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Should English be declared the official language of the United States?

Should English be declared the official language of the United States?

  • Total voters
    79
Molotok said:
Okay. But why so? I'm interested to hear your opinion, because I can't find a logical support for it myself, so there must be something I'm missing.
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National unity is reinforce with a national language. If you goal is balkanization then strive for multiculturalism and help everyone keep their language instead of moving toward a national language.

I am sorry that you cannot see it. But that is your problem. Only you can solve it.
 
Goshin said:
Speak what you like at home, but learn the common tongue: English. People who can't even talk to each other cannot feel very connected as citizens of the same nation.
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Flawed logic. Speaking the same language doesn't make people feel connected. If that was the case, a lot the people here would feel connected to John Wayne Gacy.

If one person is needs help and another one stops to lend a hand, they feel connected whether they speak the same language or not. Connection comes from positive feelings like gratitude and affection, I feel a connection with my dog, for instance, but not with Michele Bachman.
 
Misterveritis said:
Let's take the risk.
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Let me guess, you were all for "intelligent" design being taught in the schools, too.

I guess some people don't see anything wrong with this country becoming a nation of WallyWerld workers.
 
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Gagabishbish gawuldbish galsobish gaworkbish.
 
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Temporal said:
I voted no. If you forced millions of immigrants to learn English, they would certainly learn it, but they would not have a high proficiency level. That takes years of wilful practice. In the mean time, having concise info available in their mother tongue keeps things less complicated and reduces errors.

Our ancestors who helped form this country came from all over. The people who built our cities were mainly immigrants. Maintaining flexibility is what allowed all that to happen.

An American who can't speak English is still an American.
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sadly this is incorrect. those who cannot speak english are kept out of much of our public life, and unable to participate in American society at large. They can only exist in enclaves where they are trapped in a single socioeconomic rut. traditionally first generation immigrant waves come here, and fail to learn the language. But their kids do - and the parents hard work combined with the second generations' bilingualism causes those minority groups to begin to see success. that experience of advancement from generation to generation reinforces the American Dream, and causes immigrant populations to Buy Into our ethos even as they integrate into our society. They Become Americans. Third generation usually speaks english as a first language, and continue to advance, often becoming the first generation to attend higher schooling. now, by and large, that's not happening. this is the first immigrant wave in American history where the children and grandchildren haven't done better - and it's because they haven't learned the language.
 
cpwill said:
sadly this is incorrect. those who cannot speak english are kept out of much of our public life, and unable to participate in American society at large. They can only exist in enclaves where they are trapped in a single socioeconomic rut. traditionally first generation immigrant waves come here, and fail to learn the language. But their kids do - and the parents hard work combined with the second generations' bilingualism causes those minority groups to begin to see success. that experience of advancement from generation to generation reinforces the American Dream, and causes immigrant populations to Buy Into our ethos even as they integrate into our society. They Become Americans. Third generation usually speaks english as a first language, and continue to advance, often becoming the first generation to attend higher schooling. now, by and large, that's not happening. this is the first immigrant wave in American history where the children and grandchildren haven't done better - and it's because they haven't learned the language.
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They aren't going to learn it if you make it the official language. That's not going to make much of a difference.
 
Learn it or leave. If I go to live in Mexico I would be expected to learn their language, I DEMAND they "learn" ours.
 
stelz said:
Flawed logic. Speaking the same language doesn't make people feel connected.
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in fact it does, though not nearly to the degree that speaking different languages makes them disconnected.
 
Gargantuan said:
They aren't going to learn it if you make it the official language. That's not going to make much of a difference.
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they will if that is what they are taught in school
 
the problem being that we dont' design our Spanish ESL courses to actually teach the students English - we design them to continue to qualify for extra ESL money, and the hispanic students are left stuck behind.


This study, from the University of California–Berkeley, may be unusually blunt in its assessment of Hispanic cognitive development, but it is hardly unprecedented. A 2004 study by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office found a similar decline in Hispanic students’ ability to keep up with their peers in learning English. Children from Mandarin- and Spanish-speaking households begin kindergarten with similar levels of English proficiency, but their paths quickly diverge. The Mandarin-speaking students make continuing progress in mastering English, while the Hispanic students’ advance stalls out in the second and third grades as the demands of California’s English-proficiency test grow more difficult. Mandarin kindergartners establish oral skills in English in one year, the legislative analyst found, and by the beginning of second grade, they have begun developing a mastery of reading and writing, unlike Hispanics....
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the problem being that we dont' design our Spanish ESL courses to actually teach the students English - we design them to continue to qualify for extra ESL money, and the hispanic students are left stuck behind.


This study, from the University of California–Berkeley, may be unusually blunt in its assessment of Hispanic cognitive development, but it is hardly unprecedented. A 2004 study by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office found a similar decline in Hispanic students’ ability to keep up with their peers in learning English. Children from Mandarin- and Spanish-speaking households begin kindergarten with similar levels of English proficiency, but their paths quickly diverge. The Mandarin-speaking students make continuing progress in mastering English, while the Hispanic students’ advance stalls out in the second and third grades as the demands of California’s English-proficiency test grow more difficult. Mandarin kindergartners establish oral skills in English in one year, the legislative analyst found, and by the beginning of second grade, they have begun developing a mastery of reading and writing, unlike Hispanics....
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I'm actually in favor of this. If you move to our country, we shouldn't have to make accommodations for you. Can you imagine what the PC crowd would say if a bunch of Americans demanded that Mexico translate everything into English?
 
cpwill said:
sadly this is incorrect. those who cannot speak english are kept out of much of our public life, and unable to participate in American society at large. They can only exist in enclaves where they are trapped in a single socioeconomic rut. traditionally first generation immigrant waves come here, and fail to learn the language. But their kids do - and the parents hard work combined with the second generations' bilingualism causes those minority groups to begin to see success. that experience of advancement from generation to generation reinforces the American Dream, and causes immigrant populations to Buy Into our ethos even as they integrate into our society. They Become Americans. Third generation usually speaks english as a first language, and continue to advance, often becoming the first generation to attend higher schooling. now, by and large, that's not happening. this is the first immigrant wave in American history where the children and grandchildren haven't done better - and it's because they haven't learned the language.
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Uh, NO.

The ecomomy's been circling closer and closer to the drain, in case you haven't noticed. The "American Dream" has been kaput for some time now.
 
cpwill said:
in fact it does, though not nearly to the degree that speaking different languages makes them disconnected.
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Next time your car breaks down on the side of the road and all those english-speaking people are whizzing on by, but a spanish-speaking person stops to help, think about what you said here.
 
Redress said:
I see no real gain from doing so.
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when the US played Mexico in Los Angelos a couple of weeks ago, Mexico was the "home team". there is a massive population growing within our borders exercising the rights and with the priveleges of US Citizens who do not consider themselves "American".

do you consider that a net positive, or a net negative?
 
stelz said:
Next time your car breaks down on the side of the road and all those english-speaking people are whizzing on by, but a spanish-speaking person stops to help, think about what you said here.
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So you have no actual response - just a mythical good samaritan scenario? as a matter of fact, I have been in a sort of similar situation. a group of mexican illegals threatned to bludgeon me and a friend to death after he threatned to call the cops when they T-Boned him and totaled his vehicle, but turned out not to have insurance. If a second friend had not shown up very heavily armed, it could have gotten extremely ugly.

how much time have you spent in a situation where you are a linguistic minority? I have not spent much - but probably significantly more than most Americans, given that I now live in a nation (Japan) where I do not speak the local tongue. Please allow me to assure you, the language barrier is huge when it comes to things such as a sense of community, and the ability to interact.

no one here is saying that Mexican Immigrants are somehow morally inferior because they don't learn english. we are saying that the system is inferior because it doesn't teach them.
 
stelz said:
Uh, NO.

The ecomomy's been circling closer and closer to the drain, in case you haven't noticed. The "American Dream" has been kaput for some time now.
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I have been talking about unfunded liabilities since the time when doing so made you a nutter. And the most important ingredient to rescuing said "American Dream" is the revitalization of the nation as a nation. Culturally confident nations succeed - culturally passive ones do not.
 
cpwill said:
I have been talking about unfunded liabilities since the time when doing so made you a nutter. And the most important ingredient to rescuing said "American Dream" is the revitalization of the nation as a nation. Culturally confident nations succeed - culturally passive ones do not.
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Will your right, absolutely right...what makes you wrong to me is where you put 100% of the blame and where you put none of the blame and thats the same problem I have with the teaparty...its a scam to stick it to the working class make them pay for this big bill and give the rich and corps tax breaks...

What proved to me that giving money to the rich and corporations doesnt create a job it just fattens the richs pockets...is the bush tax cuts....I used to believe that horse**** for years...I dont anymore
 
lpast said:
Will your right, absolutely right...what makes you wrong to me is where you put 100% of the blame and where you put none of the blame and thats the same problem I have with the teaparty...
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well then I would have to say you are seeking out scapegoats. Our problems have been decades in the making, and the movement described as the "Tea Party" has been around for about 4 years. furthermore, the thrust they represent will be what solves our crises (if anything does).

its a scam to stick it to the working class make them pay for this big bill and give the rich and corps tax breaks...
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:roll: still selling this tripe? you just don't get tired of getting beat, huh?

What proved to me that giving money to the rich and corporations doesnt create a job it just fattens the richs pockets...is the bush tax cuts....I used to believe that horse**** for years...I dont anymore
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i don't believe you.
 
cpwill said:
well then I would have to say you are seeking out scapegoats. Our problems have been decades in the making, and the movement described as the "Tea Party" has been around for about 4 years. furthermore, the thrust they represent will be what solves our crises (if anything does).



:roll: still selling this tripe? you just don't get tired of getting beat, huh?



i don't believe you.
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wow this thread went waaaay off-topic ;)
 
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