Are We An English-Speaking Country......or Not?

Not really. We seem to speak a variety of languages.

 

These are Middle School kids. They are still monitored at recess, lunch breaks, etc. IF two get into a verbal fight in Spanish, how is the English-speaking teacher supposed to resolve it? I didn't see any place where she said they'd be punished....or their grades reduced.....or any other kind of punishment would be dealt. It sounds to me like she was wanting them to speak English all day long as a learning experience. Is it too much to ask....ASK.....that they speak English for 8 hrs at school for 5 days a week? Especially considering they are likely speaking Spanish the rest of the time.... at home, mornings, evenings, and week-ends? 7 hrs each day for 5 days is only 35 hrs a week. 35 hours out of a total of 168 total hrs in a week really too much to ask? Especially if you want them to learn English?

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But what's the MAIN language?

 

Some which are even claimed to be English

 

so free speech only counts if you speak English? I can see requiring it in class, but around campus on their own free time, people can speak however they want

they can speak in tongues in their own free time for all I care

.

 

Beats me. How have they solved it up to now?

 

I never claimed there was legislation.

Look. Our public schools are American....funded by American taxpayers. English has always been our language of choice....since it began. Our Founding Fathers spoke in English, wrote our Constitution and Declaration of Independence in English. Now....if you have some PROOF that another language is PRIMARY here in the U.S. of America, that I am unaware of..........please provide proof. Otherwise, I assume you're just arguing for argument sakes, perhaps??

 

Again. She asked them to speak English on campus. She did NOT say....you'll be punished, sent to the Principal's office, lowered a letter grade or any other sort of punishment.

 

...or Kenya.

 

Then you can not say the US is an English speaking country. It is a country where English is prefered, but not legally required

20% of Americans have a second language. And as I pointed out before there are some parts of America where the English used is almost unrecognizable to the mother tongue. But thats okay because English is a bastard language anyway. Even the word English is actually German

 

Nope.
Not any more.

 

Heck.....even PF is English Only if you review the rules of PF....Rule #1 is this:

RULES:

1. ENGLISH IS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THIS WEBSITE

We warmly welcome members from all over the world, and value their insights and perspectives. And, we understand that communicating in English can be difficult for people who did not grow up speaking the language. Nevertheless, we ask that people post their public messages in English so that everyone can understand them, and that material linked on Youtube or other websites also be in English.

 

I actually agree with the cons on this issue.

English should be made the primary language in this country due to heritage / founding. I don't really give a damn what you speak at home that is your right.. at least respect the history and know how to speak english.

 

I agree that people who live here should learn to speak English simply because I really doubt if I moved to Mexico City that they would learn English to accomodate me. Also you are going to just go farther in this country knowing English.

That said I do not agree with this principle requiring student to use only English outside of the classroom. Seems like an overreach of authority.

 

You think 7 hrs a day....minus lunch, recesses, and change of class times....which probably ends up being 6 hrs a day if that....is plenty of time to devote towards English only? I don't see how they are really going to learn it and thrive by falling back on their native language.....which will get them nowhere here. Why do you think Hispanics consistently score lower on testing, etc. It's the language barrier.

 

Actually its roots are from Latin.

So is the word idiot.

You should look into that last one. It means uneducated or ignorant.

 

Might have a Latin root - but the word is French 'bille' dates from around the time the Normans invaded England. But you would know that, not being uneducated or ignorant or anything like that

 

Bille?

That isn't how we spell it.

Bill must be the ENGLISH version.

 

My point is that English has a huge amount of borrowed words - to claim purity of the English language should reflect a certain cultural position is stupid.

 

They are humans. Just like you.

I bet you don't mind them dying in war situations so that you can stay alive.

 

Sorry but you cannot tell people to only speak one language. What is this Quebec?

 

I would believe you, if you loved your own kind as much as you love them.

but it seems like white liberals spend most of their time thinking about ways to stick their fingers in the eye of white conservatives.

So I don't buy your kumbaya line, and I'd bet 10,000$ if mexico was full white people (non-hispanic white ugh) that you'd be at the border ready to help build an electric fence.


Of course if mexico was full of white folks we'd get about as many immigrants from there as we do canada.

 

Canadians aren't annoyed by hispanics or african americans. We are most annoyed by the natives and quebecois oh and conservatives.

 

As a liberal do you get a sick feeling when you type the word "heritage"?

just put racist next to it if you do.

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Probably because you don't have many of them.

live in Detroit for a week and you'll be done with blacks. Live in southern california and you'll be done with mexicans.

 

And now every language on earth borrows words from english.

Why? because english has 1,000,000 words. Most of any language. Sure some are borrowed, but instead of using that as an excuse to take a dump on the white man, just be proud you speak the most expressive language that has ever left a human's mouth.

 

So if I send a Private Message to a friend here, THAT has to be in English?

That is what this principle, and all of the complainers here, are saying.