It is also important to note that English is not the official language of the U.S. However, some states have passed laws declaring that English is the official language there.
I think that his statement does not truly reflect his beliefs towards Puerto Rico, but rather tries to appeal to the constituents with the mentality of "You're in America, speak English." I feel that this mentality discriminates, instead of unifies America in that minorities feel alienated for being unable to speak English.
Do you guys think English should be the official language of America?
5 comments:
Big loud no on my part. Sure it would make things easier if everyone was required to speak English or if English was the official language, but it goes against what Americas stands for if we force everyone to do it. If they learn it on their own, great, but this is something that the government really should stay out of. To me, this is similar to the recent issue about contraception in the sense that important political figures are advocating for government involvement in something that should be a personal choice. This whole thing is incredibly ironic in my opinion because I was under the impression that the Republicans wanted small government. Seems to me that they are advocating what they proclaim to hate so much (and then people believe them, which is astonishing to me). Pandering to a base or not, Santorum shouldn't have said what he did because it make him look ignorant of American culture (which in effect is practically every culture meshed into one). Though probably not that huge a thing in the long run, the only real result of his statement will be that he won't win Puerto Rico.
I'm going to disagree because I think that English should be the official language. Just look at the school system. Most high schools kids have to take 4 years of English as opposed to only a few years of a foreign language. This pretty much guarantees that everyone born in the US will know English. Also, the language barrier tends to be a big problem in America. If everyone knew English it would remove a lot of confusion that is caused by inability to communicate with non-English speakers. This happened in aviation where all airports around the world have adopted the use of English which made the system run smoother as a whole. In conclusion, English is one of the dominant languages of the world and should be the America’s national language.
I agree with Sam that English should remain the primary language in public and private schools. However, I do not think that it is necessary to declare a singular official language for the US. One of the defining characteristics of this country is that it is a melting pot of cultures and traditions that is constantly influenced by a steady stream of immigrants. Ignoring the large number of multilingual American citizens would demonstrate a lack of respect for this mix of cultures.
I think that English should be the main language of schools, but making English a sole official language seems to me like a violation of personal choice. I thought Santorum and other Republicans want a small government to stay out of people's lives (or was it a powerful government to cast surveillance on everyone? I'm not sure anymore).
About what Sam said about mandating English as a main language, there can be a difference between a national language and an official one. In the Philippines, English is still one of the official languages, but it is not the national language and is not as widely spoken as Pilipino, an official and national language. Maybe English and Spanish can have co-official status while Spanish remains the commonwealth/state/national language.
Without mandating that everyone speak English in Puerto Rico while still issuing legal documents in both languages, some subjects in school can be taught in English (math, science, English-language arts) and others in Spanish (Spanish-language arts, history/social studies, health, music/arts). Splitting a school day into two languages can help give students a command over both languages, breaking any language barrier with the mainland while maintaining the island's cultural identity.
And if Santorum somehow manages to become President and forces an English-only policy on a Puerto Rican state, Puerto Rico can call states rights and split the Republican base.
While I do agree with Sam that making English a primary language in America can make things run more smoothly, I completely agree with the other commenters. I really like Joseph's proposal, which would allow Puerto Rican students to have access to the best of both worlds. However, I am afraid that teaching the students Math and Science in English may become challenging for them to comprehend the topics. If I were taught Math and Science in Spanish, which I've been learning since Kindergarten, I would probably take longer/have a harder time to grasp the concepts.
Post a Comment