View Full Version : Commentary: Push for 'official' English stinks
kg4kww
07-20-2006, 08:27 PM
SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- Exactly what does promoting the English language have to do with protecting borders and reforming immigration policy?
Commentary: Push for 'official' English stinks (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/20/navarrette/index.html)
As far as I'm concerned, if you want to live in the US, then you need to learn the lingo.
What say you?
No cuido. Deseo a una cerveza y a mujer joven.
WD8OQX
07-20-2006, 08:51 PM
Aprende que fue el inglés descubre cuáles es.
K7KBN
07-20-2006, 09:29 PM
Cerveza...wasn't he the inebriated Spanish knight at the Round Table?
KA8FFA
07-20-2006, 09:39 PM
I have a friend who works in law enforcement. Speaking with him the other day, I could not believe what he told me.
Apparently they have a small problem with illegals in Putnam County, Ohio experiencing about one a month, which is not a lot, but is still a problem. When they are arrested, they go to court, do their jail time and the ICE is called. What is really disturbing is that the ICE wants to do nothing with them, the illegals are released back into society. They are NOT held,NOT deported but let go. Apparently ONE illegal isn't enough for the ICE to worry about.
I say if it is such a problem, take ALL of them back to Mexico.
w8znx
07-20-2006, 10:23 PM
Greg
what do you mean by Official English
sounds like something
the French do
to keep english words
from creeping into comon french use
English is a mixture of a dozen or so
other root languages
most Indo-European
coming from ancient Sandskrit
modern english
uses words from german, french, dutch,
spanish, old norse, algonquian, yidddish,
italian, ect ect ect
Languages change and evolve
in 1,000 years english as we know it
will be dead
read a copy of Beowolf in Old English
to see how how much language can change
in about 1000 years
given enought time we here in north america
will be using a language that will be
a mix of english and spanish
and i bet a bit of chinese
many spanish words have been
absorbed into modern english
almost every other word
that has to cowboys and the old west
comes from spanish
the names of more than one american state
are spanish
reason english is such a great language
is because it so easly
takes words from other languages
and molds them in to english
Mac
WD8OQX
07-20-2006, 11:12 PM
Quote[/b] (KA8FFA @ July 19 2006,15:39)]I have a friend who works in law enforcement. Speaking with him the other day, I could not believe what he told me.
Apparently they have a small problem with illegals in Putnam County, Ohio experiencing about one a month, which is not a lot, but is still a problem. When they are arrested, they go to court, do their jail time and the ICE is called. What is really disturbing is that the ICE wants to do nothing with them, the illegals are released back into society. They are NOT held,NOT deported but let go. Apparently ONE illegal isn't enough for the ICE to worry about.
I say if it is such a problem, take ALL of them back to Mexico.
...and THIS is why there IS a problem!
BTW: never could understand why they just don't go through due process?
Mac, my understand is that if English is NOT adopted as the OFFICIAL language of this country, there will continue to be a concerted effort to require all government publications to be printed in English, French, Spanish, or whatever other language some activist group considers necessary. This balderdash is already costing the U.S. Government millions of dollars to hire translators to convert the syntax to other languages, paper to print the enlarged documents on ( more parallel text takes more paper ! ) etc. etc.
I cannot understand why in the world we have to print Social Security benefit summarys in Spanish, for example, so that illegal aliens can read about how our government is going to take care of them. ( to be fair, I don't know if this is really taking place, but that could be an example! )
Bottom line, if a foreigner wants to remain in this country, they ought to learn the language !
73, Jim
kd5rpo
07-20-2006, 11:31 PM
From where I sit the language issue sure seems like a bunch of bull. My state was settled by Spain and we have 2 official languages. Its mostly the new guy Anglos who speak American English. They have only been here a few hundred years.
New Mexico has the oldest state capitol in the US up in Santa Fe (of course it has been part of three different countries during that time.) We were only a state of the US since 1912.
ka0gkt
07-21-2006, 12:03 AM
Hmmmm...The official language of the Estados Unidos de Mexico is…SPANISH. If you wish to conduct any business with the government of Mexico, become a citizen, get a drivers license, etc., it is done in Spanish. If you wish to worship in some other language or speak another language in your home, that is just fine, but if you deal with the Mexican government you do it in Spanish.
The official language of the Republique du France is…FRENCH. If you wish to conduct any business with the government of France, become a citizen, get a drivers license, etc., it is done in French. If you wish to worship in some other language or speak another language in your home, that is just fine, but if you deal with the French government you do it in French…Go figure.
My Great-Grandparents spoke:
German,
Danish,
Norwegian,
Czech,
And English natively.
My paternal grandmother spoke German in the home until the time of the First World War, but everyone spoke English in town and at the one-room country schoolhouse.
Sure, I wish my parents had spoken some of my forefathers’ native tongues so I might have learned more than my high school and college Spanish, but I am equally happy that my great-grandparents bothered to learn English and used that power to attain their piece of the American dream.
In conclusion, there should be no problem with English being the official language of the United States. This has to do with the official documents and organs of the government and NOT what is spoken in the homes or worship places. If one is to be a citizen of the United States and take part in all of the social and political processes, a unifying language is necessary.
73 DE KAŘGKT/7
--Steve
n7rjd
07-21-2006, 12:09 AM
All applications for medical treatment and government assistance should be required to be written in English only and be required to be filled out by the applicant without the help of a translator.
That should save some money. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
kc7mrq
07-21-2006, 12:13 AM
Quote[/b] (al2i @ July 20 2006,13:32)]No cuido. Deseo a una cerveza y a mujer joven.
Hey now. Didn't your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
kg4kww
07-21-2006, 03:18 AM
I agree with AG3Y, learn the lingo or leave.
Yo Quero uno cerveza amigo
G8ADD
07-21-2006, 10:23 AM
Quote[/b] (w8znx @ July 20 2006,15:23)]Greg
what do you mean by Official English
sounds like something
the French do
to keep english words
from creeping into comon french use
English is a mixture of a dozen or so
other root languages
most Indo-European
coming from ancient Sandskrit
modern english
uses words from german, french, dutch,
spanish, old norse, algonquian, yidddish,
italian, ect ect ect
Languages change and evolve
in 1,000 years english as we know it
will be dead
read a copy of Beowolf in Old English
to see how how much language can change
in about 1000 years
given enought time we here in north america
will be using a language that will be
a mix of english and spanish
and i bet a bit of chinese
many spanish words have been
absorbed into modern english
almost every other word
that has to cowboys and the old west
comes from spanish
the names of more than one american state
are spanish
reason english is such a great language
is because it so easly
takes words from other languages
and molds them in to english
Mac
Loud applause, Mac!
Add that you are discussing American English, which has significant differences when compared with English English, Australian English, and so on around the world.
English is a tool for communication. In this country we fund vast efforts to parallel documents in immigrant languages such as Urdu. The money would be better spent on education; I have long admired the Voice of America English which communicates clearly with a vocabulary of, I think, 500 words plus names. I would be happy if this was adopted world-wide as a standard for official documents. This would have the enormous side benefit of eliminating "officialese"!
73
Brian G8ADD
KW4MW
07-21-2006, 10:30 AM
<span style='font-size:17pt;line-height:100%'>Why do I have to press '1' for English ?</span>
Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ July 20 2006,16:27)]Exactly what does promoting the English language have to do with protecting borders and reforming immigration policy?
Nothing. Next?
No, seriously... the rationale is that if people can't do business in a non-English language, and they don't speak English, they'll be less motivated to come to the US. IMO there's some support from racists who think "people like us" speak English.
(They're wrong, of course, but we're not overwhelmed by Danes wading across the Rio Grande.)
Then there's the idea to purify English by erasing French words (some 30%) from the language. I'm against that, myself; "Liberty" is French.
De gustibus non disputandum. Amen!
Cortland
KA5S
Quote[/b] (KW4MW @ July 21 2006,06:30)]<span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'>Why do I have to press '1' for English ?</span>
Fuer Englisch, druecken Sie jetzt sechshundertneun. Fuer Esperanto, druecken Sie jetzt elf. Fuer...
Do svidanye!
Cortland
KA5S
k5mke
07-21-2006, 01:22 PM
Well?,
I'm fixin' (Southernese) to add another IMHO .
If you want to speak the official language of this country, you would have to learn many dialects of Native AMERICAN....lakhota, cree, cherokee (Tsalgai), Cheyenne, Crow, Apache, Pawnee, Huron, etc. Those were the official languages when white, Europeans landed by boat here. Early European settlers never had to fill out immigration papers, make application for citizenship or be required to know the history of this country before being sworn in by a judge.
If you go back and look at true history, you willl find that the Native Americans took pity on the Pilgrims, and brought lots of food to feed the starving Pilgrims.....Thanksgiving. However, the accounts differ as to what happened afterwards. The Natives tell that after the feast, the Pilgrims shot, stabbed and killed the Natives and chased them down, killing the rest they could catch. Some managed to escape to tell the story. THIS is when Native Americans became angered and attacked the Pilgim's back. Then, it was on http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
Later, the Native cheifs negotiated, in good faith, to allow the white man to live near them in peace. The words, As long as the waters shall flow and the grasses shall grow on the signed treaties rings hollow in Native ears, because of the white man's lies. This is still true, today. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
How do I know this? No, I'm not of Native American blood, by any means, but I have made friends over the years in my vacation travels and some are Native Americans. Some of these things, I have seen with my own eyes.
President Clinton, while still President, went to Pine Ridge and Rosebud, promising the chiefs and peoples to do something about their conditions and sufferng......it was mearly just another photo-op for Billy Bob. More lies!
Now, I am merely stating myopinion and the TRUTH, as I know it. I'm not attempting to set off a firestorm or incite a riot on here. I'm just providing another view to be considered.
As far as the illegal, Mexican, immigrants, some may actually have a genuine stake in this country as their ancestry goes back to the Aztec Natives that lived in Mexico. Native Americans (North, Central, or South) had no borders and some tribes were nomadic. So, that is to be considered as well.
If someone else has a different oppinion, then let's agree to disagree and keep it off QRZ.com I will respect your opinion no matter how different and will not attempt to change it, that is for you to seek in your own heart, as well as I.
Respectfully submitted,
73, TGIF!
Buck/K5MKE
W3MIV
07-21-2006, 01:54 PM
Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ July 20 2006,16:27)]Exactly what does promoting the English language have to do with protecting borders and reforming immigration policy?
Weil die Politiker in diesem Land "Spieldirndl" sind, und verkauft aus zu was auch immer Interessengruppe Angebote das meiste. Wieviel Wille, den Sie anbieten, Englisch zu machen, als die "Offizielle Sprache?"
K3STX
07-21-2006, 02:47 PM
I'm the liberalist of the liberals, and I completely agree with AG3Y. If you want to live in America, learn English. All official US government forms/agencies deal in English ONLY (OK, American English). You wanna understand it, bring a translation book. Period.
You watch how quickly everyone starts understanding English.
paul
Quote[/b] ]I cannot understand why in the world we have to print Social Security benefit summarys in Spanish, for example, so that illegal aliens can read about how our government is going to take care of them. ( to be fair, I don't know if this is really taking place, but that could be an example
It's true. There are even letters in English that have Spanish paragraphs to tell a non-English reader were to get the Spanish translation.
Yet there are no such paragraphs in French, Italian German or Vietnamese. Still waiting for the Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese and Japanese letters to appear.