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How come one rarely hears people in NYC expressing irritation when we hear loads of Spanish, Haitian Creole, Russian, Chinese or Korean, depending on the neighborhood we might happen to be?
Seriously why does it bother you? If you went up to those people and they responded to you in fluent English what will be your problem?
The fact remains that not speaking English limits one to a narrow range of extremely low paying occupations, and most immigrants know this. I cannot recall any instance of any Mexican living in NYC who I have encountered he didn't speak extremely fluent English. Almost all of the Mexican kids who I see speak American accented English, and also Spanish. Given that they will return to their parents' homeland to see relatives I will think that their ability to speak Spanish is key.
In addition if Spanish wasn't widely spoken in Miami many Americans will be doing business in Panama, and its likely that their purchases will be of CHINESE products, not US.
I can't speak for NYC as I don't live there. I already stated why it bothers me. Do you want me to repeat it once again? It feels like one is living in Mexico when you hear more Spanish being spoken than English where I live. I never said that many Hispanics/Mexicans don't speak English or even fluently. It is just that their primary language of usage seems to always be Spanish out in public.
[mod]-[mod] If we designate English as a national language, speakers of other languages are going to feel slighted. And if their ancestors were here prior to 1492, they're going to to feel justifiably slighted. They'll sue, and win. And then we'll have to print driver's license tests in Cree, Samoan, Hawaiian, French, German, Spanish, Navajo, Inuit, and every other language enclosed in our very large borders.
Most people are not irritated hearing other languages being spoken. You are in the minority. In fact, you would probably hate my in laws. They don't routinely speak English when they get together. It is much easier for the older members of the family who were born elsewhere to speak their native tongue.
Why would I feel slighted if I lived in Mexico and they made Spanish their official language, as an analogy? Spanish is the de facto national language of that country and most of their citizens speak it as their first language so why not make it official? Why should we be any different? In case you don't know it half of our states have made English their official language. Sue on the grounds of what? English is already our national de facto language and always has been. We already print driver's license tests on the state levels in several languages even those states who have made English their official language.
Can you furnish evidence that Americans outside of Miami encounter problems obtaining employment if they don't know Spanish? Given that Hispanics have higher unemployment than whites, this will be a shock to them. Indeed US Latinos often don't get employed in corporations dealing with Latin America as their Spanish is not considered GOOD enough.
It has already been established that Miami is unique as it is the commercial hub for Latin America. This role being highly beneficial to the USA at large.
Are you kidding me? In the west in particular many jobs demand bi-lingual English/Spanish to even get an interview for a job. I disagree that the reason that one can't get a job in Miami unless they speak Spanish is because of their dealings with Latin America. It is because Cubans don't want to use English as their primary language of usage just as many other Spanish speakers don't or won't. English is actually the language of commerce throughout the world.
If you lack the education and skills for a job then it won't matter what languages you speak or what ethnic group you are a part of.
In Arizona, I wouldn't say it's essential but it is definitely helpful to have a cursory understanding of the language. I'm not fluent but I can speak enough spanish to understand someone and also get my point across. Also, spanish is incredibly easy to learn so why not ad it to your skill set?
And what of the Native American languages? Hawaiian? Those aren't official? They were here first, after all. Designating an official national language creates more problems than it solves. The current system works just fine, even if some people get into a lather when they hear Spanish being spoken in public. I have better things to do than try to force homogenization onto an unwilling public.
The purpose of an official language is not to commemorate a 'deserving' culture (such as one of the indigenous ones because they were here first) or to promote cultural chauvinism (such as English because many believe the English foundations of our culture have provided a stable system), but to facilitate communication.
Making a Native American language (which one? There are plenty) the official language would be asinine. Say we decided on Navajo, the most widely spoken indigenous language. Are you prepared to do your taxes in Navajo, fill out a voting ballot in Navajo? Require that all congressmen and the President speak Navajo when addressing each other in an official capacity and when addressing the public?
I don't believe we need to make English the official language because it is already de facto. That could change if another language started to compete with English, such as Spanish, but that is not going to happen. Spanish will always be a second language in American households just like German, Italian, Polish, and all the others have in the past.
Making a Native American language (which one? There are plenty) the official language would be asinine. Say we decided on Navajo, the most widely spoken indigenous language. Are you prepared to do your taxes in Navajo, fill out a voting ballot in Navajo? Require that all congressmen and the President speak Navajo when addressing each other in an official capacity and when addressing the public?
I absolutely agree it would be asinine. But if we made English the official language, the speakers of other languages, particularly indigenous languages would sue the government. And they would win. And then we'd be like Canada or Switzerland with multiple official languages. Puerto Ricans are U.S. Citizens. They would demand that Spanish be made an official language. Hawaiians would, too. And so would many of the Indian tribes. It wouldn't be long before Acadians and Cajuns; the Amish and the Inuit all followed suit.
It's a genie that is easy to leave in the bottle because there is nothing wrong with the status quo. (Except that ultra-nationalists get worked up into a lather when they hear anything other than English. I don't like it when I hear Americans mangling English. But I don't let it bother me because I have better things to do.)
In Arizona, I wouldn't say it's essential but it is definitely helpful to have a cursory understanding of the language. I'm not fluent but I can speak enough spanish to understand someone and also get my point across. Also, spanish is incredibly easy to learn so why not ad it to your skill set?
I disagree because it is pandering to those who either refuse to learn or speak English. The only reason that Spanish is prevalent in AZ and other southwestern states is because of the huge influx of illegal aliens from south of our border.....no thanks.
I don't mind hearing a foreign language occasionally but where I live Spanish is spoken more often than English. That is the objection. Our nation's language is English not Spanish and one gets the feeling they are living in Mexico rather than the U.S.
No, people do not need to learn the common language. One of America's strengths is that we don't force people to learn English. There are still people in Maine and Louisiana who speak French. Puerto Rico is and always has been Hispanophone. Furthermore, if Hawaiians want to speak their own language, or Inuits, or Navajos, I say let them. And the same goes for the Chinatowns and Japantowns and Little Italys and all the rest of the ethnic neighborhoods -- let them speak whatever they want.
It is of absolutely no consequence to me.
Sure, they can speak whatever language they wish. Assimilation does NOT mean forgetting ones native tongue or culture. But if you expect to succeed outside of your community, you need to expand your networking.
Sure, they can speak whatever language they wish. Assimilation does NOT mean forgetting ones native tongue or culture. But if you expect to succeed outside of your community, you need to expand your networking.
Incorrect. My in laws are scattered all over America, and none of them live in ethnic neighborhoods. Some of them struggle with English. It's very hard for them, and their mother tongue is basically non-existent in America.
They're all a bunch of entrepreneurs. They built businesses and made themselves successful -- failure wasn't an option for any of them. Succeed or starve. We don't need mandatory English. We don't even need to "nudge" people. It is quite possible to be a success in this country without speaking a lick of English. As a society, we reward intelligence and ambition. We punish ignorance and sloth. I prefer this system to any other -- just so long as everyone has access to the same opportunities. They won't have the same outcomes, naturally. Disenfranchising people because of the way they speak or the way they look simply isn't American.
The ability to speak, and write, on an adult/college level a foreign language of any popular country should, by now, be a no-brainer with all the international trade. Any resume that holds that position is going to be moved onto the top of the pile. Think of the American companies repatriating their manufacturing to Mexico from China. Think of your career travel possibilities. Entire departments at MicroSoft in Seattle are Mandarin. All the road signs are south of the 49th.
If you speak/write English then Spanish is going to be pretty smooth sailing, and if you join an international company think of all the countries that use Spanish, and get a little away from the fortress mentality (think metric) that Americans think is their foundation. It's 2014, not 1954. Spanish countries now have MONEY, unlike, say, the French.
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Not sure what you mean by this. France is richer than any Spanish-speaking country in the world, including Spain. Other places where French is the main language like western Switzerland, southern Belgium and Quebec are also richer than any Spanish-speaking places in the world.
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