I'm working on a debate project for Sociology class. Wanting to find out people's opinion (educated opinions)

Question

I'm working on a debate project for Sociology class involving the English Only policy which is becoming more urgent in our country. For my part of the group project, I am collecting general information for this topic.

What I would like is to get more information involving people's opinion on the English Only Policy.

Is this a good idea?

Why or why not?

Answer 1

there is value in diversity.....we all better learn Spanish......

Answer 2

This sounds like a very interesting topic. With a little research, you''ll find plenty of general information to get you started.

The English Only policy in the United States is not unique to the United States. I want to encourage you to research other countries and their Language Policies. Looking at countries who have already instituted language policies (there are different kinds and degrees) will expose you to the arguments they (successfully) used to pass their language policies in their prospective countries. You could use their arguments and tweak it based on how transferable it is to our culture in the United States.

To help get you started, here's a list of some countries who have formal legal policies that favor their native language:

Cambodia - Colombia - Egypt - Estonia - France - Greece - India - Iran - Iceland - Israel - Italy - Japan - Kuwait - Latvia - Lebanon - Lithuania - Macedonia - Madagascar - Morocco - Mexico - North Korea - Nepal - Peru - Poland - Romania - Slovakia - Somalia - South Korea - Spain - Tunisia - Ukraine - Uzbekistan - Vietnam - Voivodina

You can also look at this issue as, "Is it better to be a melting pot or a salad?" in terms of diversity, a melting part is about assimilation. This has it's benefits, however unique cultures can become overshadowed to the point of disappearing. A salad is a mix without the complete blending. This preserves the individual culture while still being a part of a whole. You could think about this and see where it takes you.

Good luck on your group project and your studies in Sociology!

Answer 3

FIRST THE PRESIDENT SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO SPEAK PROPER ENGLISH WITHOUT MADE UP WORDS. IT'S NUCLEAR WAR.

I think a policy on a national language is BS. It's obvious the US is an English speaking nation. People have come here speaking other languages since we began. I think they know they will have to learn English eventually, the sooner the better if they want to succeed.

It's a waste of money and a waste of political time to make this an issue. It seems as though it is a ploy to distract from real issues happening with our government. There are so many more important things going on in the US as it is. No other countries waste time on issues such as this.

Answer 4

that's a kind of broad-scoped question. it all depends on context. if you're referring to everyday life, in general, most people are tolerant of those who cannot speak english. when it comes to driving privileges, however, that's where i think it's shameful that we have to provide interpretors for those who can't speak let alone read the english language, and yet are given licenses to drive. road signs, yield, stop, no turn on red, no left turn, etc., all are very imoprtant traffic control devices and should be heeded by those of who have our driving privileges strongly intact. other than that, english only is like imposing a smoking ban all across the country, even in our own homes. that's a very badddd thing. hope this helped ya! good luck!

Answer 5

When my grandparents immigrated to this country from Italy in the 50's, they fully understood that if they didn't speak, understand and read English, they could not work and their children could not attend school. So they were FORCED to learn the language and they did so with no complaining.

Please understand that my opinion is not against IMMIGRANTS (as my own family were immigrants), but against the lack of desire and effort to learn english.

Things have turned soooo dramatically and I am not for it at all. We have to preserve our country and preserve our language. We can't spend millions of dollars a year catering to those who have lived in this country for 5 years and still can't speak a lick of engligh. This is not safe and it's not smart for many reasons (I know an ambulance driver who goes to certain parts of the city and CANNOT get any medical details in an emergency b/c no one speaks any english - and you know in a medical emergency, every second and every bit of knowledge counts).

I would never, in a million years move to another country and expect them to bow down and cater to me and my language. I would fully undestand that I would need to learn their language to survive.

Answer 6

Change is inevitable, the majority of people right now are choosing not to deal with this issue responsibly. Spanish is not a hard language to learn.

Answer 7

If i moved to Spain I would need to learn Spanish to survive. If I moved to Sweden I would be expect to learn that language. Ditto for Russia,Germany, Africa, France etc Why would or should the US have any other expectations?