News (Noticias) Tagged ‘English-only’

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s recent comment that Americans should get their children to study Spanish or another second language has drawn an avalanche of criticism from English-only advocates and cable television anti-immigration zealots.
…
But the fact is that the percentage of American college students who become proficient in a foreign language is pathetic compared to that of other countries. According to U.S. Department of Education, out of every 100 college credits taken by U.S. students in a given semester, only 8.6 are for a foreign language. “*

The language wars flare up whenever insecure Americans worry that English is becoming passé.

It’s a cultural paranoia that is laughably off the mark. According to research, children of immigrants stand a better chance of losing their native language and speaking only English than never learning English at all. Still, it’s a fear that is resistant to facts. I ought to know. I’ve seen it up close.”*

The issue has been brought up before but failed.

But Councilman Eric Crafton said he wants to let voters decide and is proposing that English be the official language of the Metro Nashville area.”*

State officials are studying whether federal civil rights laws override Iowa’s “English-only” law that prohibits publication of official government communications in foreign languages.

Publishing the state documents only in English could cause Iowa to lose federal money for such things as transportation-related projects, state officials said.”*

Four Wichita families filed a discrimination lawsuit Monday in federal court against St. Anne Catholic School over a policy that requires English to be spoken at all times during the school day.

The lawsuit calls for an end to St. Anne’s policy, an order barring English-only or similar policies at other diocese schools and $75,000 for court and other costs.

The families want students to be able to speak other languages if they choose during their free time — not in the classroom or during instructional times.”*

Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union and the state’s Latino Affairs Commission urged lawmakers to quash legislation that would require public agencies to conduct business and keep records in English.

The bill, they said, is unnecessary, threatens civil and human rights of non-English-speaking citizens and would deter residents from learning other languages.

“The denial of services to American citizens with limited English proficiency is already happening,” said Ezra C. Escudero, director of the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, which advises the governor and lawmakers on issues facing Hispanic residents. “… There is no need for English only legislation like House Bill 477. State agencies are already in compliance with its proposals, and the vast majority of Ohioans only speak English.”"*

Rep. Steve King, a Republican who represents western Iowa, has long been a controversial figure in political circles. While earning the praise of some for his lack of so-called “political correctness,” others have chastised his actions, labeling them as nativistic and xenophobic.

Last week’s ruling on a 2006 lawsuit brought by King continued that swirling controversy, when 5th District Judge Douglas Staskal decided printing Iowa voting forms in languages other than English violated a 2002 state law.”*

*From: http://media.www.dailyiowan.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

A relatively minor conflict last year between an Esmeralda County School District bus driver and two Hispanic high school students led to a rule banning Spanish from being spoken either at school or on the buses.

The bus driver’s response to the conflict had been to complain to the district superintendent that the two students began speaking to each other in Spanish, which he didn’t understand. The superintendent, Robert Aumaugher, followed up by telling parents their children should speak only English.

Suddenly the conflict wasn’t so minor anymore, because the state and national offices of the American Civil Liberties Union told the superintendent the rule was unconstitutional.”*

*From: http://www.lasvegassun.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

A Green Township Republican introduced a bill Tuesday to make English the state’s official language.

Rep. Bob Mecklenborg, who was appointed to the Ohio House in October, is being challenged in the March 4 primary election by Dick Hammersmith, a conservative political consultant.

The bill, which has the support of House Speaker Jon Husted, would ensure that in order for Ohio’s actions and laws to be considered authoritative and legal, they must be communicated in English, its backers say.”*

*From: http://news.cincinnati.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

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*From: http://www.hispanicprwire.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander will try again to pass legislation that lets companies ban workers from speaking any language other than English in the workplace.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission spokesman David Grinberg said companies already can require workers to speak English when talking to customers or co-workers, but sometimes they try to punish workers for speaking another language in the break room or while on the phone with a relative.”*

*From: http://www.newschannel5.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

The S.C. Senate jumped on immigration legislation Thursday when a subcommittee approved a bill to make English the state’s official language.

Legislators’ positions were drawn along party lines during the debate with Republicans taking hard lines against illegal immigration and the lone Democrat present urging caution.”*

*From: http://www.thestate.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

A bill in the Missouri House would call for trucker-hopefuls to prove they have a firm grasp of the English language to obtain a commercial driver’s license. It is one of several efforts of interest to truck drivers in the Show-Me State.

House Transportation Chairman Neal St. Onge, R-Ballwin, introduced a bill – HB1420 – that would require the written test to be offered only in English. Applicants’ ability to understand traffic signs and signals written in English also would be required. They would be prohibited from using interpreters or translators while taking the test.”*

*From: http://www.landlinemag.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Language is a difficult subject to discuss dispassionately because it’s our essence. So when two languages come cheek to jowl, as English and Spanish have in the United States, it becomes a hot issue. As Chicano poet Gloria Anzaldua wrote in Borderlands: La Frontera: “So, if you really want to hurt me, talk badly about my language. I am my language.”

Linguistic terrorism has plagued children of immigrants and Native Americans for generations. Alberto Alvaro Ríos wrote in his book Capirotada: A Nogales Memoir: “If speaking Spanish is bad, and our parents speak Spanish, then they must be bad,” he concluded, “and we became ashamed of them.”

Fueling the language debate are clashes arising over illegal immigrants fleeing dire circumstances. But anti-foreign-language fervor has been around for a long time. We disrespected the languages of Native Americans and African-Americans because non-white minorities spoke them, and we shunned German during World War I. Now it’s Spanish.”*

*From: http://www.baltimoresun.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

WHEN the captain heard three crew members on his container ship chatting in Spanish during breaks, he became enraged. He then brandished a knife to enforce his standing orders: Speak only English on board.

The incident, settled for $31,000 after a discrimination suit was filed in a Houston federal court, is an extreme example of cases fueling a growing debate over English-only policies in the workplace, experts say.

”It’s a lightning-rod issue, a lot of people get upset,” said Rudy Sustaita, a veteran attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which filed suit against the Houston ship management firm that hired the captain.”*

There was one priceless scene in an episode of the PBS television show “American Family” where the patriarch — played by Edward James Olmos — argues that there shouldn’t be things like bilingual education and that here in the United States, everyone should speak English. His friend wholeheartedly agrees. What makes the scene funny is the irony: Both men are making their arguments in Spanish (with English subtitles).

The scene is a neat metaphor for the complicated views that many Hispanics have on the subject of language — views that often confuse non-Hispanics and create tension between the groups. For instance, there are plenty of Hispanics who oppose bilingual education because they think it hurts kids by making it more difficult to learn English. Yet at home, many Hispanics tend to switch effortlessly between Spanish and English and make an effort to ensure that their children maintain their command of Spanish.”*

Five Spanish-speaking Hispanic immigrants are questioning the legality of a “common language policy” at GC Industries.

The five men, legally here from Guatemala and Mexico, believe the policy is a violation of their civil rights and have filed a thirteen count lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Haven. “*

A state senator who is vice chairman of a panel studying immigration issues in Alabama said Monday he will introduce legislation to require the state driver’s license exam be given in English only.

The legislation from Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, would go against the national trend because most states, including Alabama, give the test in multiple languages.”*

“We know the ability to speak English is a crucial skill for getting a good job and for integration into society,” said D’Vera Cohn, a senior writer for Pew.

“The flip side,” he said, “is that many Hispanics believe that language discrimination hinders Latinos from succeeding in America.”

Language issues are central to the still unresolved immigration debate in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail, with some calling for laws enforcing English-only policies as part of comprehensive reform.”*

Three days after voters backed the Fort Worth school district with approval of a $593.6 million bond issue, they got a thank-you message in a half-page ad on Page 7B of the Star-Telegram.

“A los ciudadanos de Fort Worth,” the headline read, followed by text that began, “Por favor acepten nuestro más profundo aprecio y gratitud por su voto de confianza …”

Interesting, I thought, preparing for calls and e-mails from usually outspoken English-only advocates who warn that waves of illegal Hispanic immigrants and increased presence of Spanish in news, advertising and broadcast media stand to poison the linguistic lifeblood of the United States.”*