Lets make English our official language......

[Obamarama]

That's what Jack Hoogendyk a tiny, little, dweebish, Resmuglican state rep from my area wants to do in Michigan.

LANSING (AP) - A West Michigan state lawmaker wants to make English the official language of Michigan.

Representative Jack Hoogendyk (R-Texas Township) says having an official language would be a unifying factor.

The lawmaker says his proposal is not meant to marginalize people of different backgrounds.

http://www.wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=wwmt&id=23411&template=breakout_local.html

His apparent stated reason for introducing this bill (I couldn't find a news article that stated this, but I heard it on several radio reports yesterday) is so the state wouldn't have to print official documents in different languages.

I beleive people living here should become proficient in English, but legislating an official language in an English-speaking country is a bit extreme, I think. Printing documents in one language that nearly 800,000 people wouldn't be able to read, and therefore not participate as citizens, is not marginalizing????

Of course, with another stroke of their Resmuglican pens, they are also cutting dollars that would help educate these people and help them become proficient in English.

It boggles the mind, these Resmuglicans.

[Canuckistanian]

1. English is the natural language of human beings, you know

These crazy immigrants with all their "different words" are deluded.

[marmar]

2. The west side of the state....

produces some of the nuttiest Reich Wing politicians in the country. Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint and Lansing really do keep the state blue.

[bryant69]

3. It's one of those things congressmen do

so they can put it on their resume. Like flag burning ammendments or laws. Looks good to the plebes back home and doesn't cost a congressperson anything.

Bryant
check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[genie_weenie]

4. Why does this boggle the mind?

India has English as one of it's two official langugues, Hindi being the other. English is the most spoken language in the world. This doesn't mean other languages should be destroyed, in fact it would be good if every American was at least bilingual. Communication being the best way to avoid cultural goofs.

And for much of America's early history immigrants forced their children to learn English, so they could participate as citizens.

English should be the official language of the US.

[marmar]

7. OK...

Should we make Spanish the official language of California, or at least co-official?

[BushOut06]

13. It practically is here in Florida

Spanish is everywhere in Florida, particularly Central and South Florida. But hell, it's never really bothered me one bit.

[EFerrari]

19. It already is, by treaty, co equal. n/t

[Obamarama]

8. That's sort of my point. English is sort of de facto our official language

It's a pointless bill, in other words. Instead of wasting time and money to push through a symbolic bill, why not draft a bill that keeps funding safe for English as a second language classes for immigrants. Check out this news story from The Detroit Free Press:

Immigrants fear end of adult education classes

Aza Camo and her family arrived in Hamtramck a decade ago with nothing but memories of a life destroyed by war in Sarajevo.

"We were really lost when we came here," said Camo, 48, a Muslim from what's now called Bosnia and Herzegovina. "I didn't speak a word of English."

Fortunately, Hamtramck Public Schools' adult education program offered free English classes and other instruction to help the family assimilate to America.

But now that opportunity is in danger.

The school board is expected to vote today to end those programs. That would mean adult education would no longer be offered starting with the 2006-07 school year.

The reason? Despite the help it has given thousands of immigrants, the program just costs too much, district officials say.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060208/NEWS02/602080301

[marmar]

9. Exactly, there's no need to slap some "official" label on it...

What immigrant doesn't know he or she needs to learn English to have a shot in this country? Hell, what foreign tourist doesn't know you need to know English to buy some bottled water? We're ignorant of other languages and proud of it.

:cry:

[Atman]

22. I've already made English my official muffin.

What more do you want?

[sasha031]

5. maybe for those of us sick of this shit

we should all learn to speak Pig Latin...:freak:

:tinfoilhat: at least it might confuse the NASA freaks when they are clicking away at our phones trying to pick up collect calls from Osama

[jbnow]

26. Atsthay atwhay Iay asway

inkingthay. Idskay ikelay itay. Iay useay otay ebay eryvay oficientpray anday issedpay offay eacherstay. Etrrebay okenspay anthay ittenwray oughthay.

[RB TexLa]

6. a unifying factor?

You are very correct about it being marginalizing. The GOP tries in many ways to make classes of citizens, and this one is the most appalling.

It goes to a basic belief that there is a dominate "class" here and everyone else either needs to become like them or serve them and separate themselves from them. Another was right after 9/11 all the GOP saying "we are all Americans, not this-Americans and that-Americans." What bullshit! I am an Irish-American, not an "American," I do not refer to myself as such and do not accept others referring to me as such.

[Bridget Burke]

20. We Irish-Americans have an unfair advantage in the language department.

Our immigrant ancestors came from a country that had already benefitted from centuries of exposure to English culture!

[RB TexLa]

39. good one

and are still benefiting from it.

[Dogmudgeon]

10. So much for Freedom of Speech

If language isn't speech, than I ought to just wrap it up and move back to Esperantoland.

Here's an idea: Why not teach kids English, AND Spanish, AND whatever other languages are spoken locally? In most parts of the world, people can't understand why Americans are so unnaturally monolingual.

It's only hard to learn a "foreign" language if there is no music in that language. You can learn a lot of French just listening to Françoise Hardy and Serge Gainsbourg records.

--p!

[UTUSN]

11. Sure sign of a moranic, self-isolating wingnut

Yip, we will mesh right in to those furrin cultures while we're trying to collect that nasty intelligence. Oh, or are we going to contract things like that out to--oh, I don't know-------HALLIBURTON?!

[rpgamerd00d]

12. I think all languages should be abandoned except one.

...but not by law.

Think about it.

The only reason that there ARE separate languages in the first place is because in history, people lived in separate, disparate tribes and developed their languages totally cut off from each other, so those languages came out totally different. Once civilizations grew to the point that they started to interact, instantly language began to merge. Etymologists have said many times that in the future, we WILL have just one language. The movie "Blade Runner" used this concept by having a "street" language that was a chaotic mixture of english, spanish, and chinese.

Anyway, the point of a language is to communicate. There is NO POINT in having different languages. There is no "culture" imbedded in a language, culture comes from traditions. Some argue language is part of it, but of course, I and many scholars disagree because someone can steep themselves into a different culture successfully without ever speaking the language so long as they have some other way to communicate (translator).

But again, I keep getting away from my own point, which is language is meant for communication. If you don't speak the same language, you can't communicate. Speaking differnent languages has no inherent value. And ultimately, according to etymologists, its a moot point, because we'll all be speaking one language in a few hundred years no matter what.

[EFerrari]

21. If you want to colonize a people, the first thing you do

is take their language away and their culture begins to fall apart.

That's a pretty strong counter example.

[ProfessorGAC]

24. That Hardly Worked Well For The British In India

And the Romans never insisted on purging the indigenous language of the co-opted peoples. That's two of the most imperial forces to ever exist.

Who's philosophy are you stating? Just wondering.
The Professor

[EFerrari]

27. That's what slave traders did. I think this is stolen from

Henry Louis Gates but would have to check.

Also -- in a different direction, Native America children were beaten at government schools for speaking their own language.

/g

[ProfessorGAC]

28. OK Thanks

As to the Native American children, the co-option had long since occurred. Their societies had already been destroyed, long before we tried to educate them in "our ways". While i believe your example, i think that's the opposite of what you were saying before.

The reason i ask, is that i have read that for both the British and Romans, they felt the way to expand and stabilize their empire was to allow the conquered/co-opted to be who they were. They didn't make the Britons stop any of their customs or quit using their language. They offered to accept the citizenry into the empire. They didn't have a choice, but they weren't shunned and forced to change. The Brits did the same in India. In those regions where they tried to force the Indian people to adopt British practices, they got the most resistance!

So, one would think the lesson of history is that forcing people to lose their ethnic customs and languages is the sure-fire way to get them to never adopt the new culture.
The Professor

[EFerrari]

32. That's interesting. My thinking was, both are examples

of having your language forcibly taken from you with consequences to your culture as a whole. Hmm.

I miss linguistic geekdom. :)

[EFerrari]

33. Wait! If the British and Roman experience generalizes, then

you've just made the case that the DLC really is more dangerous than the Thuggery, lol! And, the Thuggery will lose because they are nothing if not coersive!

Cool.

[ProfessorGAC]

34. Can't Say As I Have A Problem With Your Conclusion!

Amelioration has always been only a temporary lever to both peace and power. Conquest and thuggery the same.

The true source of social stability would appear to be somewhere in the middle. Assertive, but open. Inclusive but steadfast. The DLC'ers and the GOP are none of those.
The Professor

[Bridget Burke]

23. Quite a few people manage more than one language.

My two years of Latin in high school did help me in learning Spanish. Studying another language really does awaken those brain cells. Too bad that so few of take language classes when our brains are more flexible.

Your theory would, in fact, support making English the only language of the USA. Next, the world?

What other languages have you studied?

[EFerrari]

30. One of my Anthro teachers pointed out that there are words

that have no cognates in other languages. The example he used was "sympatico". I tried to find one -- cordial -- but couldn't, really. :)

[rpgamerd00d]

36. I know some Spanish, took 1 yr in HS, 1 hr in college

But my point is that as human beings, we can find beauty in anything. Many people love the beauty of language.

But from a practical standpoint, multiple languages are inefficient and counter-productive. One language is optimal.

[triguy46]

14. I'm all for that, I live in Oklahoma and would like to have

the locals speak english instead of the gibberish, gramattically void, word misusing practice in the place.

[stop the bleeding]

15. Someone better tell shrub cause his language is off the charts

[bleedingheart]

16. Mr. Hoogendyk is looking for busy work because he doesn't

want to deal with more important issues like the decimation of the auto industry in Michigan or perhaps the fact that in West Michigan, bank consolidations have screwed employees and even the furniture business is being sent overseas...

Yep...the time is right for an "english only" initiative in order to look busy enough.

[Justpat]

17. Yes, lets. Then GWB would have to learn it. n/t

[immoderate]

18. How about an official hot dog?

It would bring us together.

--IMM

[Bridget Burke]

25. The English Language is not in danger.

It's an important world language & people in the US know they need it to succeed here. Some of the older immigrants will not master English--but that's always been the case. Cheap or free ESL classes are quite popular. Why not fund some more?

Are the Public Schools teaching English well? And not simply to those who hear another language at home. Being raised in an all-English home is not a guarantee that you will master the language.

While we're at it, other languages should be taught earlier. As we age, learning language becomes harder--although it's still worthwhile.

[ProfessorGAC]

29. Yes It Is

I'm quite sure of it everytime i hear Silverspoon open his yapper.
The Professor

[trof]

31. "If it's good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for us."

I believe a c-span caller from Texas said this a while back.
When asked how it was that Jesus spoke English, she cited the King James version of the bible.
And she votes.
:-(

[Nederland]

35. Ask him this: "What are you, French?"

Just cause I know it will piss him off :)

For those that don't know, the French Constitution declares unambiguously that the language of France is French. They have language police that make sure public signage is correct, etc.

[Swamp Rat]

37. Oui

:D

[blindpig]

38. Ok, if English is the official language, and the President can't speak

proper English, is he still President?

Inquiring minds.......:P

[formerrepuke]

40. ...make it King James English, specifically.. just like Jesus spoke it.

[degreesofgray]

41. It should be the law

that the President can speak English competently.