Making English the national mandatory language, that I can understand. But what's the issue with English and?

Question

This country was made, from the beginning from people who came here. This country was designed by immigrants, from the Brittish who colonized this place to the Japanese still coming here to help make cars. And many of our rivals speak more than one language; serious rivals like Russia and Japan have a serious edge over us because they can speak our language and their own.

Second, what's up with English being the "American way"? If history proves me right, the original language here was that of the Native Americans; the language we speak is that of England, simply bastardized to the point where it sounds different. It's simply a proof of our background, the same background of India and Canada: England's subordinate.

Comments?

Answer 1

Being since there are people here from all over the world who are citizens, residents, visitors, not to mention tourists.....it is wise to learn another language. American was a melting pot and in order for people here to live and work it was important to establish something in common and language is it. It, to the best of my knowledge is the only common thing we can have when we are a land of people of different races, relegions, cultures, sexual orientation...whatever, and it's the one thing that gives us equal footing to go ahead.

Now I have no control over history but like it or not English was the language this countrys Constitution and everything was based on. Yes, the native Americans were here first for the sake of argument....but even they didn't have a common language. Spanish is no more the natural language of Mexico than English is here. They adopted Spanish.....we adopted English. Mexico's native people didn't have a common language either. I doubt English and French are the "native" language of Canada. Point is.....doesn't matter. It's what is now.

What's one of the quickest ways to break down a country? Mess with the language. There isn't a true "bi-lingual" successful country. People keep pointing to Canada but people there know you speak French within these boundries and English everywhere else. Our problem right now is boundries. We have Mexicans ignoring our nations boundries. It's not like they are JUST settling in the south west and since it's close to the border it makes sense. No they are up-North in states where English is the official language and they are erroding it by now running people out of their towns and trying to change a towns language within a state to cause a greater divide.

Hey....this is where the Germans and Polish and Irish settled in mass. They didn't try and change the countries or towns or states language because they were the "majority" at the time. But we are having the latino people come here...run them out and then do that. You drive through "latino" towns and there isn't word one in English or any other language.

We don't have French communities trying to change the nations language because they are close to the Quebec border and a majority of people there speak French. We have a large group of Chinese and they even have China town....but they haven't tried to take over and make their section just Chinese and change the schools to bi-lingual must speak Chinese in their neighborhood and then to their town and then the state. I mean we had areas in South Dakota and I know they have large groups of Chinese in other areas of the country.....but they aren't trying to change America, it's language and everything else and turn it into a mini-China. If you don't speak Chinese we won't deal with you attitude.

Speaking another language isn't forbidden. Knowing English is a requirement for citizenship. The nation is based on it's citizens....not tourists or visitors or illegal invaders simply because there are "more" of them in a certain area at a certain period of time.

The other issue is comments like "when are you "whites" gonna speak Spanish". English is NOT the common language of "white" people. We speak a host of different languages from a host of other "white" countries. All "white" immigrants didn't come from just English speaking countries. We learned English as well. Not to mention the fact that a country can't just change everything simply because the majority of immigrants came from another country at some section in time. Heck.....look how many language changes we would have gone through in our history if that were the case. How seperated our country would be if we would have allowed it. Not just people of other races but even with just "whites" since they want to throw us all in a bundle. Gee we had the French and the Germans and Norweigens and Hungarians and Polish and Scotts and Irish for starters. That doesn't even count England.

Probably why our English is so basterdized compared to proper English. We took parts of all the other languages and made it a part of ours instead of changing it (the language) with each new influx of immigrants who had the most babies and were the "majority" at one time.

The English have colonies that were established all over the world. I don't have anything to do with that and no control over how those colonies adapted.

The way I see it.....if you want to change our country.....atleast have the guts to go to war with us and be honest about your intentions instead of comming in the back door with a "victim" t-shirt on crying "racism" at every turn. Like it or not....English is this countries language and all the immigrants of the past came here and learned it. At no time was any other language outlawed to be spoken here. Just know English. No one has ever said knowing another language was wrong. Heck....it's encouraged since foreign languages are a part of our public school system and in most colleges required. So "bi-lingual" isn't the issue. It's "must speak Spanish", that is. Or "must speak Chinese" if the majority of new immigrants spoke Chinese. Or "must speak Polish" if they were. Or "must speak Arabic".

I think since China is quickly becomming a super power.......people would flinch if we had 20 million illegal Chinese comming here doing the same thing. We'd be shaken if there were 20 million middle-easterners comming here with "must speak Arabic".

We already KNOW the intention of LaRaza and other "latino" organizations and we've seen the results of the "gangs" etc, from those countries. Excuse me if my hair stands on end and I'm not an eager participant in their back door invasion.

You are right that it is beneficial in a free country for us to learn other nations languages. We were caught a tad off-base with the middle-east. There weren't many here who knew the language. It wasn't a language typically offered in our schools or universities. We didn't have that many immigrants from there comming here. But it doesn't fall true with Spanish. It's been offered for as long as I've known. Many "latinos" have claimed they never felt discriminated against all along until this recent invasion. They haven't had any trouble getting into top positions or in government like the blacks have.....so the racism anti- Mexican hasn't been an issue till now. By their creation......not ours.

Answer 2

There is nothing wrong with having a national language. English is a fine language for that purpose in the U.S. It should not be mandatory that English and only English be spoken. I have no problem with multilingual notices, instructions or whatever. Bi-lingual ballots are no more of an imposition than having someone read a ballot for someone that cannot read.
Side note to another responder: The idea that there are no indigenous people in the westren hemisphere is ridiculous. I, for one, am indigenous to the United States. To another, there are over 100 native american languages, all created before the apellation of America was given to the continent, so they don't really count either.

Answer 3

because although things may have been another way WAY BACK THEN, they have been a certain way for most of our countries history.
english IS our nations language and funny how no other country has spanish as a second language...
i also find it odd how the chinese came here to build our railroads, and yet there is no chinese language influence.
i so wish people would quit thinking or comparing this nation NOW to what it was when it was first colonized WAY BACK THEN. it's a different world with borders and laws now. and there were people on this land before the american indian...what say you?

Answer 4

Yes and No. Making it an reputable language will have to no longer repeal the Clinton govt order 13166. Everybody isn't literate and so the illiterate ones' merits a few issues. What's quite phoney is organizations hanging up commercials in spanish, chinese language, swahili and stuf.

Answer 5

According to Newt Gingrich who was asked a similar question on a Sunday Morning Show about English becoming a national language, he said, that 85% of the people who live in the US think English should be the national language of government.

Think about it... this is common sense. Imagine if I tried to speak to you in my own made up language of BeArPaw? How would I be able to respond to your question?

Speak as many languages as you want, but we all need to speak one language, the language of our founding fathers and mothers, English.

As we continue to build a great country, remember that we don't want to build a Tower of Bable.

Answer 6

Some feel and I do to, that with this influx of mainly Spanish speaking illegals and legals, that unless curtailed Spanish will maybe not replace English but be equal to. As too Native American, that is just a ploy to not address the issues of today

Answer 7

we speak American,not English. speaking more than one language can only help us,not hurt us in any way. i agree with your point about immigrants not learning the Native American languages.

edit. we shouldn't have to press one for English. the indigenous comment is pointless,most countries/continents were uninhabited in the beginning.

Answer 8

A society needs to be able to communicate to thrive.

Bilingualism is fine - learn a second language on your own time.

People should know English. The government should not have the expense of putting everything into multiple languages.

PS No human beings are indigenous to the Western Hemisphere.

Answer 9

They're
a) jealous because people like me who are bilingual get paid more
b) lazy; pressing 1 for english is just so much work
c) uncultured, don't know or want to know any other language/culture
d) all of the above and then some

Answer 10

English is the national language because the English colonized the states.We need a common language to tie us together.(P.S. I am part native American and I only speak English.)

Answer 11

Just so everyone knows. We are the ONLY country who does not have a stated "official" language.