Quote:
Originally posted by MysticCat81
Perhaps, if you can consider a language spoken on a daily basis by less than 10% of a country's population to be "common and unifying." 
The issue is simply whether the Senate amendments to the immigration reform bill confer any legal status on English, as opposed to symbolic status. Since "national" and "common and unifying" confer no real legal status, they do not create an official language.
I think the real issue is one of expectations. The cynic in me thinks that many politicians propose phrases like "national language" and "common and unifying language" in order to placate those who want to see English made the official language of the US, knowing that the phrases they are proposing are really only symbolic and accomplish little.
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It's all about baby steps. Another baby step is a proposal to reduce non-English services. After a few baby steps, you realize you've moved ahead quite a bit.
And I'd love to see where that 10% came from.
-Rudey
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