The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday in the noon hour.
Today, President Trump signed an executive order making English the official language of the United States. The US has never had a national language at the federal level in its almost 250-year history.
QUESTION: Do you think think it’s good to have a national language, or do you think it’s not needed?
Talk about it.
Multi-lingual is good. Many European countries have two languages, the native and a language, often English as the second. I know several, English, French (Parisian), Sanskrit and as such a smattering of Hindi and a smattering of Spanish which is easier because of the Latin based French.
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Given history it was somewhat impractical to demand a single language when many from different countries we immigrating. And as I’ve said before English is a bit of a mongrel language with many influences from other languages and using archaic spellings of some words.
I agree with you. Switzerland has 3 or 4 official languages, German, French and Italian. Countries in Europe are small compared to the US, if you live close to a border you often pick up the language of the country closets to you. Schools in Denmark or at least the cities, teach English, German and French. You cannot work in hardly in office capacity without being able to correspond in English and often German as well. My granddaughter (8) and grandson (almost 5) live by Pasadena, and both are enrolled in a Spanish immersion program. which I’m all for, it gives them more opportunity. I have friends that grew up speaking 2 languages, and if they decide to learn a 3rd one, it is much easier. I think it is closeminded to just want one language used. Having said that I do think when people move here and make US their home the need to make an effort to learn the language, however it is not easy for everyone, someone older etc. Because many in California speak Spanish it is easy for Spanish speaking immigrants to not learn English. When I came here, I had no choice, no one spoke Danish, so if I wanted to make friends and date, I had to learn English, and I one of my motivations for coming here was to improve my English.
no need to have an official language. This executive order is for agencies who receive federal funding.
It’s too much winning President Trump. I don’t know how much more liberals can handle. We may start seeing blue hair’s spontaneously combust or possibly just melt on sight.
Does this mean no more press 1 for English? English is the official language 💥💥💥🇺🇸
Not needed
Well, … you learn something ‘New’ every day.
Like that it’s official English, … my Spanish is shotty.
Language is a means of communicating with other people. My father’s father emigrated from Norway to Minnesota and married an English lady. As a result, I speak English. I am actually rather fond of traditional English versus “American” English. I attended high school (Concord High, still Minutemen!) in the late 1970s where I studied Spanish for three years, and became quite proficient at it. Knowledge of the Spanish language is definitely serving me well these days.
I don’t believe any language should be “official”. Language is for communicating with others, and we live in a melting pot. The more people with whom we are able to connect, the better off we will all be.
Silly me, I thought it already was.
I’m silly, too.
Me too!🤪
Good, it’s about time.
What difference does it make? In 1986, English became the official language of California,
and nothing changed. California’s public officials only follow the laws they deem necessary.
Too bad no one understands it. Try ordering a sandwich somewhere for proof
More meaningless BS to placate his xenophobic, narrow-minded base.
you mean most of the country?
By the time I was 25, I had studied Latin, Spanish, French, German and Arabic and had actually managed to use all of them to at least some degree. Unfortunately, my ability to use them was mostly gone within a few years. I don’t see any point in having an “Official Language”.
Theoretically, you could argue it has been the official federal language since the writing of the Constitution, written in English. All legislation, transcriptions, etc. are written in English.
It’s probably a good thing! I’ll preface this by saying that I’m now learning Spanish so I can be a kinder person and try to speak with the many immigrants here. But it was getting crazy- when my friend. a born and raised American- was not being hired for jobs here in the East Bay, because she could not speak Spanish. That shouldn’t happen either.
At least a dozen other countries consider English their Official Language… Glad to see we’re catching up.
Anything that can be done with a signature
can be undone with a signature.