English IS the official language of the U.S. and always has been!?
"We have room for but ONE flag, the American flag...we have room for but ONE language here, and that is the English language...we have room for but ONE sole loyalty, and that is a loyalty to the American people".Theodore Roosevelt, 1907
This cool video explains it well...all our ancestors who immigrated to this land, had to learn English...so why do we have to press one for English?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sejfs1v-f...
Answer:
While many of these people on here are correct and English is not our "Official" language, it is the one which was commonly spoken in public throughout the history of this country.
It is perfectly acceptable to speak your ethnic language at home or among your friends who share it.
While in public or doing business we should all speak the same language as we are supposedly of the same nation.
People legally immagrate here to join our society; that means assimilation in all aspects. If you wish to do business then do it in the accepted language.
The phone answering message should be: "If you can not speak English, please hang up and call back when you can."
So many people say we are wrong for demanding people learn our language when they come to our country. I guess they are missing the point;"OUR COUNTRY," you are welcome here if you come legally, but don't impose your culture, language, or heritage on us. If those things are so great and you value them so much, stay home and enjoy them.
This is ONE country, ONE flag, and regardless of race, ONE nation, if you can't accept or understand that then you don't belong here.
If your first loyalty is not to America but rather than to your country of origin, then you belong there not here.
When some people claim that illegals need to come here for a better life they are weak fools defending weak criminals. Stay and improve your own country, don't come and try to make ours just like the one you left. If you try to claim it is too hard, you have no power then you are afraid and weak and we don't want you. Most of us on here are not in politics but we made a difference when we defeated the Shamnesty, and our ancestors didn't like the way the Government ruled so they revolted and formed a new nation, you can do the same thing in your home country, leave ours alone.
And many who make threats against our people or the stability of our country, work to aid these criminals, attempt to change the laws to help these criminals need to remember that Americans only take so much pushing before they push back, and when we push back we push hard.
Please press one to defend your country, press two to lay down and give up your country.
Why do Americans have such a "thing" about learning other languages??
As an American myself and a resident of one of the most highly educated nations on the planet, why is it so hard for americans to learn and be fluent in more than one language, as most of the rest of the world is?
How backward is it to insist that everyone be exactly the same, and how much of a jerk do you have to be not to want to accommodate other people?
If they want a decent job, they'll learn english. Its the business language of the world... but its ridiculous to assume that English is easy to learn, or that they don't have anything better to do.
Why don't you move do a different country, and try to get by even six months without speaking a word of their language initially?
Haha, what happens when you want to travel? I bet you'll just decide to go to English-speaking hotels and restaurants, yet you complain we facilitate multiple languages. How hypocritical.
Nothing matters when you don't have neither the will nor the means to enforce it.
We are your karma.
I agrre with um kim ion
hey not to be mean but the us has no official language miss I'm a Hispanic and i will always have to flags and also the us has many flags the 13-50 and soon to be 51 stars will be made and the us was born because immigrants came to this country to find the "American dream" and if it was int for the immigrants that came there would be no America so there for there is know official American ether
the US has no official language but we should and it should be English!
Liberalism started taking things too far and destroying the fabric of America. While the other side sold their souls for stock options.
Um mm, you just have to push a button on a phone. I know it sounds hard but it really isn't..trust me.
you have to press one for english because that is the language you speak.
omg! im american/german i have room for 2 flags in my life and 2 languages people can be other than american little do you knoe AMERICA is a mutt of differnt countrys!
Wow, you sound like the Govenator Arnold.
Should I turn off my Spanish TV now??
English is not the official language of the US the US doesn't have an official language but I think they should make English the official language.
I agree wholeheartedly. If I moved to a country that did not have English as it's official language, I would learn the language of that country. I wouldn't sit on my *** waiting for them to learn English. All have to say is "Learn English or go the he** back to wherever you came from!!" English IS the official language of the United States of America and I'm a damn proud American!!!
Do you know what multiculturalism means?
http://m-w.com/dictionary/multiculturali...
Knowing an obscure Teddy Roosevelt quote and knowing US domestic policy are 2 different things my AMIGO!
The US has never had an official language. Since immigrants from England took over the country from the Native Americans, English has been the default primary language. However it has not ever been made the official language of the country.
Why do you not know your American public policy?
If I am not mistaken, we do not have an official language in the U.S. I do believe that everyone should learn English, if you reside in the country. Conversely every American should be required to study another language to proficiency before graduating high school.
It is not the official language because it has never been officially made the official language. Just because someone who is President has said something should be does not make it so. It is the common language. You do have to be able to take the citizenship test in English to become a citizen.
There is not need to make English the official language. I can't figure out when Americans began to think that speaking a second language was such a terrible thing? The rest of the world considers it an important skill.
Let's deal with actual important issues and leave the silly symbolic ones with xenophobic over tones alone.
IT IS THE MAIN SPOKEN LANGUAGE .
our ancestors learned english because they came legally and had too, now even the legal immigrants arent made to learn english, and interpreters are provided though INS for testing and everything.
Great song though makes perfect sense. about time someone said it. :)
The American people knows their history, it is those hater of America as well as those running this country who doesn't.
Today I called and paid my AT&T bill. I did not have to press 1 for English anymore, somebody's listening.
FYI-If you are an American citizen you are American folks.
Sí, señorita.
Is it that horrible to press one for English? America was made great by embracing diversity, not extinguishing it.
Seriously, pushing a button. Is it that hard? Are we that lazy or intolerant, that we can't make life a little easier for another human being? Just because they speak a different language doesn't mean they are sub-human and undeserving of a little courtesy that might make their life a little easier.
English is NOT the official language of the US. There is NO official language.
Most members of the US government couldn't write a 1000-word essay in proper English if their life depended on it.
And if there *were* an official US language, shouldn't it be an *american* language like Iriquois or Souix instead of a European language like English?
Our founding fathers, Deists most of them, rather than Christians, and financed by Jews, demanded freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press as essential underpinnings of our government, which is why those are included in the First Amendment.
All our ancesters who immigrated to this land did NOT have to learn English. A fair number of them were from England in the first place, but most of the adults to emigrated settled in small communities with others from the same countries, where they could continue to speak the language of their childhood. It was only their children, and in some cases, their grandchildren, who learned English in the free public schools.
There is a wonderful little country in Europe, who has never been in any conflicts or wars, has one the highest standards and quality of life, one of the most educated, has a TRUE democracy, and has a wonderful mix of cultures.Its called Switzerland.They have three official languages, French, German and Italian, because they share these BORDERS with these countries.They are not hung up on one official language, they have a very peaceful society, we could learn a thing or two about this country.
like mccain put it, there are native americans in this country that speak their language in america, so is english really the official language everywhere? And keep in mind, people were speaking spanish in most parts of the united states longer than english. its not a big deal, but all it is rhetoric.
Wrong Again !! English is the De Facto language of the United States ,Not the official language ,28 states have passed English only laws for their states that are being challenged in Court, Louisana uses French and English, New Mexico law states English and Spanish, Hawaii, Hawaiian and English and Puerto Rico Spanish.
100 % agree with You EM. By the way the mexican flag is so ugly.
Theodore Roosevelt indeed wrote these words, but not in 1907 while he was still President of the United States. The passages were culled from a letter he wrote to the president of the American Defense Society on January 3, 1919, three days before Roosevelt died. in a time where racism was still strong and the U.S was losing it's place as the industrial market place of the world. we had what others wanted and were just starting to loosen our monopoly. now a days the I.T sector is taking over and transcontinental comers is the second best thing. also their are still a lot of spics left over from the Spanish American war, the Louisiana perches, and the ones who came for the gold rush, and the supreme court would most likely consider it unconditional to make a law that said the only language that can be spoken is English
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