Why do people complain about Immigrants not speaking english when english isnt the official langauge of the US

Question

Why do people complain about Immigrants not speaking english when english isnt the official langauge of the US;
There is no actual official Language of the US, English is just the defacto language (default language ever speaks it) why should they have to it isnt the official language

Why should the us have signs , documents etc. in english but not others if english is not the official language

Its the US fault they should have declared an official language back in the 1700's

To correct some people about the official language There is no official language at the Federal Level
English is the de facto Language
Some states have declared English as there official language,but never the federal government

My Point in this is that Why didnt the Government declared an official language about 300 years ago People were coming from all over europe; they had to know it was going to come to people not speaking english, they could have just declared it official back since everybody spoke it

I have no problems with english i just asked why was this overlooked when the country began

Answer 1

Then what is the official language?

Answer 2

English SHOULD be the official language of the USA. I'm not a racist (which is what all those pro-political correctness people might accuse me of) but when my ancestors (many of them German) came to the USA they learned the language because it was the language the majority of the people spoke. Majority rules, minority rights, isn't that supposed to be the way of it?

I'm all for cultural diversity and I fully support people who come from other countries keeping their culture and language alive at home. However, I find it a bit taxing when I go into Krispy Kreme in my own country and the lady behind the counter can't even understand me enough to fill my order!

We have such a huge country and common language is (or should be) one of the factors that unites us. Race has nothing to do with it.

Answer 3

Because English IS the official language! Riddle me this...what language is the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution all written in? English. That right there tells you want language is the official one in these United States.

Answer 4

Why would you want to live in a country where you do not speak the language? If you plan to live in a place at the very least you can do is learn to speak the language... English is the language we speak in the US defacto, official, whatever... Why should an entire country have to hire a translator or learn to speak another language just because you do not deem it important enough to speak the language of the country in which you have CHOSEN to live. Why should we be out the expense of dealing with other languages???

Answer 5

The US was built on the english language. Take a look in history. Arizona just declared that english is the official language. We are built on the English language and that is most peoples primary language in the US. They could respect our country by speaking English.

Answer 6

Its not that american's mind people speaking in their native language at times. I speak sign language with my brother and spanish with my friends. It's the fact that they DEMAND government paperwork be in spanish, DMV books be in spanish, disclaimers and voting ballots being in spanish (which is illegal by the Voting Rights Act). It should be made the official language, but that wouldnt change anything. It wasnt made the official language because America was a melting pot that encouraged diversity but also knew that most immigrants would teach themselves and their children english because that way the language of business. But now they demand school courses in spanish, credit card paperwork in spanish, and they won't speak english.. This is why it's a problem. I wouldn't dream of going to Germany (where my sister lives) and demanding a DMV book in English or Japanese, because i was in Germany. I would speak English in the comfort of my home with my sister, but i would realize this was not my country and that i couldnt demand that other speak my language as well. That's absurd.. too bad it's happening as we speak. Speak you're language all you want.. but dont tell me i have to speak it as well and that my government and businesses have to cater to you cause you don't know the language.. then learn it just like my grandparents did. www.minutemanhq.com

Answer 7

English is the official language here. I think that is fine if people speak other languages as well, but if they are going to live here, they need to learn our language. Mainly for their own benefit as all the laws here are written in English and may not translate well into other languages. Could be serious problems there. It is already happening in California on these mortgage deals.

Answer 8

I was born and educated in the USA. Why was I educated all wrong. I had to learn English and learn all the other subjects spoken & written in English. Now I am told I need to take on the new language of Spanish. Will the public school system or big brother pay for my re-education?

Answer 9

I think its arrogant to go to another country and demand to be accomodated, and refuse to accept the prevailing language customs. If I moved to Italy tomorrow, I would try to pick up Italian as fast as I could. I would not expect any special treatment, or that Italy change to using English as the main language.

You're right - there is no official national language... but you must look at what language our Constitution is in, our laws, the language used in schools, businesses, etc.

Edit: In response to your additional details, let me ask you this. Are you ready for major tax hikes? If the government has to accommodate all languages on all documents instead of just English, it will get SERIOUSLY expensive. Do you realize just how many different languages there are? If you extend it to spanish, then you better be prepared to also add mandarin, russian, italian, french, gaelic, the dozens of native american languages, portuguese, etc. That would mean election info, tax books, laws (ever see some of them - some are hundreds of pages long), signs, text books, etc. Can you imagine an intersection with a single sign in 90+ languages?

Second Edit: They did not overlook it - it was intentionally left out. At that time there was a variety of languages, and the founding fathers believed in time one language would single itself out (English was already prevailing), they believed people would want to assimilate to American culture, and they also made it that way to encourage the acceptance of all people. They didn't have the ability to forsee where we are now.

Answer 10

For me this question is very interesting.
In my country P. R. the Spanish and English are both official languages. When I travel to US I speck English but when an American comes to my Island they speak in English and expect that the locals ones speak English to them.
Is the English a superior language?

Note: I don't agree with LeAnne speaking English is not a prerequisite to be an American citizen. If you want a proof come to P.R.