English IS our National Language
It's "Time to Think"
When one considers the question of whether or not English should be the National language, a better question might be; Why hasn't English been the official language all along?
The culture of the United States (with respect to language) has always been centered and based on the English language. Learning the English language as part of assimilating and becoming an American citizen has always a primary goal of immigrants from around the world.
Every school in every State across this nation teaches the English language as the foundation for learning. Let me repeat that. Every school in every State across this nation teaches the Enlgish language as the foundation for learning. Of course English IS our national language!
I heard an argument today that making english our national language may create problems with respect to issuing safety warnings to the public or hindering the ability of "various" immigrant groups to understand some rules, regulations or instructions. This position doesn't make much practical sense when you think about it. I would guess that there are probably immigrants in America from at least 40 nations and speaking no less than 20 to 30 DIFFERENT languages. In order to satisfy the "safety" argument, accommodations would have to be made for all of them. I accept that the predominant language of the immigrant populace now in America is Spanish (with a wide variety of dialects) but it would surely be prejudicial to single out that language for special treatment while disregarding all others. This issue alone makes a strong argument for officially making english the national language and should make it an urgent priority of immigrants to learn the english language as quickly as possible after legal arrival in America.
Once again, it appears obvious that the reluctance on the part of our "leaders" to make english the national language (as it should be) is more about votes (or the fear of not getting them) than doing the right thing. Making English the national and official language of the United States of America would be a strong symbol of national pride at a time in our history when national pride is badly needed.
What do you think?
When one considers the question of whether or not English should be the National language, a better question might be; Why hasn't English been the official language all along?
The culture of the United States (with respect to language) has always been centered and based on the English language. Learning the English language as part of assimilating and becoming an American citizen has always a primary goal of immigrants from around the world.
Every school in every State across this nation teaches the English language as the foundation for learning. Let me repeat that. Every school in every State across this nation teaches the Enlgish language as the foundation for learning. Of course English IS our national language!
I heard an argument today that making english our national language may create problems with respect to issuing safety warnings to the public or hindering the ability of "various" immigrant groups to understand some rules, regulations or instructions. This position doesn't make much practical sense when you think about it. I would guess that there are probably immigrants in America from at least 40 nations and speaking no less than 20 to 30 DIFFERENT languages. In order to satisfy the "safety" argument, accommodations would have to be made for all of them. I accept that the predominant language of the immigrant populace now in America is Spanish (with a wide variety of dialects) but it would surely be prejudicial to single out that language for special treatment while disregarding all others. This issue alone makes a strong argument for officially making english the national language and should make it an urgent priority of immigrants to learn the english language as quickly as possible after legal arrival in America.
Once again, it appears obvious that the reluctance on the part of our "leaders" to make english the national language (as it should be) is more about votes (or the fear of not getting them) than doing the right thing. Making English the national and official language of the United States of America would be a strong symbol of national pride at a time in our history when national pride is badly needed.
What do you think?
posted by Unknown | 5:35 PM
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