Time to make English the official language of the U.S.

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  • Reply 101 of 159
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by superkarate monkeydeathcar

    because you'll intimidate many people who aren't comfortable reading english (even though they may be able to get by in everyday life speaking it) and they'll do things like bribe driving instructors to give them licenses or just not bother with getting licensed at all.



    but that's okay, while we're burying people killed by drivers that have no business driving, steve666 can lie in his bed at night rest assured that we have a "national language".




    So then we should print everything in every language there is, because they are all represented here, correct?. If not, then its just hypocritical......................................
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  • Reply 102 of 159
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    So then we should print everything in every language there is, because they are all represented here, correct?. If not, then its just hypocritical......................................



    goddamit, what is your problem? america is/was great because we embrace ethnicity, we try to accomodate, we are not perfect but we try to be helpful. we've made mistakes, huge ones in fact, but we try to learn from them and move on.

    if you want to build walls go some place else and do it. americans like you make me want to hurl.
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  • Reply 103 of 159
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    Sure there is. There wouldn't be entire towns where people speak only spanish if ballots and drivers license tests were english only unless they didn't plan to vote or drive, both of which are highly unlikely. The current situation is enabling.......................................... ...............



    From my previous post:



    "There is no evidence that bilingual accommodations slow down English acquisition...only unsupported claims about ethnic separatism and immigrants' disinclination to learn English unless forced to do so."



    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...D/question.htm



    And as pointed out on another page, "The rate of linguistic assimilation is clearly accelerating, a phenomenon that can be seen even in the relatively brief span of the 1980s."



    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...RD/can-pop.htm



    And regardless of the fact that you don't have a single valid premise, superkarate monkeydeathcar has a point you are just going to need to deal with.
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  • Reply 104 of 159
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by superkarate monkeydeathcar

    goddamit, what is your problem? america is/was great because we embrace ethnicity, we try to accomodate, we are not perfect but we try to be helpful. we've made mistakes, huge ones in fact, but we try to learn from them and move on.

    if you want to build walls go some place else and do it. americans like you make me want to hurl.




    If you're going to get your panties in a bunch everytime someone disagrees with you maybe you should go somewhere where everyone agrees with you and there can't be any dissent at all.



    If you had your liberal blinders turned off for a second you would see that what I am proposing is far more inclusive than what you are proposing. But liberals love to see latinos lag behind other ethnic groups because now you have a built in lower class that usually votes Democratic. How convenient for you that your policies sound as if they are more sympathetic towards minorities but are actually the most destructive. Then you have the audacity to declare yourself to be morally superior.



    Tell me, how do you manage to stay erect without a spine?.....................
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  • Reply 105 of 159
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    Tell me, how do you manage to stay erect without a spine?.....................



    Tell me, how do you manage to not hurt yourself when your world view has no relationship with the real world?
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  • Reply 106 of 159
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    Then you have the audacity to declare yourself to be morally superior.







    i didn't say i was morally superior, i said you make me want to vomit. see below for translation of vomit.





    (vómito, vomito, vomi, erbechen, braak)
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  • Reply 107 of 159
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by giant

    Tell me, how do you manage to not hurt yourself when your world view has no relationship with the real world?



    You mean, the 'real world' as according to you?
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  • Reply 108 of 159
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    You mean, the 'real world' as according to you?



    No, I mean the real world according to evidence, not what you and your friends speculate about while your parents are sleeping in the next room.
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  • Reply 109 of 159
    giaguaragiaguara Posts: 2,724member
    Real World is 7 billion separate realities. 7 billion Real Worlds. And all of them changing constantly.



    Not every singe Real World is in English.
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  • Reply 110 of 159
    giaguaragiaguara Posts: 2,724member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    Sure there is. There wouldn't be entire towns where people speak only spanish if ballots and drivers license tests were english only unless they didn't plan to vote or drive, both of which are highly unlikely. The current situation is enabling.......................................... ...............



    What?



    Not even LA is purely Hispanic yet. If you happen to live in a hispanic city, then learn Spanish so you can communicate in 2 languages with the people around you. Or are you so much superior you don't have to?



    Most hispanics do know English. Not always perfectly, but to live in US it's practically necessary.



    To have the documents ALSO in Spanish DOES NOT mean that you don't have to learn English in you live there; I think it means that being hispanic is accepted, it's more ok. If in some parts of the country 50 % of the population does speak Spanish, why NOT to have them in Spanish too? Or at least some brochure that is in Spanish amd explains what is the form in English for. It'd be far more that being hispanic is OKAY, that you odn't have to hide any longer.



    In UK MANY documents are available in otehr languages. Bengali, hindi, spanish, arabic, albanian, somali ... 20 languages in some places. Costs more? But maybe it helps those people whose first language is not English. If they care to make some of the documents, infos, instructions to your language, they care about you too. Maybe having printed those documents means simply the non-British feel more accepted. If you live here. you still need English in the everyday life, but finding something in your own language is already something. The country accepts diversity .. I'm not going to learn hindi or bengali here, but if I'd live in one of those your horror cities (in US where they speak only spanish) I would have no problem using the other language ..
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  • Reply 111 of 159
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by giant

    No, I mean the real world according to evidence, not what you and your friends speculate about while your parents are sleeping in the next room.



    What evidence? You're arguing with emotions, I'm arguing with facts. .................................................. .....................
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  • Reply 112 of 159
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    >What?



    Not even LA is purely Hispanic yet. If you happen to live in a hispanic city, then learn Spanish so you can communicate in 2 languages with the people around you. Or are you so much superior you don't have to?





    If i lived in a Spanish speaking country I would learn to speak Spanish. In the United States I expect immigrants to learn to speak my language. Go tell Bubba in Oklahoma that he's going to have to learn to speak Spanish now because the percentage of Spanish speaking immigrants has reached a certain 'percentage'. Not going to happen. The US will never be bilingual so its imperative that all immigrants speak English, whether it seems 'mean' or not to all you soft-hearted folks .................................................. ......................
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  • Reply 113 of 159
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    What evidence? You're arguing with emotions, I'm arguing with facts. .................................................. .....................



    "There is no evidence that bilingual accommodations slow down English acquisition...only unsupported claims about ethnic separatism and immigrants' disinclination to learn English unless forced to do so."



    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/home...RD/question.htm



    And as pointed out on another page, "The rate of linguistic assimilation is clearly accelerating, a phenomenon that can be seen even in the relatively brief span of the 1980s."



    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/home...ORD/can-pop.htm
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  • Reply 114 of 159
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by giant

    "There is no evidence that bilingual accommodations slow down English acquisition...only unsupported claims about ethnic separatism and immigrants' disinclination to learn English unless forced to do so."



    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/home...RD/question.htm



    And as pointed out on another page, "The rate of linguistic assimilation is clearly accelerating, a phenomenon that can be seen even in the relatively brief span of the 1980s."



    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/home...ORD/can-pop.htm






    Bilingualism for the individual is fine, but not for a country.Ó

    S.I. Hayakawa

    ÒBy emphasizing the importance of a common language, we safeguard a proud legacy and help to ensure that AmericaÕs future will be as great as her past.Ó

    President Ronald Reagan, letter to U.S. ENGLISH, Mar. 24, 1987

    ÒThe English language empowers each generation of immigrants to access the American dream. Studies have shown that people who learn English earn more for their families, are better able to move about and interact in society, and can more easily build a solid future for themselves and their children.Ó

    Rep. Barbara Vucanovich

    ÒMy support of declaring the English language to be the official language of the Federal Government is based on two simple principles: unity and opportunity.Ó

    Rep. Gerald Solomon

    ÒIn order to have economic and social mobility in this country, we know that we must speak and write the central language. To the extent that we encourage people who enter our society not to learn American English, we consign them basically to a life without that opportunity.Ó

    Rep. John Porter

    ÒI believe it is essential to have English as the official language of our National Government, for the English language is the tie that binds the millions of immigrants who come to America from divergent backgrounds. We should, and do, encourage immigrants to maintain and share their traditions, customs and religions, but the use of English is essential for immigrants and their children to participate fully in American society and achieve the American dream.Ó

    Rep. James Sensenbrenner

    ÒThe tie of language is perhaps the strongest and the most durable that can unite mankind.Ó

    Alexis de Tocqueville

    ÒWith all the divisive forces tearing at our country, we need the glue of language to help hold us together. If we want to ensure that all our children have the same opportunities in life, alternative language education should stop and English should be acknowledged once and for all as the official language of the United States.Ó

    Sen. Bob Dole

    ÒThe fact is that immigrants come here from every part of the world, and, in a generation or so, they become movie stars, politicians, businessmen, television personalities, and have all kinds of successful careers. But for these opportunities to open up, immigrants and their descendants must learn English as quickly as possible. ThatÕs the admission ticket into the culture.Ó

    S.I. Hayakawa

    ÒI know that Representative Fairchild is pleased, as I am, with the rapid passage of this bill. I agree with you that facility with English provides a common and necessary bond for all Americans.Ó

    Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, letter to U.S. ENGLISH, Apr. 10, 1987

    ÒAmerica is an open society, more open than any other in the world. People of every race, of every color, of every culture are welcomed here to create a new life for themselves and their families. And what do these people who enter into the American mainstream have in common? English, our shared common language.Ó

    Sen. S.I. Hayakawa

    ÒWe are people from every corner of the globe. We represent every religion, every ethnic group, every Nation under the Sun, but we are one nation, we are one people. Why? Because we have a wonderful commonality, a common glue, called the English language.Ó

    Rep. Toby Roth

    ÒAs a practical matter, every immigrant needs to master English to be a full participating citizen and to have full economic opportunity.Ó

    Sen. Richard Lugar

    "There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americans . . .The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities. We have but one flag. We must also learn one language and that language is English."

    President Theodore Roosevelt

    "Language is the most powerful unifying force that can take place between a people,"

    Rep. Steve King

    ÒOver and over again we see that it is the English language which empowers each new generation of immigrants to access the American dream. Declaring English the official language of Government is the commonsense thing to do.Ó

    Rep. Bill Goodling

    ÒWhy in the world anyone in America is allowing another language (other than English) to be his firstÉ I donÕt know.Ó

    Margaret Thatcher

    ÒI believe it is our values and our ideals that ultimately bind us together as a nation. But it is the English language which serves as the means by which we can communicate these values to those around us. Our common language, English, is that which unites us.Ó

    Rep. Asa Hutchinson

    ÒThe language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We can speak any language we want at the dinner table, but English is the language of public discourse, or the marketplace and of the voting booth.Ó

    S.I. Hayakawa

    ÒWe should celebrate and be proud of our diversity. But to be a nation we must have one common language with which we can communicate with one another. That common language is American English.Ó

    Rep. John Porter



    ÒThe great thing about the United States is our ability to absorb foreign people and make them a part of us.Ó

    S.I. Hayakawa

    ÒWhen our ancestors came to America, they came to this country knowing they had to learn English to survive. Today, our melting pot has become a patchwork quilt of cultures, isolated because they cannot speak English. They arenÕt assimilating into our society like our ancestors did. Our current bilingual policies are shredding the common bond that has made our nation great.Ó

    Rep. Joe Knollenberg

    ÒLet us remember that our national unity is a most priceless asset.Ó

    President Gerald Ford

    ÒDiversity is one of our NationÕs greatest strengths. The unique cultures, customs, and beliefs that every immigrant brings to our country add to the richness of America. However, without a common thread to bind or society together, America risks losing its sense of unity.Ó

    Rep. Peter Torkildsen

    ÒIt is the failure to promote English as our common and unifying language that has hindered some Americans from building a solid future for their families and gaining access to the American dream.Ó

    Rep. John Linder

    ÒThe fact that our country is a collection of different nationalities necessitates some sort of unifying factor in order to provide an national identity. A common language provides that unifying factor. By establishing English as the official language of the United States, it creates a bond that transcends ethnicity.Ó

    Rep. William Martini

    ÒThe example of my parents and grandparents was clear, clear to me then and clear to me now. They knew instinctively that English proficiency was absolutely essential to their success, not because they were not proud of their heritage but because they knew mastering the language was important to them and that they should do it as quickly as possible. They knew that proficiency would help their family, their neighborhood, and their whole community.Ó

    Rep. Marge Roukema

    ÒThe fact that we have a common language, one language, is one of the most important things we have tying us together.Ó

    S.I. Hayakawa

    ÒWe are never going to get people into the mainstream unless they are English capable.Ó

    Sen. John McCain

    ÒÉthough representatives of many ethnic groups came together in the United States, English became their common language. Apparently, this was a natural choice. One can imagine what would have happened if members of each nation moving to the U.S. had spoken only their own tongues and refused to learn English.Ó

    Mikhail Gorbachev



    www.us-english.org

    Open your eyes for they are closed...........................................
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  • Reply 115 of 159
    brbr Posts: 8,395member
    What's with the insanely extended ellipses? Gah they are annoying.
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  • Reply 116 of 159
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    [BIf i lived in a Spanish speaking country I would learn to speak Spanish. In the United States I expect immigrants to learn to speak my language. Go tell Bubba in Oklahoma that he's going to have to learn to speak Spanish now because the percentage of Spanish speaking immigrants has reached a certain 'percentage'.[/B]



    Slightly off-topic:



    Dude, you'd better tell all of the American tourists that when they visit Italy, France, Spain, or any other country that English isn't the official language, that they should not expect to be served in English.



    I've seen so many American tourists get pissed off at cafe/store owners because they don't speak English.
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  • Reply 117 of 159
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by audiopollution

    Slightly off-topic:



    Dude, you'd better tell all of the American tourists that when they visit Italy, France, Spain, or any other country that English isn't the official language, that they should not expect to be served in English.



    I've seen so many American tourists get pissed off at cafe/store owners because they don't speak English.




    Unfortunately many Americans are boobs. They should bring an electronic translator with them....................................
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  • Reply 118 of 159
    giaguaragiaguara Posts: 2,724member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by audiopollution

    Dude, you'd better tell all of the American tourists that when they visit Italy, France, Spain, or any other country that English isn't the official language, that they should not expect to be served in English.



    I've seen so many American tourists get pissed off at cafe/store owners because they don't speak English.




    Good idea. Next time I see any Americans in a non-English country I refuse to understand any English. It's not the official language...
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  • Reply 119 of 159
    giaguaragiaguara Posts: 2,724member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by steve666

    The US will never be bilingual so its imperative that all immigrants speak English, whether it seems 'mean' or not to all you soft-hearted folks .................................................. ......................



    US has always been a pluri-cultural, pluri-linguistic country. It havin only ONE language spoken will never happen.







    Talking about languages, I was today seriously worried I was understanding Somali or Swahili. Untill I figured out the two guys working (talking in their breaktime what ever language they prefer, none of the other's business) were from Mozambique. And I thought the Portuguese of the Portuguese sounds funny! I was a bit disappointed to figure the reason I understood their conversation was that it was in Portuguese ... \
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  • Reply 120 of 159
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Giaguara

    US has always been a pluri-cultural, pluri-linguistic country. It havin only ONE language spoken will never happen.







    ... \




    Guess again. The US has always had a quasi-official language. Read some of the quotes I posted above about why its so important.



    On a side note, Go Arnold! I thought he held his own in the debate, although he could have been more vocal about illegal immigration. Except for him and McClintock (who is too conservative for my taste) the others couldn't rip their spines out fast enough............................................ ......
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