Quote:
Originally Posted by Verencat
... my parents listen to tv in English, and they spoke English when they didn't want me to understand something when I was a kid, it drove me crazy, so I worked to change that state of things.
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That's funny. I had forgotten about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Donnageddon
When that happens, the US becomes much smaller. And very insignificant.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kazbates
I don't know about the language thing, but there will never be an official religion unless they change the Constitution and that would take an Act of Congress (which will never happen).
I lived in South Florida for 8 years. The language barrier can be very frustrating. My only thought would be that if I were moving to a foreign country where the majority speaks a particular language, I would make every attempt to learn that language. There are many people who move to the US who don't believe they should learn English. Whether it is the "official" language or not, it is the "unofficial" language of the country. I would prefer that my tax dollars not be spent to replace road signs, etc. in multiple languages. I wouldn't expect a non-English speaking country to replace their signs if I moved there.  |
Kaz, I think Don is right in some ways and that you are right that a single language should be used in the expression of legal and political communication and infrastructures in a given country.
Canada is a good example of a country with two official languages. So is Belgium, and Switzerland with 3 etc. It works. Slowly but it does. A single official language makes decisions move faster though.
Don is right about the openness of a place where any Earth dweller can feel at home. The US was such a dream for immigrants. Look at the E.U. for instance, countries are small so your neighbours are right next to you. The French learn some German, some Spanish, Flemmish etc. It is the only way of keeping an openness to the rest out there. If you go somewhere around the planet in lets say a country that despises the place you come from and you speak to someone in your language only, you will not be accepted and may be outright rejected. Learn the language before you go there and speak to the same person in his own tongue and you will be respected, always. It is a matter of respect, an apology to the culture, ways and traditions of that other. Respect calls for respect. This is the simplest of courtesy. You can not close yourself in so tightly since travel and internet have bridged the Island of America so completely with the rest of the world. We are linked, whatever inconvenience it may cause. Go with the flow. I do and I'm happy about it. Now I'd like to learn Spanish and Japanese and maybe Arabic...