“Why Aren’t You Speaking English?”

has anyone asked why aren't we speaking siouan or algonquian or mahican ?

reply to post by hotbakedtater


Did you really just say there isn't a national language in america? ENGLISH pal, is our national language! And if you come here to sponge off our system, which is overdue for a major immigration over haul, at least learn the language. Immigrants are bleeding this already flailing economy dry and to speak spanish in an american hearing when you know english is just him making a mockery of the proceedings. I'm tired of having to press 1 for english 2 for spanish! Last time I checked I was in the good ole USA which is an english speaking country. No habla espanol! Anyone trying to obtain citizenship should be required to speak fluent english. As should be the case in all countries, imo.

reply to post by imawlinn


I wonder what would have happened if the laws you want to implement now would have been the same when your relatives first immigrated to the U.S... I wonder if they spoke "fluent English correctly all the time" right off the boat and even after 20+ years of living in the U.S... Perhaps they should have been booted from the country for not speaking English correctly...

reply to post by imawlinn

I'm tired of having to press 1 for english 2 for spanish!

Immigrants aren't the ones setting up those phone options.

Originally posted by ipsedixit
Listen up America, to a message from a bilingual country.

Bilingualism is trouble, political trouble that will threaten the unity of your nation.

Canadians know all about this.

The Canadian situation is different from that of the United States.

French speaking people in Canada have a far more legitmate right to insist on their language in this country than Spanish speakers have in the United States. Canada is a legislated bilingual country.

Don't get me wrong. I am not anti latino, anti Mexican or anti Spanish and certainly not anti French. I've spent a long time learning the French language and love French culture and have travelled in France and to a lesser degree in Québec.

This is about politics. Bilingualism is the thin edge of the wedge of serious political trouble for the United States if allowed to become established in segments of your country like Florida or California.

Spanish isn't going to cause the country to fall apart...
There are far more critical issues that are already doing that. The fact that we've become one the biggest debtor nations in the world and that our only solution at the time is to print more dollars, thus devaluing our currency. Now that could be a major contributing factor in the downfall of the nation....Oh wait, but since the true subject at hand would be the monolinguals shared contempt for American bilinguals; I'm certain people will somehow manage to warp reality in their minds and blame it all on Spanish speaking immigrants...Predictable. What may actually be happening here is the unveiling trend between monolinguals and the the likelihood that they will harbor xenophobic sentiment.

Don't get me wrong...I happen to agree that entitlement is BS...but, that doesn't change the fact that America is not what Americans think it is. It's more like the United States of Corporate America.
Let them live in their delusion...Nothing will change.

Oh and BTW, I have to wonder WHO FIRST DISCOVERED THE U.S. BEFORE ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLE DECIDED TO TAKE IT OVER?... OR maybe we should be speaking Cheyenne, or some other Native American language instead...

Perhaps as an apology to Native Americans we should be making the most used Native American language in the U.S. it's native language and ALL people in the U.S. should be made to learn it... I want to see all the "gringos" in a similar situation and see how well they learn a language as adults...

reply to post by laiguana


I agree completely with you, I would give you more stars if I could.

Notice the trend on how "gringos" will continue to try to blame bilingual immigrants for all the troubles in the U.S., or they would simply shift their anger to non-English natives. The same thing has happened throughout the history of mankind. Instead of concentrating on the real problems a large percentage of the population want to shift their anger towards other fellow Americans, in this case hispanics.

BTW, don't get me wrong I am against illegal immigration, but there is a fine line between illegal immigration and simply being racist, or "a closet racist."

I wish I could star and flag this article a million times. I'm so glad the Texas representative said what he said. My wife is an immigrant (LEGAL), and I'm sick of the ILLEGAL immigrants thinking they can come here and have everyone bow down to them. America is a MELTING POT! Come here, legally, and MELT into OUR culture. If your country is so jacked up that you are fleeing it to come here, the least you could do is NOT bring that jacked up culture with you!!!

1) Come here legally.
2) Learn OUR language.
3) Melt into OUR culture.
4) Welcome to the United States!

If you don't follow those 4 simple things, then stay the hell out. Period!

You americans voted for this,you accept this,you have have continualy taken this laying down,its their human rights that you have too pay for this,do you understand,you need to demand action,keep demanding that you be heard,gd luck americans

Well, and you wonder why people call immigrants lazy. The sheer example is right here. If you're going to live your life in a foreign country, it seems only common sense to learn the damn language the country speaks. I'm on the Senator's side on this one.

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3


I see... Have you looked at a U.S. map recently?... Have you TRIED to look up the history of the names of many of the states of this nation such as Florida, Arizona, California, etc?... Do you have ANY idea on the origin of those names?... There are also cities, and or States with Native American names, French, and others, and they ALL are part of different cultures which contributed to the building of this nation.

This is a nation where immigrants from ALL OVER the world came over, and many are still coming to the U.S. The U.S. is a melting pot of different cultures which have existed in this country SINCE IT'S FOUNDATION, and even BEFORE it was founded...

To ask for only YOUR CULTURE to be part of this country is simply to be an ignorant racist.

reply to post by ElectricUniverse


did you even read his post?

two.

dont always have to accuse people of being ignorant racists, especially when you cant even comprehend what the authors point was.

Also introduced in the 107th Congress was this text from H.R. 3333:

The Government of the United States shall preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the United States of America. Unless specifically stated in applicable law, no person has a right, entitlement, or claim to have the Government of the United States or any of its officials or representatives act, communicate, perform or provide services, or provide materials in any language other than English. If exceptions are made, that does not create a legal entitlement to additional services in that language or any language other than English.

Source

Originally posted by Common Good

did you even read his post?

two.

dont always have to accuse people of being ignorant racists, especially when you cant even comprehend what the authors point was.

Yes I did. Did you read my responses?

I have lived in the U.S. since 1989, and I came here "legally" when I was 17 years old. Even though I can speak fluently in English I have a hispanic accent, and I know that many "gringos" don't understand me, some just make me repeat myself out of spite just for being hispanic, so I know the situation that this man was in.

If he is trying to make himself understood in a court of law he would make sure he will be understood, so what exactly did you want him to do if he is not able to speak English like you?...

reply to post by ElectricUniverse

Oh and BTW, I have to wonder WHO FIRST DISCOVERED THE U.S. BEFORE ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLE DECIDED TO TAKE IT OVER?

doesnt matter who discovered what what matters is what those people did when they got here.

they built one of the best most prosperous most successful countries in the world.


the total failure of mexico and other european countries what drove people to come to this country is to get away from the people who created the stupidity.

you take money out of the equation and no one will come here.

you take success out of the equation and no one will come here.

you take a persons future out of the equation and no one will come here.


pretty simple i dont know about most people but i dont want to live in a crap country and that is what america has been reduced to.

people think they are better than americans and still come here and dont bother to join the in crowd.

reply to post by HomerinNC


H.R. 3333 never became a law.

H.R. 3333: Declaration of Official Language Act of 2001

reply to post by HomerinNC


Makes you wonder why most, if not all official language statutes in the U.S. have been passed since the 1970s, and not before...

Originally posted by neo96
doesnt matter who discovered what what matters is what those people did when they got here.

they built one of the best most prosperous most successful countries in the world.

That's what the Italian told the Roman from your post a couple pages back.

Good to see your accepting the changes in the world.

reply to post by daskakik


accepting stupidity? i dont think so.

second doesnt accept it either

Originally posted by ElectricUniverse

Originally posted by Common Good

did you even read his post?

two.

dont always have to accuse people of being ignorant racists, especially when you cant even comprehend what the authors point was.

Yes I did. Did you read my responses?

I have lived in the U.S. since 1989, and I came here "legally" when I was 17 years old. Even though I can speak fluently in English I have a hispanic accent, and I know that many "gringos" don't understand me, some just make me repeat myself out of spite just for being hispanic, so I know the situation that this man was in.

If he is trying to make himself understood in a court of law he would make sure he will be understood, so what exactly did you want him to do if he is not able to speak English like you?...

edit on 18-6-2011 by ElectricUniverse because: (no reason given)

I read your response, and I still think you are missing his point.

I dont know, I watched the video again just now, and it seems to me that the guys English is good enough to understand, at least he is trying to learn.
But the fact that he threw that to the side was his downfall.
He should have been prideful of his new language and the fact that he is able to address this Senator.
Not to mention the fact that the whole reason he is up there in the first place is over immigration.

You dont win people over by showing disrespect to the very people who control the outcome.

Oh and this-
"gringos" don't understand me, some just make me repeat myself out of spite just for being hispanic"
I find laughable and disturbing at the same time.