Do you think English is the U.S.'s language. If so, should non-English speakers be allowed to become citizens?

Answer 1

i think you just wanted to get a lot of answers to your question, but yes English is the national language does that mean non-English speakers should not be allowed to become citizens YES! but by that i mean that people should learn English before they can live here permanently, most people will pick up some of the language before they go on a vacation to a foreign country, so why would you feel it's unnecessary if you plan on living in this foreign country. i know a woman who immigrated here over 20 years ago raised 3 children and does not speak English. she has not worked since she had her now 21 year old son and she is not a citizen and she is draining our economy as well.

Answer 2

if the U S was created as a melting pot mixture of nationalities why stress out so much over the language

i think it is high time that the U S stepped up to the plate and started making it mandatory to know more than one language

i don't mean the (no offense teachers) French or Spanish (etc) classes in middle and high school... those are a joke, i'd say 90% of the students in those classes forget what they learned by the summer

we need to teach languages at an early age and it needs to be for longer than 30 min a week

i'm not talking only about the spoken language, sign language should be taught too and the Native American languages before they die out

i can hear perfectly fine (when i choose to) and having worked retail for over 10 years i have no problem grabbing a pen and paper and doing my best to have a conversation...

but that's me, i make the effort

my husband is french and i was warned by friends that i probably wouldn't like France because of their "attitude"... i had a blast and everyone i met was wonderful... because i made an effort

i am no saint and i am not perfect by any means but i will go that extra mile because i can and because i don't let things get in my way of communicating

if everyone is so gung ho about getting a national language for the U S... they first need to make sure the people they let graduate from high school can read and spell properly

Answer 3

Right now, the US government is trying to pass a law that requires everyone (targeting mainly to Mexicans) to speak English. But even though the law still hasn't passed, immigrants have to pass an English test as a part to become an American citizen. So far, no language is literally the official language of US, but English is strongly encouraged...

Answer 4

Yes I do. I think non English speakers should learn English to become a citizen, not just to make it easier on us but for them as well. I don't think we should have to know 2 or 3 languages to work at McDonald's just so we can bend over for the immigrants

Answer 5

OK- Yes, I think that English ( or Americanized English) is our national language. This being said, I feel that non-English speakers should certainly be allowed to become citizens. Were your forefathers that originally came to the USA English speakers? Some of mine were not. However, they assimilated, learned English eventually or enough to survive and thrive here.

I feel that as the "Melting Pot", we must understand and embrace the many ethnicities and cultures that come here. I do also feel that they will need to understand, speak, learn English in order to survive and thrive, and eventually succeed in the USA, but I do not believe that it should be a prerequisite for citizenship- (keep in mind, English is a very hard language to learn- it breaks more rules than it follows!).

To me, the greatest prerequisite for American citizenship is the understanding of basic human rights as we understand them, and as were set down in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Understanding the rights and responsibilities of US citizenship come first- understanding the English language can take a bit longer.

I would hate to restrict the freedoms my daughters and I enjoy from a refugee family fleeing female persecution on the basis that they do not yet speak English- that would break my heart. The United States is supposed to be the land of the free- is speaking English a requirement for freedom? I think not...

Answer 6

People around the world learn the English language, while waiting their turn to become legal immigrants and eventually citizens of this country.
Mexicans, on the other hand, feel no need to learn our language, obey our laws, or assimilate in any way. They do NOT come here to "do the jobs that Americans won't do" (a load of pure CRAP!), they come for "RECONQUISTA"! The Mexicans seem to beleive that California was stolen from them (and they want it back). But if these people would bother to learn, they would discover that California was purchased legally and fairly from Mexico.
Non-English speaking people that come here from other countries eventually learn to speak the language because they want to be ...AMERICAN! God bless the LEGAL immigrants. Deport the rest!

Answer 7

This is a tough one to answer. The vast majority of the people in this country speak English. When it comes to such things as immigration and language many other people from other non-English countries have come here and eventually learned the language. It might take generation but people do adapt.

Answer 8

English is the recognized language of the United States.
However, it's American English...which is comprised of other languages as well; and is a direct result of our historical growth.

One of the requirements to citizenship is a test - thats in English.

So your question is better phrased...should English be a requirement for a work visa...and my answer would be...absolutely...
Can't have a job until you can speak, read, and write the language...just like every other country in the world.

Answer 9

You'll be surprised to know how English is tested though.

First of all, the entire history/government part of the test is done in English. So if you don't understand the questions and be able to verbally answer them, you fail. BUT, they come from a fixed question pool. Not that difficult to memorize.

As to test person's ability to comprehend and write English, an examiner says a simple phrase and you must listen, understand and write it down.

It is a phrase like "It is a good job to start with." (from a real test)

To me, it didn't test nearly enough to judge person's ability to communicate even at minimum level. As far as I'm concerned, it should be a lot harder. Perhaps test at 6th grade English level.

Most states already have a law on the book to define English as the states' official language. (yes, Florida is one of them)

Answer 10

English should remain the primary language. If the immigrant wishes to retain their own language that's at their own discretion. There is no reason why I should learn a new language to accommodate the people who moved next door.

Somehow me managed to avoid this issue for the last 200 years, why is this suddenly an issue?