Why can't the USA embrace bi-lingualism?

Question

In Canada they have English and France. In Belgium they have Dutch and French. South Africa has many official languages. Their are many other countries that have many people that speak different languages and they have made them part of the official language of the country. Why can't the United States embrace their Spanish speaking population and make the country officially bi-lingual.

Billc4u
I have been to Quebec and many there can speak both English and French. In New Brunswick, where I am from the official languages of the Province are English and French and many can speak both. It could work in the USA if Anglos and Hispanics could just accept each other.

Answer 1

America has too many people with too many languages to accommodate one over another. Can you imagine then how many Asian languages we would have to embrace? It would be a bureaucratic nightmare and if you think that it takes the government a long time to get anything done now, imagine if they had to simultaneously get it done in fifty different languages? It's just not practical. The country is what it is. Adapt or leave. My ancestors did.

Answer 2

There's evidence to show that the U.S. has already made Spanish its second, although unofficial, language. Job openings posted by many different employers often state either a preference or a requirement for bilingual applicants. Virtually all government agencies, including local, state and federal, and all major companies interested in cultivating the growing Hispanic market have already implemented telephone services, literature and signage in Spanish for those who prefer it to English. There are many communities where Spanish is spoken routinely in churches, stores, restaurants and government offices. There are many Spanish-language books, TV and radio stations, magazines and newspapers in the U.S. The nation's high schools typically require students to learn a language other than English, and in many instances they learn Spanish. I contend that the people of the U.S. have already "embraced" Spanish. However, I don't think it will ever become the nation's official second language. I suppose that's what Native Americans thought about English in the early Colonial years. Indeed, English was NOT always the predominant language spoken in the geographical boundaries of what is today the U.S. When it became the predominant language, Native Americans had to embrace English if they wanted to survive and prosper in a New World controlled by those who spoke English.

Answer 3

Because we speak English and have since before we became a country.

Why should we be "forced" to embrace another language when we already have one? You site examples of countries with multiple languages, but have you looked into it to see if they treat each equally? Having worked as an IT consultant in Quebec, I can tell you that while they "speak" French and English, all signs and even all OEM installs of computer OS's are required to be in French... english is allowed ONLY if the French is there first.

And I can site countries that have laws on the books that limit the "official" language... France is the first one that comes to mind.

I have no problem with people CHOOSING to be bi-lingual, and in fact have often felt that it would be a benefit to me. But I cringe at the idea of making it mandetory. We have a language. Why should we be ashamed of it? Other countries aren't.

Answer 4

Because there is no good economic reason to do so. Anyhow, America has no "official language." English is the "official language," but unofficially - there is no federal law mandating the use of English.

Tell France to go bilingual, and they'll spit in your face. The French are incredibly xenophobic about their language and their culture, to the point where there are actual LAWS against using non-French terms. Email, for example, is supposed to be "le mail electronique" or some stupid thing like that.

The beauty of English is that it readily absorbs words from other languages.

English is, by the way, the most important langauge in the world today.

Love, Jack.

Answer 5

There is no practical reason to. It is a pain for most Canadians (at least those in Ontario tell me so). I travel in Quebec, in the Bois Francs region, and do not expect anyone to speak English there. (good thing too!)
The countries mentioned above are not exactly better off because of it.
People all over the world are learning English as it has become the language of commerce by default.
I would go for a mandatory 2nd language of your choice in American education, but everyone should be fluent enough to manage their legal and business affairs in English.
But why would we wish to create a Tower of Babylon when we had a homogeneous language already?

Answer 6

In Canada there is French and English just not in the same country , in Quebec it is French and the rest of Canada is English and if you ever were in Quebec you would know that they do not go out of their way to speak English even if they know it so why should the USA of which the offical language is English bow down and speak Spanish, if you were in any country besides this one do you think that if you spoke English and they spoke Spanish they would go out of their way to accomodate you

Answer 7

I think it's because the tremendous growth of the Hispanic population has been relatively recent, and most of us have grown up or been taught only one language, English. There is no doubt some resentment toward the Hispanic population, who come across as arrogant for refusing to learn English and demand that we adapt to them. I do think however, that it is probably best for our students to learn Spanish, and I myself will be taking a course in Spanish starting next month, as I will need it in my field of work, Human Services.


Also, if you look at it, there are a lot of other minority groups speaking different languages, so it may be a good idea to offer other choices as well, to be fair to them.

Answer 8

Spanish is the un-official second language. Now that I have said that my personal opinion is simple. Can't Speak English too Bad you may leave our fine English Speaking Nation at any time.

Answer 9

All the countries that you have named are having, or have had problems with national unity, and rebellion against the "dominant nationality." If the US did this, they would most definately suffer the same fate. Also, the cost to make the United States capable of bi-lingualcy(if it is a word) would be astronomical. every road sign would need to be printed in two languages, and the cost of materials and labor for that alone ould be in the hundreds of millions. finally, making the US bilingual would completely destroy any effort at assimilation. the maxicans would adopt the culture of the US, they would turn the US into mexico.

Answer 10

It is very expensive. Right now all of our language funds in the elementary grades are spent on teaching ESL to students, many illegally here. If those illegally here weren't draining all of those funds, perhaps we would have the funds to teach language in the elementary years. That is where you need to learn it, realistically.

I think Russian or Chinese would be a good language to have as a bilingual choice.

However, this is a melting pot society, not a multicultural society, and that was hardly hidden from those who immigrated here before they made the choice to come. We find multiculturalism divisive, and prefer a melting pot scenario. Those who want the unadulturated culture of another country should seek it in that country. We have our own way of doing things here.