Taking Español out of the US?

[Madcowhunter]

Since this was mentioned on a previous thread, I thought it would make an interesting discussion.
Now, I'm pretty sure most everyone here is tired of South Americans and Mexicans coming to the United States and refusing to learn the English language. Instead, they expect us to learn Spanish and translate everything on paper to suit them.
So, what course of action would you take to make sure everyone here speaks English?

[Dagummit]

Since this was mentioned on a previous thread, I thought it would make an interesting discussion.
Now, I'm pretty sure most everyone here is tired of South Americans and Mexicans coming to the United States and refusing to learn the English language. Instead, they expect us to learn Spanish and translate everything on paper to suit them.
So, what course of action would you take to make sure everyone here speaks English?

Execute those who don't speak English...j/k

Seriously...

I would say that make it official first, make English the official language of the US.

Then start by making all tests (school), driving tests, applications, etc mandatory to be written in English.

Next, make it mandatory that all classes be in English (accept those where a foriegn language is being taught).

[Peace_by_superior _power]

Well what about all the immigrants who come here? Lets say you speak german or french? why should all other languages be forgotten? If you speak another language good; if you dont then you lack a serious skill that could help you when looking for a job. My grandparents have lived in this country for 40 years and have opened a succesful medical practice. They cant really read well and talk with accents, but other wise have a good mastery of the language. They deal a lot with other hispanics and many blacks and whites. wehn hispanics visit they find it easier to do the forms in spanish, their native language, and the blacks and whites prefer to do it english, their native language. Its a matter of choice if you come to this country you should know english, if you dont then your f--cked when you look for a job and i wouldnt hire you if didnt. Does this mean we get rid of the metric system too Dag?

[Dagummit]

Does this mean we get rid of the metric system too Dag?

I hate the metric system, with the exception of IT based standards...(i.e. KB, MB, TB, PB, EB, etc.)

[Bumblebee]

They have too many Spanish and other languages on TV. If they would watch TV in English, that would be a great help.

They should stop putting up billboards in other languages in their neigborhoods.

This could be added to Dags list. We are not helping these people and it cost us lot to make voting ballots in about 7 different languages.

Sadly, I don't think they will change anything. We have more people in here then the past.

Most immigrants used to go to night school to learn English. They could do that for all languages.

[Madcowhunter]

MC- I believe English is already the official language. My question was how would you enforce it.

Peace_by_superior_power- Dag wasn't saying all other languages should be forgotten. He was saying that while you know other languages, you also must know English to live in our country. I agree with him, speaking another language is fine, but if you want to fit in America it is simple... learn English.

Bumblebee- Those things you listed would help, but the government cannot enforce them. I think that night school is a good idea and should be mandatory.

Dag- That is a good list. Those I think can be enforced.

[Madcowhunter]

My ideas mainly surround order patrol and immigration policy. Deporting illegals and keeping them from entering our country is a must if we are to make English national. Also, in order to enter our country legally, you must be fluent in English, or given a mandatory schedule to take classes, with consequences if continually dodged.

[Madcowhunter]

They don't. Those countries don't have flocks of foreigners trying to get into their country. Besides, most people in Europe are probably bilingual of the location of their countries.

[Madcowhunter]

Yes, but the government doesn't have the right to do that. Neither do I think they should have the right to do that, if companies want to print in Spanish, let them. We need to stop focusing on our actions, and focus on the actions of immigrants. We need to raise our border defense, deport illegals, and make sure those who want to live here speak English.

Kinda like crime if you think about it. If you want to stop crime, don't ban guns, jail criminals.

[Oi_Ve]

All these problems could be easier solved if we all spoke Latin. It would easier for immigrants to pick up (especially since Spanish is derived from Latin), and it sounds pretty. The first Bibles were written in Latin, and if Latin is good enough to go in a Bible, it's good enough to go on a billboard!

Overhaul American society! Everybody speak Latin!

[Madcowhunter]

English is derived from Latin also. I think it would be neat to have a entire country speak Latin.

[jackhabit]

what about swedish and/or dutch. they WERE some of the earliest settlers of these parts (or at least where i live.)

[Oi_Ve]

oi ve.

Latin? A dead language. Great idea. Ever think there is a reason its a dead language? It sucks.


Good languages don't die, they just infect every culture they touch and create an entire catergory of languages derived form them (in this case the Romantic languages: French, Spanish, Romanian, Italian etc.)

So nuts to you, kid.

Every child in this country should take Latin in elementary school, its just damn good for your vocabulary...and what's more entertaining than listening to 5 year olds recite "We who are about to die, salute you!" in its original tongue? nothing, thats what!

[Schmitty27]

I wanted to take Latin in high school but we didn't have a teacher so they tried to do a long distance learning thing. Well that didn't work either. So I got stuck with Spanish 4, rather watching Spanish soap operas and commenting about them.

And just for knowledge, America doesn't have an official national language. But because English is spoken as the majority it kinda gets the throne by right.

[Madcowhunter]

what about swedish and/or dutch. they WERE some of the earliest settlers of these parts (or at least where i live.)
Languages are spoken upon terms of who conquers who. Thus we all speak English. Of course, I don't the English should have pulled from Latin.
All of the old documents in England were written in island. Plus, if we all spoke Latin, we could actually read the Magna Carta.

[Oi_Ve]

I tried to learn latin its the most f*cked up language I've ever attempted to speak. I only knwo enough latin to ask where the bathroom is. :icon_mrgr

Only cause you never had a good teacher.
Now go write 10 pages of verb conjugations!
And I don't want to hear 'Teacher, my hands are hurting. I think I have carpeltunel. I don't want to memorize the first five books of the Aeneid' baby crying! Be a man!

[Avid_Liberal_Hater]

I would start with an iron-clad moratorium on immigration. Period. We've got plenty of people in this country, there is absolutely NO BENEFIT to importing third-world trash into this country. If the lefties and Euro-weenies have a problem with that, let them cry into their soy lattes. If the third-world trash has a problem with that, they can go home.

[EatSoap]

there is absolutely NO BENEFIT to importing third-world trash into this country.

yeah, since your buddy the gov of cali is a natural u.s. citizen.

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind98/access/c3/c3s4.htm
"In April 1993, 23.0 percent of individuals holding science and engineering doctorates in the United States were foreign-born."

nope, no benefit at all.

http://www.medalofhonor.com/Immigrants.htm
well hey, look at that.

obviously, you, sir, are correct in your statements.

[Wicked Jester]

The two examples you have cited are old one from 1993 and one from Vietnam. Are you attempting to tell us that the people walking through the desert and jumping the border illegally are Medal Of Honor winning doctors?

[EatSoap]

no, i'm saying that there is nothing wrong with a little immigration. xenophobia never got anyone anywhere. well, at least nowhere good. just because some of them happen to be illegal doesnt make every single one of them bad. there is absolutly no reason what so ever to completely close our borders.

[HOKIEHUNTER]

spoken latin was a little different then written latin. kinda like slang vs formal english. i love latin. took it 5 years but cant really come close to speaking it. all the different endings and cases really confuse me when i go to talk. i have to think about it to translate, haha so while latin is cool, i couldn't deal with it as a spoken lang.


just because some of them happen to be illegal doesnt make every single one of them bad
you know what, you're right. being an immigrant alone doesn't make them bad. I bet if you looked at the top immigrants who have improved the general quality of life in america, each and everyone of them spoke english. one of my professors this past semester was an immigrant from China and he's probably the best professor i've ever had. he spoke with an extremely heavy chinese accent but instead of forcing all of us to get over it and try to decipher what he said he joked around about his accent and told us to give him a hard time if we couldn't understand him. have any of you ever had a B-2 bomber fly over? this man is the reason they are so quiet.

so basically eatsoap, your examples don't help your case out. immigrants who come over and mesh with american society (at least in public) have made this country great, immigrants, legal or not, who come over and refuse to join the american society offer america nothing and are making america a more divided nation. Diversity is great only when different people COME TOGETHER to form ONE great society.

[Argonath]

Every child in this country should take Latin in elementary school, its just damn good for your vocabulary...and what's more entertaining than listening to 5 year olds recite "We who are about to die, salute you!" in its original tongue? nothing, thats what!


My dad took Latin and Greek when he was studying the Bible (ironically enough, he's somewhat Pagan/Buddhist now. He's kinda confused, as you can tell), and he wound up doing the best in the SAT in the English part. His knowlegde helped him know Latin roots and such, so it really does helped. I'm with you on this one, we should teach it in school. For one thing, the kids who already speak Spanish don't have to take the class while I have to fail it then retake it over summer, so this should spit them very well. Second, it will help in the developement of the child's use of English because they know more about its roots in Latin. Latin kicks ass!

[EatSoap]

HOKIEHUNTER -- ok

[rightwingxtremist]

I would start with an iron-clad moratorium on immigration. Period.

Greetings,

Very thought provoking indeed. Is there a "right-to-immigrate" for people outside of this country. Do we have to let massive numbers of people into this country?

We could boot all of the illegals out of the country and replace them with legally-immigrated 20 to 30-year old women of various origins. (C:

At any rate, it isn't so much enforcement of an official language, particularly to the elimination of all others, it is rather a recognition of what language we use to officially communicate, and conduct business, and call for help.

- Nate

[Bumblebee]

All these problems could be easier solved if we all spoke Latin. It would easier for immigrants to pick up (especially since Spanish is derived from Latin), and it sounds pretty. The first Bibles were written in Latin, and if Latin is good enough to go in a Bible, it's good enough to go on a billboard!

Overhaul American society! Everybody speak Latin!
Latin was a universal language. At one time I read somewhere about learning a universal language, but according to this link I put up, it's an old idea, as old as the Biblical story of Babel. Read this for both in more detail:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_language