English Only?
English, Spanish, or Both?
In a recent study, it was found that only 23% of Latino immigrants spoke English well upon arrival, by the time their kids (2nd Gen) became adults, it was 88%, their kids (3rd Gen) were totally American in every way.
The Republican Party is introducing a bill, that if passed will make English only in all Federal and State offices mandatory. The theory is that English is a unifying force so all nationalities speak the same talk with the nuances of translations, plus, it would reduce costs. All ballots would be in English only, not multiple languages. Many immigrants feel that such a bill is oppressive and shows a cultural intolerance of others and portrays a dominance over all others.
How do you feel?
Being bi-lingual is a good thing. Most Europeans know some English because English is the world language in Business and IT. It just is. Period. But, all countries but the US conducts governmental business and elections in their native language and do expect those dealing with them to be fluent in the native language. Mexico, Spain, Germany etc., all do not cater to English speakers in the way America caters to its many immigrants.
But, like the poll shows, even the 2nd generation is almost totally English because of the schools. This creates many bilingual people and slowly, the 1st generation becomes better English speakers because of the demands from their children to speak English. It is very common in non-native households. So, time eventually creates English speakers.
