Thread: English not over-run by other foreign languages

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English not over-run by other foreign languages
Thursday, 21 September 2006
by HEATHER SANDERS
News Reporter

I speak English.

Maybe that’s not the biggest revelation of the century, or even of the day, but according to the 2000 U.S. Census, only 18 percent of people older than 5 speak a language other than English at home.

Run for your shotguns. The Mexicans are taking over.

All sarcasm aside, that seems to be the implication when the House of Representative’s Subcommittee on Education Reform holds a hearing on “Examining Views on English as the Official Language.”

To be fair, the subcommittee, part of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, brought witnesses in from both sides of the debate.

Luckily, I got to sit in on the hearing.

While I was there, I came to the same conclusion as Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
What’s the point?

When 92 percent of our population already speaks English, what’s the point in making it our official language?

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR is a private, nonprofit organization that helps reduce poverty and discrimination for our nation’s Hispanic population.

Raul Gonzalez, legislative director at NCLR, said English should not be the official language.

First of all, less than 1 percent of government documents are printed in a language other than English.

I don’t think we’re being infiltrated by Latin America.

Secondly, Gonzalez cited the 2000 Census, where 92 percent of Americans have no problem speaking English.

Most of those who do speak another language at home (that whole 18 percent) say they speak English “very well.”

Gonzalez also cited a report by the Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research at Albany. For more than a century, there has been a pattern of bilingualism in the children of immigrants.

John Trasvina, interim president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund agrees.

Trasvina said there is an overwhelming stereotype that immigrants, especially those from Latin America, do not want to learn English.

However, he said according to the Pew Hispanic Center, 92 percent of Hispanics believe learning English is very important.

When those of us born in America speak English and immigrants are learning the language, what is the point in making it official?

America has always been a melting pot of races and cultures.

According to the 2000 Census, there are 380 single languages or language families in the United States.

Yet the majority of us still speak English.

No, the Mexicans are not taking over. What they, and other immigrants, are trying to do is learn our language.

The real issue is the lack of funding for English as a second language.

A bill in the House, H.R. 5647, would freeze the Language Acquisition Program at $669 million.

This program helps hire and train bilingual teachers, provides English language instruction, and raises the academic skills of about 5 million students who need to learn English, according to a House report.

This program is crucial for 15 states, including North Carolina, where the population of English learners has tripled since 1993.

However, funding for ESL has been cut or frozen for the past four years, according to the report. In the 2005 fiscal year, the program has been cut by $47 million.

No wonder we’re all hearing more Spanish at the grocery store.

Quote all the studies you want but people out in the real world know better. We live it and the percentage of people not speaking English is alot higher than this so called study implies.

Perhaps someone in N. C. can still write an article like this but she is too sheltered or hasn't ever been to areas of border states. Some people cannot get a job unless they are bilingual out here. Has she seen the Mexican flag in N. C.? She needs to take a trip to the Southwest.

I feel we HAVE to make English the official language so our own citizens aren't denied employment or have this useless Bi-lingual crap going on in the schools. Not to mention so we don't have to go through this with every wave of new immigrants that refuses to assimilate.

Trasvina said there is an overwhelming stereotype that immigrants, especially those from Latin America, do not want to learn English.

That's right! I've seen and known latins who have been here for 30 years and still don't know English. Just look down Flagler Street in Miami, they're all over the place.
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NCLR is a private, nonprofit organization that helps reduce poverty and discrimination for our nation’s Hispanic population.

Of course they are. Did you know that choosy mothers choose JIF? Or that 4 out of 5 dentist recommend Crest?

When 92 percent of our population already speaks English, what’s the point in making it our official language?

Uh Huh, I believe in Fairy Tales too!

I don't know what the REAL percentages are but is she suggesting we should wait until it is less then 50%? How about less then 40% maybe 30%?

Raul Gonzalez, legislative director at NCLR, said English should not be the official language.

First of all, less than 1 percent of government documents are printed in a language other than English.

I don’t think we’re being infiltrated by Latin America.

So said the wolf to the sheep...

Trasvina said there is an overwhelming stereotype that immigrants, especially those from Latin America, do not want to learn English.

However, he said according to the Pew Hispanic Center, 92 percent of Hispanics believe learning English is very important.

Yep, Fairy Tales...

The number of Hispanic radio stations in the United States grew from 645 in 2003 to 839 this year, according to Arbitron.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/my ... 476331.htm


In five years, the number of local Hispanic TV stations in the U.S. grew by 56% from 87 stations to 151.

http://www.thenewsmarket.com/HelpCenter ... ug2005.inc