Should the US be Officially Multi-Lingual?

No, we shouldn't. As a matter of fact, if I were prince of America, I would make it a law that if you are going to be a citizen of our country, that you learn to communicate in our language. When you are at home or with your friends who speak your native language, speak in whatever language you want. But when in public, speak the national language and learn to read the national language.

Joseph Botwinick

 

I don't know......my new brother in law is a native Bostonian, and I can't always understand him........

Honestly though, we were just in Boston and I did not realize how multi-cultural it was. Our family was split up between 2 different hotels and both of them had housekeeping staffs that barely spoke English, and didn't clean very well either. After trying to communicate with one of the housekeepers for a couple of days about getting clean sheets and towels, my nephew finally greeted her at the door with all of his dirty linens in his arms.

It was the same way at the food court at the mall, very little clear communication.

Joseph said "But when in public, speak the national language and learn to read the national language." I would add especially if you are going to work here and even more so in customer service.

 

When I think of past generations of immigrants they all learned English within a generation or two. I would support making English the official language.

Other groups of immigrants have assimilated while maintaining their own cultural traditions. I think the modern Mexican/Mestizo immigrant should likewise assimilate.

 

You are asking the ultra left to give up one of their holy beliefs! It's much easier to keep "them" in the fold if they never learn to look to other sources for "GUIDANCE/INFORMATION(?)"!!

 

NO!!!!!! Look at the problems it generates in Canada!

 

And in that other hotbed of civil strife, Switzerland.

Putting aside that most do, should Puerto Ricans be required to learn English? They're US citizens whose native language is Spanish.

This reminds me of that joke:

Q: What do you call someone who speaks many languages?

A: Multilingual.

Q: What do you call someone who speaks two languages?

A: Bilingual.

Q: What do you call someone who speaks only one language?

A: American.

 

Chiste bueno.

 

I agree with the ones that say "If you are going to live in USA learn to speak and write English." I live in a part of the world (Louisiana) where Cajun French is spoken more than Spanish, so here Spanish wouldn't really helps us out. And I took 2 years of French in High School only to find out that Cajun French is a whole lot differnt than the French I learned in school, so I still can't understand the "ole Cajuns" when they talk French. At least I can understand them when they speak English, which most do.

 

Daisy,

Let them have their native language when communicating at home with friends and family who also speak that language. But, when in public, especially in the workforce, they should communicate with the English language that is understandable to Americans.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Switzerland is.

 

I've heard that the road signs in Miami are all Spanish.
I don't know if it's true or not. But if it is true then that is disturbing to me.

 

I notice that on most products now that they have Spanish on them as well as English.

 

No. If you cannot read and write the national language, you should not be allowed to be a citizen, let alone be allowed to vote.

Joseph Botwinick

 

So?

I speak snippets of Pele, a tribal language of Liberia. Interestingly, though, Liberia's official language is English.

I don't go into Wal-Mart or the drug store or the grocery store in America and ask about the produce in the Pele language.

A-S-S-I-M-I-L-A-T-I-O-N.

 

"How 'bout ballots? If you can't read/write English, should we print ballots in Spanish? Or Vietnamese? Or Haitian Creole? Or . . . ? "

Dr. Bob, I agree with Joseph. If you can't read the ballot in English you probably shouldn't vote.

The costs of being a multi-lingual society seem so prohibitive. Establishing English as the official language would seem to be a cost efficient measure.

I think we should take the money we would spend in printing non-English ballots and pour it into ESL education classes to help our new immigrants speak the language quicker.

 

LorrieGrace
"I notice that on most products now that they have Spanish on them as well as English."
"
This is practical, it makes it possible to sell a product in a number of different countries without needing a different package for each area.

 

Establishing English as the one official language of the USA is a good idea. Having said that, being multilingual is good for a person. Instead of printing all governmentdocuments in several different languages so that everybody can at least read one version of them, it would be much better to print them only in English and learn the citizens to master several different languages.