The Official "Should the US Have an Official Language" Thread

[UGAalum94]

I think we should have English as the official language.

I also think that we should limit and define what additional languages that government services will be provided in.

I've got no problem with Spanish being an official second language, but I think the idea that we can accommodate all the world’s languages is unrealistic and impractical.

I don’t think we should have bilingual or multi-lingual schools although I think schools should provide ESOL services for a well-defined number of years to those who need them. (I don’t think any students should be served by ESOL for their entire school careers, but mainly because it becomes a dumping ground although NCLB is helping with this.)

Could whoever mentioned laws and treaties that prohibited the US having an official language please name some? I know we’d have to repeal any current laws that are contrary to a new one, but the use of treaties made me think you meant something international.

As far as the historic arguments go, when we had the “melting pot” as our central immigration metaphor, we emphasized assimilation, and learning English was considered an American trait. As we’ve moved to the salad bowl metaphor, emphasizing multi-culturalism, I think the motivation to learn English is diminished. Because I firmly believe that being able to communicate with each other is a core national value, I don’t think separate language groups is a good idea. We need to speak the same language to be one national people.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

I think we should have English as the official language.

As far as the historic arguments go, when we had the “melting pot” as our central immigration metaphor, we emphasized assimilation, and learning English was considered an American trait. As we’ve moved to the salad bowl metaphor, emphasizing multi-culturalism, I think the motivation to learn English is diminished. Because I firmly believe that being able to communicate with each other is a core national value, I don’t think separate language groups is a good idea. We need to speak the same language to be one national people.

Well said. It's hard to bring this up (English as the US's official language) without people screaming foul in regards to using this as a tool to discriminate against immigrants. On a side note, listen to this : I was at a McDonalds in Phoenix, AZ a few weeks ago having lunch. When I ordered I spoke to the lady in English, she understood me/what I ordered, but only replied to me in Spanish. She counted my change back to me in Spanish, and told me "thank you" in Spanish when she handed me my bag. I felt that was really rude of her, and was tempted to go back and order a meal in German.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

Well said. It's hard to bring this up (English as the US's official language) without people screaming foul in regards to using this as a tool to discriminate against immigrants. On a side note, listen to this : I was at a McDonalds in Phoenix, AZ a few weeks ago having lunch. When I ordered I spoke to the lady in English, she understood me/what I ordered, but only replied to me in Spanish. She counted my change back to me in Spanish, and told me "thank you" in Spanish when she handed me my bag. I felt that was really rude of her, and was tempted to go back and order a meal in German.

I would definitely write a letter to the local newspaper and McDonald's corporate headquarters. IMO, that's the same as if she was standing there picking her nose while she waited on you.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

It's hard to bring this up (English as the US's official language) without people screaming foul in regards to using this as a tool to discriminate against immigrants.

You're absolutely right. And (this is going to sound horribly crass, but I'm gonna say it anyway), the whole discrimination thing has gone way too far. Anymore, everyone can find something to shout, "Discrimination!" at. Blondes are discriminated against because they're blonde. Overweight people are discriminated against because of their weight. Men are discriminated against because they're men. The list is endless. We (in the national sense) don't look for "tools" to enable us to discriminate. We (in the national sense) just look for a way to communicate with one another. If someone who speaks another language comes here to live, they, assuming they want to communicate effectively with us (nationally), need to learn our language. It's not a ploy, or a trick, or some underhanded scheme... it's a language for crying out loud. Learn it -- or don't. But don't expect us (nationally) to learn your language. After all, you're the one who came here.

(Yikes. Sorry for the rant.)

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

I think we should have English as the official language.

I also think that we should limit and define what additional languages that government services will be provided in. . . . .

Could whoever mentioned laws and treaties that prohibited the US having an official language please name some?

The one person who mentioned treaties in this thread has previously cited the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo as banning an official language in the US. Suffice it to say, that's a misreading of the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo.

As for other laws, I could be quite wrong on this, but if the goal is to eliminate the offering of government services in languages other than English, I wonder if a constitutional amendment would be required. At the least, I would foresee years of litigation on the issue.