“Why Aren’t You Speaking English?”

[roo_ster]

http://www.ktrh.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=121300&article=8719378

Illegal immigrants' rights agitator testifies before Texas State Senate hearing against a bill aimed at pushing back at illegal alien sanctuary cities.  He speaks in Spanish and has an interpreter.  When he mentions being in America since 1988, one of the state senators asks him, "Why aren't you speaking English?"

[squish]Aw, give him a break.  He's only been here 23 years, hardly enough time to learn the language and assimilate.[/squish]

If you can find enough time to start up an organization and lobby the gov't in favor of illegal aliens, you can learn the damned language, ahole.

[P5 Guy]

What language is the Constitution written in?
The Founding Fathers could have used any language, but they picked the English of the late 18th century. They could have used Latin, German, French but no they used English.
Anybody remember their Bible class about the Tower of Babel?

[longeyes]

This is a nation built on law, and our laws and seminal documents are written in English.  Our legal and moral lives turn on the nuances of language, the English language.  That should be blatantly obvious to everyone.  But of course this is not really about our nation at all, it is about creating a new America, isn't it?

[CNYCacher]

He speaks perfectly good english, as evidenced when he is made to go off-script.  At one point he tries to explain in english that he prefers spanish, checks himself, and switches back to spanish.

Am I the only one who thought he didn't even sound like a native spanish speaker?  I mean, I could understand what he was saying.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

I am ashamed of my state. The senator had the perfect (NSFW) response and never used it.

[Perd Hapley]

He speaks perfectly good english, as evidenced when he is made to go off-script.  At one point he tries to explain in english that he prefers spanish, checks himself, and switches back to spanish.

Am I the only one who thought he didn't even sound like a native spanish speaker?  I mean, I could understand what he was saying.

From what little English he spoke, yes, he seemed at least as good with English as Spanish. The Spanish seemed a little halting.

[RevDisk]

*blink*

Uhm.  What message are they trying to send by addressing elected officials in Spanish?   One would think their PR people would want someone that spoke perfect English, had a story of being a productive member of society, etc etc. 

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

*blink*

Uhm.  What message are they trying to send by addressing elected officials in Spanish?   One would think their PR people would want someone that spoke perfect English, had a story of being a productive member of society, etc etc. 

If his English is so good as others have said (I didn't listen to the video) then it's obvious that this, like much of politics, is theater - theater for Spanish speakers. He probably has political or community-organizing ambitions.

[De Selby]

What's the big deal?  Our freedoms do not depend on forcing people to speak english.  Nor do they depend on actually speaking english.

Indeed, calls for english only would seem to threaten our freedoms more than having someone speak it to parliament.

[TommyGunn]

What's the big deal?  Our freedoms do not depend on forcing people to speak english.  Nor do they depend on actually speaking english.

Indeed, calls for english only would seem to threaten our freedoms more than having someone speak it to parliament.

We don't have a parliament.  The big deal is that we understand each other.
I never understand this attitude.  If you go live in France you will learn to speak French, or you will likely be shunned.  And I have heard the Germans will treat you this way too. 
If you wish to live in  another country you will probably be much better off learning to speak the native language.

Why is it only in America can you expect that people from other countries should be able to live here and speak their native language, and we should have to accomadate them?

[Perd Hapley]

What's the big deal?  Our freedoms do not depend on forcing people to speak english.  Nor do they depend on actually speaking english.

They weren't trying to force the man to speak English, but then they weren't forcing him to speak to the Texas Senate, either. For that matter, who "forced" him to move to a place where he couldn't be bothered to learn the language in 23 years?

You're right, he doesn't have to speak English. Other options include not speaking and/or immigrating to someplace where the political climate is more to his liking.

[De Selby]

We don't have a parliament.  The big deal is that we understand each other.
I never understand this attitude.  If you go live in France you will learn to speak French, or you will likely be shunned.  And I have heard the Germans will treat you this way too. 
If you wish to live in  another country you will probably be much better off learning to speak the native language.

Why is it only in America can you expect that people from other countries should be able to live here and speak their native language, and we should have to accomadate them?

Well, for one thing, the native language is spanish in at least one American territory.

For another, living in a place where people aren't shunned for speaking their own language is a good thing.  Why would you want to copy France and Germany on personal freedoms???

[Waitone]

He wasn't interested in communicating with elected officials, just as elected officials weren't interested in listening.  The speaker was playing to his peanut gallery building his street cred for whatever reason.  EO's would have stopped him immediately because a translator is a poor substitute for speaking a common language.  No, both sides were playing political theatre.

[MechAg94]

Honestly for me, I would rather see an immigrant struggle to say the right words in English with a translator helping him select the right words than here him rattle off some other language.  That would at least show he is trying.  This guy speaks perfectly good English, IMO, he should have used it.  As said above, using a translator is just theater.  Showing that he learned the language and intends to use it would get him more respect from me.

My great grandparents spoke German around the house even though they were at least 3rd or 4th generation US citizens.  However, they understood that English is the common language in this country and used it outside the home.

[Ben]

Well, for one thing, the native language is spanish in at least one American territory.

That would be Spanish, from Spain. Versus say, Chumash or Navajo. If the Chinese overrun us, in a couple of hundred years the national language may very well be Chinese. To the victor belong the spoils.

I grew up in a non-English speaking household. That would be household. When out in public, unless surrounded 100% by people who spoke my parents native tongue, my sister and I were to speak English, the language of the country my parents were thankful to make it to, or get a thwack behind the ear for our rudeness.

[CNYCacher]

Well, for one thing, the native language is spanish in at least one American territory.

For another, living in a place where people aren't shunned for speaking their own language is a good thing.  Why would you want to copy France and Germany on personal freedoms???

The guy speaks perfectly fine English.  In fact it almost seemed his English was better than his Spanish, because his Spanish sounded like an American high school student fumbling through a Spanish reading test.  He chose to speak Spanish to be theatrical.

[longeyes]

Well, for one thing, the native language is spanish in at least one American territory.

For another, living in a place where people aren't shunned for speaking their own language is a good thing.  Why would you want to copy France and Germany on personal freedoms???

This is not about banning the use of languages other than English or discouraging multilingualism, it is about recognizing the primacy of English in official and commercial discourse.  If you want national unity you're going to need a common coin in language.

[TommyGunn]

Well, for one thing, the native language is spanish in at least one American territory.

For another, living in a place where people aren't shunned for speaking their own language is a good thing.  Why would you want to copy France and Germany on personal freedoms???

The "native" language in most of those SW areas is probably Apache, or some other Indian dialect, not Spanish.
I'm not trying to "copy" any European country, I am simply pointing out what I was pointing out, nothing more.
If you go into an American government building to address the representatives there, I think it would be nice to address them in the language in which they conduct business, which in the case of America, is English. 

[KD5NRH]

Well, for one thing, the native language is spanish in at least one American territory.

The native languages of Mexico include Maya and Aztec, among others.  The native language of Puerto Rico is Taino.

[P5 Guy]

I grew up in a non-English speaking household. That would be household. When out in public, unless surrounded 100% by people who spoke my parents native tongue, my sister and I were to speak English, the language of the country my parents were thankful to make it to, or get a thwack behind the ear for our rudeness.


That's why I was never taught to speak Polish. My Polish Great GrandMa would say "We live in America now we speak American" with a very thick accent. Should I feel cheated?

[White Horseradish]

I figure it's easier to let go of a language you don't want than to learn it later. My kids speak fairly decent Russian. They also have been aware of who is and is not a Russian speaker since they learned to talk and use language appropriate to the company at the moment. Given that they had this skill down pat by the age of four, I see no reason why a grown man can't learn to do the same over the course of 23 years.

[Lee]

Illegal immigrants' rights

Hmmm....think I read far enough. Aren't those referred to as Miranda ?

[roo_ster]

Hmmm....think I read far enough. Aren't those referred to as Miranda ?

[Lee]

Ha love the boot.  My grandparents legally migrated from Georgia to Akron Ohio to work in the rubber industry.

[gunsmith]

I've met a lot of English people, they talk funny. They even call Z zed!

Seriously though-the laws are written in English ( even though we need to hire lawyers to explain what they say) that should be sufficient enough  reason for everyone except for those who simply like screwing everything up.