Quote:
Originally Posted by satv365
I would have no problem with making English some form of official language. However, I would not accept it, without adding some protections to indigenous and minority languages.
The Amerindian Languages, Pennsylvannia Dutch, Creole variants, etc...
I mean, shit. I don't want to turn America into Nationalist France and commit Linguicide on every language that is not french. France is trying to wipe out Occitan, Basque, Breton, Galo, and such.
Far be it from me to want to see America's diversity disappear, even if that diversity is linguistic.
|
By making it "official", I mean solely in terms of Gov't interaction with the People. If every American wants to speak their own homemade language, so be it. As long as they don't appear in court demanding a translator at my expense; as long as they don't require welfare application forms be printed in 87 different languages at my expense. Privately, I have no problem with anyone speaking anything they like; if there's a market for McDonald's menus in Swahili, then by all means print 'em. If there's a streetcorner gossip fest going on in Mandarin, cool...my loss.
It's the government financing of those who refuse to learn the prevailing language that costs me money; in the private sector, it isn't mandatory and has no unavoidable costs to me or any other taxpayer.