Do you think that English should be the legal common language in the good old USA??

Question

Should the ability to speek basic english be a must for applying for permission to stay in this Country??

Answer 1

Yes we are an English speaking nation and in order to live here you should be required to speak our language .

Answer 2

No, it shouldn't. People often don't realize that the founders set up the country without establishing an official language for a very good reason. That goes against what this country is....a diverse place of many cultures and languages. I'm not saying that it would be easy to get by in the country without being able to speak English, but in no way should it be forced upon anyone. It makes me so sad that this debate is even taking place.

Answer 3

No. English should not be the legal common language. It already IS the common language, but to make it legal would be to go against our founding fathers' wishes. Don't you think if they had wanted English to be the official language they would have included such an important provision in the Constitution?

The thing is, English is difficult to learn for non-natives, and to require that someone learn it simply to be a citizen of a country that has founded it's very success on diversity is nonsense.

If someone wants to be a good citizen of the United States, they will learn English. But it should not be required.

Answer 4

Basic English?

I would be extremely surprised if as many as one half of one percent of the population on the United States could speak Basic English at _any_ level. Are you seriously proposing that a language that _nobody_ uses be a requirement for permission to stay in the US?

Perhaps you meant "American English"?
In which case which dialect would be the "legal" dialect?
Harvard?
Southern?
Spanglish?
Eubonics?
Or one of the ten or so other major dialects of American English?

The next issue to deal with is that of The First Nations. They have --- in theory --- sovereign rights, which can only be changed, by rewriting the treaties we have with them.

The next issue is Mexico. Prior to the American-Mexican was, Mexican territory included all of California and Nevada. It also included most of Arizona, and part of Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, Outside of its territorial boundaries were enclaves of Mexican citizens. Those residents gave up neither their language, nor cultural heritage.

The next issue is French. Louisiana (New France) included all of the current state of Louisiana, and most of the territory in the states of Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The majority of French speakers outside of Louisiana (US) assimilated into the US, after the Louisiana purchase. The majority of French Speakers within Louisana retained their French language, and customs. This francaphone attitude was reinforced with the arrival of the Accadians. The French language itself mutated to Cajun, and various other French, or English dialects.

The final factor to consider is the effects of immigrants on the language. The most common first language for Vancouver, British Columbia, is Chinese. You can wander down the entire West coast, then go to the East coast, and find enclaves where one or other of the Asian languages are the majority language.

Answer 5

Hell, yes!
I would love myself to know more than one language, but I believe it should be an option, not a necessity to communicate with your fellow neighbors.
This country welcomes individuals from anywhere but it's common sense that we need one language to communicate. English is used everywhere and many people from other countries already know at least the basics.

Answer 6

I see nothing wrong with immigrants retaining their culture and having bi or multilingual households. But I do believe that anyone wishing to be a citizen of the US should be able to converse fluently in English. They should also be well-versed in reading and writing English. If I move to another country I would expect to have to learn their language. Why should it be any different here?

Answer 7

No.One can learn english after landing in the US too.
No one is born talking english.They too hear from elders
and learn to speak.If the law is applied anyone below 3 years of age cannot stay in the US.ha ha.

Answer 8

Was it not establised by our forefathers that English was to be our national language? If not then it IS common knowledge and that makes it official to me. If one wants to live in the USA and be a part of our culture then I would expect them to be able to communicate in our native language.

Answer 9

Yes. In order to survive as a unified country, we must have a common language.

Answer 10

Definitely