Why English?Since when has there been a single language in this nation? we speak chinese in chinatown etc.I'd probably feel that way if i hadn't live near Canada up to 6 years and down in South Texas where you hear more Spanish than English anyway the rest of 'em.I don't speak any more than one sentence in French and but three or so words in Espaniol but i think multi languuages are just another part of our culture.
Yes we should all speak one language, but whose to say what language that is?

if you are going to live somewhere sure you'd better learn that language,for your own convenience.even though most foreigners working in china do not speak mandarin,many chinese from the mainland do not speak cantonese in hong kong.they dont care,let them be!
it's not as simple as "if you go to france you speak french" ...if you are staying for a while you dont have to learn...
and if you are moving to the US from here,you HAVE TO pass the english exams,unless you spend several million dollars as investment.or your government doesnt accept them~~~i dont know what you are complaining about...

hmm bleh whats with all these different languages anyway....i think we should start working on a universal language....like Esperanto or something.

-Molly

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People like YOU are what ruins the English language. I can understand a few keyboard errors, a missed punctuation mark here and there. But THAT is total rubbish.

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This is the internet; get used to it. Be thankful that you can at least understand the basic concept of what is being said.

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Regardless, if, say, America does not want people to murder, and to be able to enforce it, it has to be in writing that it is a crime.

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It's against ethics to murder someone, because most individuals can draw a correlation between murdering and being unethical. It does not have to be in writing for people to recognize; it only has to be documented so those murderers can face suitable consequences. English, on the other hand, does not have to be in writing for most of the inhabitants of that area to speak it. Those born in the United States were most likely raised with English as their main language. My point is that English does not have to be in writing to prove that it is the major language of America.

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Wrong. Mandarin is the most universally spoken language. English is America's national language. And to get really techincal, America doesn't even speak English, America speaks American, a take off of the English language. Consider it a sect of English. In broad terms, they are the same, but in specifics, they are 2 seperate languages

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Actually, you're wrong. America does speak English, not American. "American" is not a language. If YOU would like to get technical, we Americans speak American English, just as some Australians speak Pidgin English. There are different forms of the language, but it's quite annoying that you dub American English as "American." Hum. (BTW: it's technical and separate, since you're so adamant about correct spelling )

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Splendid, I'll pass that along to my mute friend.

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Maybe your mute friend can understand English, which would be fine.

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I highly doubt an ignorant git such as yourself would know a spot of sign language.

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Can you speak every language? If not, then you're ignorant about something. One day that ego of yours is going to pop...

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Do countries really need a law stating murder is against the law? Would you all agree murder is a universal, and really just an unwritten law that yes, it's wrong?

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Regardless, if, say, America does not want people to murder, and to be able to enforce it, it has to be in writing that it is a crime.

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So now apply that to the language situation; if English is universally the most common language spoken, especially here in America, then wouldn't it be fair to say our language is English?

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Wrong. Mandarin is the most universally spoken language. English is America's national language. And to get really techincal, America doesn't even speak English, America speaks American, a take off of the English language. Consider it a sect of English. In broad terms, they are the same, but in specifics, they are 2 seperate languages.

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Does Mexico have a law stating Spanish is its official language? I don't know, but look at all the countries that have Spanish as a language.

Anyway, if you can't speak English, and you're a citizen in America, learn it or leave. I'm sure as heck not gonna have sympathy for you if you can't communicate in my language when you're ordering food or something.

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Splendid, I'll pass that along to my mute friend. Wait...he is saying something in universal sign language...hmmm...I don't quite understand what he is saying...you see, he is raising his middle finger at you.... I highly doubt an ignorant git such as yourself would know a spot of sign language.

I rather just pretend I don't know any English and start talking in Spanish so I could annoy the heck out of people.

Classic how mad someone could get!!!!!

You know I wouldn't do that.

Bye N Have a nice day

"Bye N have a nice day"

This person appears to know from experience, as does the person below.


"actually if you go to france you'll prob speak english since many people there are bilingual

in spain too but not as many places have as many english speakers

maybe americans should become more bilingual to help accomidate our visitors"

People like YOU are what ruins the English language. I can understand a few keyboard errors, a missed punctuation mark here and there. But THAT is total rubbish. Not one bloody period or comma. Go watch "Pulp Fiction" look for the part where Samual L. Jackson says something along the lines of "English mother----....do you speak it?!"

People are bilingual in Europe because of the diversity of languages there if they ever hope to do business. Because the UK and America are prime business sectors, almost every country requires students to know at least basic English. In business schools, students are urged to take Japanese, since more and more business deals take place with Japanese based companies.

Also, some languages have ethnic ties, so some might find it offensive to have heir language botched in an attempt to be friendly.

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but the fact is there is no law at the current moment that states English is our national language, so it would be discrimination right at the current point for all the schools to teach only in English

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Do countries really need a law stating murder is against the law? Would you all agree murder is a universal, and really just an unwritten law that yes, it's wrong?

So now apply that to the language situation; if English is universally the most common language spoken, especially here in America, then wouldn't it be fair to say our language is English?

Does Mexico have a law stating Spanish is its official language? I don't know, but look at all the countries that have Spanish as a language.

Anyway, if you can't speak English, and you're a citizen in America, learn it or leave. I'm sure as heck not gonna have sympathy for you if you can't communicate in my language when you're ordering food or something.

I agree that after living for some time period with the intent of living here permanantly, people should learn English. I do not, however, agree that people should be required to learn English before they come here. My grandmother and her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Greece when Nazis were invading some of the mountain villages around them. They didn't exactly have the time to stop and take and English class before they left. Many immigrants come to the U.S. to escape devastating political and/or economic situations, and therefore do not have the time or opportunity to learn English before they arrive.

iluvjp,
I agree that it’s not right, my mom is a teacher at an elementary school in California, but the fact is there is no law at the current moment that states English is our national language, so it would be discrimination right at the current point for all the schools to teach only in English. As soon as English becomes our national language then we can start an English only rule at State and Federal run programs

I agree. I don't think it's right that out in California Hispanics are not forced to learn English in school. If you want to live in a country, you need to at least try to learn the language.

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Give a big hug to a Iraqi guy and calls me P-P-Head!!!!!!!

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hahhaha, I don't know Arabic....maybe that is a compliment in Iraq

Welcome to America!!!!!!!

Please watch your step!!!!!!

"cough" because there a lot of people who would like to kick you down while your not looking "cough"

Enjoy your stay at America!!!!!!

I love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!! Give a big hug to a Iraqi guy and calls me P-P-Head!!!!!!!

Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay I'm done acting insane

Bye N Have a nice day

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"these damn, immigrants need to learn American."

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That goes both ways, I don't know if you know Spanish or not. But once I went to swim at this river with a bunch of freinds. Alot of spanish people swim there. And they were making fun of some of the people we were with in Spanish. One lady said something like "since when did Americans start coming here?" The funny thing is 2 of the kids they were making fun of were from Ecuador and spoke fluent Spanish. They just assumed we were all idiots and "Americans". Everything goes both ways, even if no one wants to except it.

And I agree there is no reason to pick on someone do to an accent and there is no reason to go somewhere like Mexico and expect everyone to speak English. But the point is, those countries don't care if you speak Spanish or not, and they don't have signs in English everywhere. You can even take your tests at school in Spanish(at least where I am). This is just giving people a reason not to learn the dominate language spoken. If I went to Mexico, do you think they would give me my tests in English.....I don't.

But here's the problem, it is no where written that English is our National Language. Before you jump on me and talk about how everybody speaks English, I'm simply stating the fact that nowhere does it state that English is our National Language. As soon as that comes to be then you can test people on their ability at speaking and comprehending English.
Oh one other thing, please don't call our language "American", not that any you have on the boards but I laugh my *** off when I hear yokels say, "these damn, immigrants need to learn American." That’s funny, I didn't know there was an actual language called American; I thought there was a different Dialect of English called “American English” that we use in America.

I think that before you are allowed to move to America, you must take a literacy test that proves you are fluent in English.

Aright.

I agree: people who plan to live in this country should learn english and not depend on the fact that they live in a latin neighborhood to not learn english( i know people that do that. some of my relatives do ( i'm latin))

I agree: That people shouldn't be hard on the people that try to learn english like my dad. He is very smart and has a really good job and he came to this country having to learn english through a dictionary. at business meetings, some co-workers actally told him to learn english before he makes a presentation just becaue my dad has an accent. THAT is totally snobby and stuck up

I also think that if the people in america get mad that spanish people aren't learning english then they have no right to go to mexico and complain that no one there can help them because they aren't bilingual. THAT pisses me off. I konw people like that. Again, arrogant, snobby, and stuck up.

They think that english is the almighty langauage just cuz they speak it and sohuld therfore be learned by everybody

Just out of curiosity savedbygrace, how many people do you know that moved to America that don't intend to learn English. Obviously these “people” that you speak of don't speak English, so how do you know their intentions?

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actually if you go to france you'll prob speak english since many people there are bilingual

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This is true, however they will be jerks to you, I know this first hand. Secondly there are not signs written in English to help us out, they are in French, and that stands for most other countries in this world. No one caters to us, why should we?

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probably don't have the money to get classes.

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There are free programs to learn English, sure you won't get the best education, but at least you can communicate...

actually if you go to france you'll prob speak english since many people there are bilingual

in spain too but not as many places have as many english speakers

maybe americans should become more bilingual to help accomidate our visitors