Why Not Speak English home

Why Not Speak English?

A recent survey by Rasmussen Reports found 84% of Americans believe English should be the official language of the US. Only 7% are not sure. Just 9% oppose the idea. Rasmussen Reports' found a high rate of support for employers having the right to require that their employees speak English in the workplace. Numerous polls over recent decades found overwhelming support for making English the official language of the US.

According to U.S. Census data, nearly 11 million residents are not fluent in English. That is up from 6.6 million in 1990. Nearly 34 million residents are foreign-born. That is up from 24.6 million in 1996.

This can happen anywhere in America. It can happen in your own home town. Read the story.

Language As A Divisive Tool -- A Wedge
	French Canadians centered in Quebec during the 1970s forced a complacent English-speaking majority to legislate it into a French language province. The 1977 passage of Bill 101 created the requirement for French to be the primary language of Quebec and limited the use of English in signage and official documents.
Gradually over decades French speakers managed to force their language upon the entire province. New immigrants to the province are required to educate their children in French. The eventual election of a separatist provincial government had a negative effect on Montreal's economy. A number of organizations, most notably Sun-Life Insurance Company, moved from Quebec to Toronto. Since 1977, Toronto has surpassed Montreal as Canada's largest city and primary financial center.
Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, Montreal experienced a relatively slow rate of job growth as compared to other major Canadian cities.
Canadian lawmakers have struggled to clearly identify Canada as a bilingual nation even though French-speaking Canadians reside almost exclusively in the province of Quebec. Today before being appointed to, or running for national offices, candidates must pass a French proficiency test. Their objective is to ensure that everything from cereal boxes to store signage to highway signs are written in both French and English. Today that is the case everywhere except in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec. In Quebec, English has been eliminated from most officially sanctioned language usage.
Quebec is home to a powerful faction that continues to work to separate Quebec from Canada. The Quebec separatist movement's objective is Quebec succession from Canada and formation of an independent Quebec nation. The remaining Canada would quickly become a different nation in most important aspects. Changes would ripple throughout Canada's economy, politics, culture, trading, financial and taxation revenues, and global power.
Consider how different Americans and Mexicans are. Are those differences caused by language or is there a fundamental difference in culture, approach to work and lifestyles?

1. When I speak English, I am speaking:

Please select all that apply.

An enhanced version of the language used by Shakespeare, Bacon, Edgar Allen Poe, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson, Dorothy Parker, Mark Twain & thousands of other literary masters.

The language used by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, & thousands of other successful statesmen.

The language used by Einstein, Tesla, Edison, Bell, Henry Ford & thousands of other successful inventors.

The language used by philosophers, inventors, scientists, historians, literary greats, statesmen, & NASA explorers.

The language of computer hardware & software developers, architects & users.

I don't care.

2. English is the language used in the United States of America for centuries. It is the language that provided communication between people so effectively that they were able to cooperate and build the US of A.
Millions of people have died over the centuries defending the US of A. Millions of people have died attempting to emigrate to the US of A.
Today millions of legal & illegal immigrants are fighting to stay in the US of A. Why would they not want to speak English?

Please select all that apply.

They do not want to join Americans who work hard to build a better America.

They only want to work menial jobs for low wages.

They do not care about helping their kids succeed.

They do not want to be citizens of the USA.

They intend to go back to their homelands.

Other:

3. How certain are you that unless immigrants learn to speak English in their daily lives and on their jobs, the cohesion, legal system, work ethic, & character of the US will decline over the next decades.

Absolutely certain
Certain
It may or may not
I don't think it will
Absolutely not decline

4. Several factors came together to make the US the most successful nation in history. How much did having the English language as a nearly universal language support building the US?

Much
Somewhat
Little

5. Some people say that speaking English was not important in the building of the US.
If you believe that, how would you explain the relative lack of success of Mexico, Central American nations, South American nations and the relative success of Canada, Australia, and England?

People of those relatively less successful nations are relatively inferior.

People of those relatively more successful nations are relatively superior.

English is a language that provides for analyzing, thinking, & expressing thoughts clearly & conceptualizing complex ideas.

I will have to think about it.

6. How important is it that US employers direct all employees to speak English among themselves and with customers?

Essential
Somewhat essential
Should not be required

7. Successful industrialized nations are liberal, democratic, English-speaking societies that are well established. It is up to people who come from other cultures to adjust their behavior accordingly if they expect to gain long-term employment and benefits.

Agree
Obviously this is true.

Arizona, May, 2010
Protestors demand repeal of the law requiring immigrants to be legal -- not illegal. Protestors call Arizona's law racist.

8. I am:	Female
	Male

9. My age group is:	Under 10	11-19	20-29	30-39	40-49
	50-59	60-69	70-79	80-89	90 & over

How did you find WhyNotSpeakEnglish.com?	Wall Street Journal	Just looking around the Internet	Newsgroup
	USA Today	Business associate	Search engine
	A News magazine	A blog named:	Linked from:
I live in the following country or state:
Thank you . . . . .

This site is on the highway of

InternetRoad^TM

Always useful, mapped and paved with information.^{^SM}

Use of this site is subject to all international and USA copyright laws.
Any third party web sites you may link to from here are entirely out of the control of WhyNotSpeakEnglish.com and Technology America Corporation. We do not endorse, and are not associated with, products, services, information, statements, material or people on, or connected with, third party sites.

WhyNotSpeakEnglish.com^TM --- Ensuring the Liquefication of Information^SM