How does Official English unify the nation?

I keep hearing these arguments regarding official English unifying the nation. How can ostracizing a group of non-English speakers be unifying? How does this affect deaf people? I was just thinking the other day that Sign language is considered another language. This means that the deaf would also be ostracized and certain agencies do not have to provide langauge assistance even in a court of law because the official language is English. How would they read them their rights and how would they take down their report if they are victimized. How dangerous is that?

It just seems that these laws would not only violate the US Civil Rights act of 1964 because of national origin discrimination, they would also be violating the Americans with Disabilities Act because of discrimination against the hearing impaired.

Sign language is considered a language and if you read the laws as they are set up, it states "ENGLISH IS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE STATE" and all agencies should conduct business in this language. If you ask a reasonable person what a foreign language is in the US, then they would say anything that is not English. Sign language is not English.

Ever hear of assimilation? Where do you think we'd be if every immigrant spoke their native language? That's what I thought.

And quit being a putz, no one is talking about sign language.

They have to assimilate into our culture, that means speaking English.

The hearing impaired you American sign language.

What we speak here is can't be consider English any more because we take languages from around the world and absorb them.

I do believe we should agree on language most countries do and it gives common ground.

I think it kind of wrong for someone to come here and demand I speak his language but if I go to his country I can't demand them to speak my language.

lets see...i am from German decent maybe i should only speak German and if you can't understand me you should learn German...my wife is Japanese she should only speak Japanese so you have to learn it to speak to her...my friend is from Pakistan you should learn Urdu to speak to him...another friend is Swedish you should learn Swedish to speak with her...or how about where the majority of the nation already speaks English make English the official language so we can all communicate and not worry about not understanding someone when we go shopping...of course for deaf and mute people there exceptions to think there wouldn't be is naive...

It's not just an idea to get non-English speaking people to learn English. It's the idea that we all speak the same English. Language is one of the easiest ways to identify a society. We have so many groups speaking different dialects and that breaks society apart. Turn on TV and listen to the way young people today talk or someone from the inner city. It's a different language that I was taught. The problem with this is it creates a barrier between people. Breaking down barriers and getting everyone on the same page begining with the way we communicate with each other is the basics of a strong community. If you want to be part of making a society strong, you learn the language and take part.

Sign language is not considered another language.

Your idea that making English the national language would discriminate against deaf people is too absurd to argue against. There is a "cult of multiculturalism being promoted by leftist American haters that tells immigrants to our country to be proud of your heritage and don't assimilate. This means do not learn English. English is the defacto national language of the US, and the proposed law would make it so. We need to celebrate our similarities in America rather than celebrate "diversity." You can learn more about the reasons for making English the national language by clicking on the links below.

President Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907. "In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin.

But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

This is, it seems to me, the most ridiculous non-issue ever. We have people sunk into poverty in this country, people sick with no insurance, families struggling to survive, thousands of people losing their homes, and a war raging on that has our troops caught in a civil war....and we spend time worrying about English as an official language.

To put in a clause that all immigrants must learn English in order to become citizens might make sense. But how on earth could we enforce a law that says we must speak English and no other language? What do we do with a schoolroom filled with Latino kids who do not understand a word the teacher is saying? English classes make more sense than a law that cannot be enforced.

If one lives in America, English is the prevalent language. Foreigners come here, gather in neighborhoods, and chatter away in their native tongue. But their children learn English, simply because they enter into our culture. So, what do we do? Arrest a group of old Grandmothers because their Knitting Club speaks Polish? Have the police approach a few old gents on a park bench because they're speaking Italian?

It has become such an "In" thing to show patriotism that we have come to the brink of insanity. We all love our country and our Anthem is sung in English. Our birth certificates are written in English. Marriage, divorce, social security...everything we do is in English. What more can we do? What more SHOULD we do?

Frankly, I don't care if you say "Stop the War" in Spanish, French, Italian or English, as long as it is said and done.

Not to worry. Practicalities will enter into it. The official language may be English, but people in government have to get their jobs done and they will find a way to use translations and translators to get it done.

The Official English legislation is a bone thrown to the pathetically ethnocentric. It would be ignored, as soon as it passes, if it does pass.

One thing I think would be good about it is the alien criminal element uses the old standby, NO SPEAK THE ENGLISH when they feel it's convenient. Example: the Asians next door to me chit chat in English all day long to neighbors. But when the police are ticketing their cars they speak no English and put on such a pitiful act of not understanding, the cops usually don't write the ticket. Instead they ticket all US citizens cars.

No it does not unifying any body except it breeds prejudices