languages: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_official_languages Many countries have official languages. They should be boycotted. They are racist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Many countries have official languages. They should be boycotted. They are racist. Yeah. Right. When you can't debate what was said, make up something that you can debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 I, for one, accept that people will speak other languages here, and that although it's not written in a lawbook somewhere, the language of America is English. It is the defacto official language... but by leaving it to the individual states to declare official languages, it allows for things like New Mexico publishing laws in both English and Spanish. Where needed, the need is met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilNurn Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 It is the defacto official language... but by leaving it to the individual states to declare official languages, it allows for things like New Mexico publishing laws in both English and Spanish. Where needed, the need is met. Best way to do it in such a large and diverse nation. The founders had it right, and seeing as they didn't know the immigration that would occur, I'm also glad they didn't make it our official language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 It is the defacto official language... but by leaving it to the individual states to declare official languages, it allows for things like New Mexico publishing laws in both English and Spanish. Where needed, the need is met. Funny about need, Arizona made English their official language. I guess the money it would cost outweighed the "need." Since there are thousands of immigrants that speak many languages there is no way the needs of all of them can be met. Fairness is met through education so the need can be met through the study of various languages. Millions of immigrants have landed on these shores without documents printed in their language. I think these modern immigrants are just as capable. Best way to do it in such a large and diverse nation. The founders had it right, and seeing as they didn't know the immigration that would occur, I'm also glad they didn't make it our official language. They also didn't make the language French because the majority spoke English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyx Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 States probably wont appreciate having this kind of power stripped from then, considering every state already has English as the offical language. Seems like an unnecessary waste of congress's time and would anger immigrants all to re-assure the "true" American people that their language is officially English...which it all ready is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Crash Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 95Crash: But the United States has gotten by with leaving the decisions on official languages to individual states for over 200 years. What would this declaration change? What would it accomplish? The only thing I can see it accomplishing is to anger the Latino community, which I think is the goal of those that wrote the petition that started this thread. Well, OK, it is true that our country has gotten by for over 200 years without "officially" declaring English our national language. But that does not mean that it should not have been done in the first place. And, to me anyway, that is surely not a reason not to do it now. If most of us agree that English is already the "unofficial" language of the U.S., why shouldn't we make it "official?" Because it might "anger" or "offend" the Hispanic/Latino community? I do not buy that. I believe that most Hispanics/Latinos would agree that English is already considered our national language. Therefore, they would have no beef with it being "officially" delcared. Having said that, I would then guess that your argument to that point would be: OK, if most Hispanics/Latinos already consider English our national language, then why is it necessary to make it official? And that point would bring me back to the point I made earlier about how it would be a good thing to formally establish it -- in the same way the U.S. has already formally estblished other national protocols (for the lack of a better word) such as currency and government and such. Putting aside any alarmist talk about the country being taken over by foreigners or any orther similarly outlandish talk, I do think it would be good idea for us to get some basics down pat -- English as our national language being one of them. ... Yes, change is good sometimes. But not all change is good. Do we really want there to be two "unofficial" or "official" languages some day? Are there not already towns in Texas and/or New Mexico that want to conduct most of their "official" business in another language? To me, that is not a good thing -- no matter what the other language is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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