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[puckSR]

QUOTE

Whichever region you are in within that country, the street signs and laguage are all understood to be the language of the area.

Correct....but in many cases street signs and language are expected to be in multiple languages....
If you travel to Canada, in every region, all govt controlled documents are bi-lingual.....

Also, going back to examples...many countries are unofficially bilingual...
Especially when it comes to regional popularity of a language....

People living in louisianna may find it beneficial to speak french...
People living in New Mexico may find it beneficial to speak spanish
People living in California may find it beneficial to speak Chinese/Spanish....

Declaring an official language for the US or for each particular state would not be "helpful"...
Currently English is the official unofficial language of the US....
Alternative languages appear out of necessity, not by court order.....

QUOTE

In America, we have no "official" language, in any area. An official language being declared, be it English, Spanish, both, Spanglish, or "North American" would make the area safer, easier and more friendly, as well as making people get along at least at some level.

Actually you are wrong....several states have an official language...
and some states are officially bilingual....

The funny thing is that you keep referring to the salad bowl effect.....
You think for some reason our lack of official languages spoken by everyone is a problem...
read up on india...18 official language....
Hindi is the most popular and spoken by most people who are "educated"...
but it is only natively spoken by 18% of the population....

In almost every country a dominant language emerges.....but we are not unique in the fact that we have regional secondary languages in certain parts of the country....
English is spoken by a vast majority of the people in the US....
but that doesnt mean that you *must* speak english...

If people who dont speak english want better employement and better oppurtunities....they will learn English
If people who speak english want better employement and better oppurtunities in non-english regions....they will learn another language...

It is capitalism at its finest.....

[throwingks]

Its not about capitalism. Its about regulations. If you go to the DMV you know what language the forms are going to be in. You know all drivers can read the signs. You know if you get lost, you can get directions.

The reason for language differentiation in most other countries is the multiple regime changes. In America we haven't had that. We have it because people want to mesh with our culture and be part of our country, but not let go of theirs. With regime changes I can understand not wanting to let go, but if you decide to leave your country, you are choosing to let go.

I believe 1 day we should have a globalized language, and the U.N. should be the world power. But, I guess that is as farfetched as your Eutopia ideas.

[throwingks]

You are confusing people. I don't care which language, or how many. We just need one. Eventually the whole world needs one.

[throwingks]

As I said, it is farfetched. Although, it would make life easier for everyone in the world, and we would better be able to take care of everyone and their needs.

[_iffy]

All airports, air traffic controlers and all pilots, everywhere, have to speak english. (ICAO standard)

More countries speak english than any other language, but more people speak manderin than any other language. (mandein or cantonese)

puck has a point though... gaelic, latin, icelandic, are still kicking around

[throwingks]

No, I am not saying lose all the other languages. I am saying go the way of the air control. It will make understanding one another much much easier. That is the beauty of the internet. Information travels faster now than it ever has in the history of the world. Online translators make it a little easier. But, imagine a world where everyone cn communicate freely and without complication. So much more would get accomplished. I am just tryng to help puck reach his heaven on earth utopia.

[throwingks]

forget it. tu no comprende.

[w2kj]

You guys ought to take the bong out of your face; put the chalupa down; and come back down to planet Earth.    

This thread was discussing the "Pro-Immigrant March" and the impact it would have; remember?  You guys have strayed way to far away for the original topic with all of your utopian ideas.

  Remember?

[throwingks]

Sorry.

Great link

found this on that site
http://projectusa.or...ments/index.php
It's a top 10 list of sorts. They write better than I do. I agree with the list and have been trying to make some of those points all along.
Especially #7 + #4

[juan_2006]

OK i am a latino who lives in canada......with 100% legal pappers and i just turned a citizen, this doesnt affect me at all but it affects the family i have in the states who arent legal immigrants....well anyways. I wish there was a way people could easily just cross the usa in a legal way....and stay as long as they would want....but that aint gonna happen.....

top 5 reasons why people move to the states:

5. Want to have a better life
4. have low paying jobs in their home countries (compared to the low paying jobs in north america)
3. They have family there
2. They wish to move to a new country
1. Need money to sustain their families

why did i move to canada??? well my aunt invited us....we wanted to have a new life....it was also geting dangerous in our home country....now im 14..i moved here when i was 10....it took us 2 yrs to have legal pappers....when i was in gr 3 we moved to guatemala from honduras...because they did not have an embassy in honduras......so there i was an 8yr old kid in a new country ..... i did not finish gr3 so i had to do it all over again (it wasnt that i wasnt smart enough...actually i had the best marks in the whole school) when i turned 10 we came here.....so i was in gr5 in a new country did not know any english, in a strange country.....the kids did not liek me because i was from another country.....i was extremely lonely,i hated reccess so much, i remember i used to cry alot at home.....whats really funny is that this guy i used to go to school with who was really racist and mean to me, talked with me on msn and hes like "im sorry i was soo mean to you" so i forgave him, even still some people are really racist to me....though i suck it up and pretty much dont have many enemies.... you think its worth 2yrs of your life to come to a new country and be treated like shit? I dont think so... this people in the US are discriminated like i was...it aint fun for them...it is way rougher in the states then in canada....but hey atleast they have people of their own kind... i didnt.....

[jha'dhur]

QUOTE(juan_2006 @ May 10 2006, 10:28 PM)

OK i am a latino who lives in canada......with 100% legal pappers and i just turned a citizen, this doesnt affect me at all but it affects the family i have in the states who arent legal immigrants....well anyways. I wish there was a way people could easily just cross the usa in a legal way....and stay as long as they would want....but that aint gonna happen.....

top 5 reasons why people move to the states:

5. Want to have a better life
4. have low paying jobs in their home countries (compared to the low paying jobs in north america)
3. They have family there
2. They wish to move to a new country
1. Need money to sustain their families

why did i move to canada??? well my aunt invited us....we wanted to have a new life....it was also geting dangerous in our home country....now im 14..i moved here when i was 10....it took us 2 yrs to have legal pappers....when i was in gr 3 we moved to guatemala from honduras...because they did not have an embassy in honduras......so there i was an 8yr old kid in a new country ..... i did not finish gr3 so i had to do it all over again (it wasnt that i wasnt smart enough...actually i had the best marks in the whole school) when i turned 10 we came here.....so i was in gr5 in a new country did not know any english, in a strange country.....the kids did not liek me because i was from another country.....i was extremely lonely,i hated reccess so much, i remember i used to cry alot at home.....whats really funny is that this guy i used to go to school with who was really racist and mean to me, talked with me on msn and hes like "im sorry i was soo mean to you" so i forgave him, even still some people are really racist to me....though i suck it up and pretty much dont have many enemies.... you think its worth 2yrs of your life to come to a new country and be treated like shit? I dont think so... this people in the US are discriminated like i was...it aint fun for them...it is way rougher in the states then in canada....but hey atleast they have people of their own kind... i didnt.....

If I ever win powerball I am going to hire me a clan of mexicans and put all these sorry sons a bitches in USA out of business.

The problem that plagues latin america as well as other regions is the fact your leaders sell you out to foreign masters (US and others) and dont give two pecos for native peoples, this is also slowly subverting american capitalism and the common citizen hasnt connected the dots.

The present masters in america distract people by stroking the bigotrous undertones of main stream american culture.

Similiar to Nazi party, or religous extremism card, it is about the mighty dollar, religion or race are the camoflauage.

[Heet]

When did "pro immigrant" become the replacement for ILLEGAL ALIEN?  Funny how the political parties will change wording to fool idiots.

[throwingks]

QUOTE

Launch a program that would allow illegal immigrants already in the U.S. to achieve citizenship after they pay a penalty, pay taxes, learn English and work at a job for a number of years. The president rejected critics that called such a program "amnesty."

That is pretty bold to make them learn English. You all know I like the idea though.

[damam]

Im pretty sure that anyone who is on the naturalization path who does not speak english is supposed to take 2 years of english classes any ways.  I do know they get funding for it up front.  I might be wrong about this, but i believe they also have to take a test to show proficiency.  Google EFL, TOEFL, ESL and ESOL for more info.  We spend billions every year providing free classes.

[damam]

QUOTE(juan_2006 @ May 17 2006, 03:38 PM)

Im sure your from Canada . Yeah there is free classes.....i took ESL for 8 months....I think this is only in Canada since almost all immigrants are 100% legal....Canada actually cares about their immigrants, because they all atleast pay taxes....

actually im from the states.  the US spends 3 - 5 billion a year teaching legal immigrants english.  They can take up to 2 years free.  The only thing I dont know is whether or not they have to take a proficiency exam.

In canada, did you have to take a proficiency exam?