AS AMERICANS ARE WE OBLIGATED TO LEARN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH OR ARE THOSE WHO IMMIGRATE HERE OBLIGATED TO LEARN "ENGLISH" WHAT SAY YOU??

'Obligated' may not be the right word, BUT espousing monolingualism instead of actually trying to be at least as educated as those third-world countries which speak half a dozen languages, is like claiming that mediocre is better than best. Our self-imposed ignorance is why we have fallen behind almost every other country on the planet.

It is a good idea to learn one or more foreign languages, especially if you deal with foreigners in your work or life. However, Our single accepted language should be maintained at the level of government ( and customer service ) if for no other reason then for cost saving of not having to print everything in multiple languages. At what point would we stop? Do we need to print everything in every language in the world just so no-one would be left out?

Our language serves as the roots of being an American. Nothing wrong with learning a second language but when out in public or when conducting business only English should be spoken.

If they come to this country, they are obligated to learn english. They need to assimilate to their new environment.

English.

If they are going to take advantage of our resources, and partake of the fruit of our labor, they can dang sure learn our language. The early requirements for citizenship were quite adequate, and should have remained in place. I myself enjoy learning other languages. Castilian Spanish, for one, Russian for another, and am thinking we all better learn to speak some Chinese dialect, or another. I believe things could get hairy before they get better.

I don't think anyone is obligated to learn anything. I read this answer wrong.

Then we are not obligated to put things in spanish for those who dont understand

Why would an american need to learn another language? Seems a pointless waste of school time.

other countries know 2-3 language while most americans barely know there own. we should leearn a new language so we can communicate with ppl from other countries

other countries know different languages because of the close proximity of people speaking different languages. france is on the border to italy which is on the border to switzerland which is on the border to germany, etc nothing wrong with people learning different languages and nothing wrong if they only know one language

Why? If I move to Germany do they need to learn english so thsat I communicate with them?

part of becoming a citizen of the greatest nation on this earth is learning how to converse in english.

Right you are.

If you immigrate here you learn English if you don't want to do that then go back to where you came from and stop trying to change MY COUNTRY!

Amen.

I would not hire a person who cannot speak English.

Nor would I, and really resent it when the operator on the phone first asks if we "want to speak Spanish?" , or words to that effect. Like Spanish is way more important than our language. I would not hire anyone who can't speak English either.

I can't stand it when I can't understand customer service although I do try to polite & patient. It really is easier to understand them when I calm down. Sometimes I have to hang up to call back to see if another person is easier to understand.
The fews times I have been to France I was able to give directionsin French to tourists from other countries. It was really, really fun.

This is said with an HUGE caveat. We are one of the most lazy countries in the world when it comes to language. Our children SHOULD be bi-lingual and it should begin in kindergarten - or earlier if at all possible. My elder daughter is fluent in french, quite good in spanish, and her hebrew isn't half bad, either. My younger daughter is autistic and language is a problem for her, period... however we speak some hebrew in our home so that she can become more accustomed to it. We need to encourage our children to learn new languages. However, those who immigrate to the United States should, indeed, learn english and ESL classes in our schools should not allow children to just languish there without learning english.

Unless they live in a sectioned off area, such as Chinatown, where they can survive without speaking English.

I do not, however, believe that they should be required to speak English at all times.

That said, if only Americans could speak as well as many immigrants.

Exactly. (especially the last sentence)

I think that people who move to a foreign country should learn the language predominantly spoken in that country. If we moved to France we should learn French, or Italy - Italian etc. People who move to the U.S. should learn English.
That said, Americans are hopelessly behind the rest of the world in their mastery of languages other than English. In Scandinavia, school children are required to learn at least three languages and in most of the rest of Europe people speak English in addition to their own language. I think it wouldn't hurt Americans to learn a new language in addition to English. If you have a chance to travel, people would appreciate at least an attempt to communicate in their language.

I went to school with a man from Africa who was a polyglot, he spoke a couple African languages, French, English, and at least two other languages I don't recall. I was at once intimidated, and envious.

There must be something wrong with the way we teach language in school. I took French from the time I was in Grade School until my junior year in high school and I can't say that I can really communicate in the language. I got A's & B's so I was no slouch. So why can't I speak French? Maybe it's because we don't use it as much as people in Europe. I don't know.

Well, I know in many countries in Europe, they have several languages that are present to be spoken. It's also small enough that their cultures are sort of right there. In the US, our bordering countries are Canada (another predominantly English-speaking country, except for Quebec), and Mexico.

Some people just aren't linguistically-inclined, either. I was lousy at math, but a crack shot when I took Latin.

YES!!!!

If I decide to learn Spanish it is because it is self improvement month for for me. It inriches me, and it doesn't deminish thier responsibility to try and fit in to thier adopted society. However, in the end, language is a tool that changes with the needs of the people that use it.

Someone in Government said that English was not our country's language. If it isn't then why are we only speaking English here.Spanish is secondary.They should learn English and stop trying to make Spanish a major language here. English #1

there is a law ....liberals who say there is not are just pandering to their base of illegal voters . People who chose not to learn English (as it says in the immigration LAW) cost us billions every month and are to blame for much of the cost of our failing educational system .

Actually neither we have no official language welcome to the land of the free don't like it don't talk to em simple as that.

Being an immigrant ...there should only be one language and all signage and public publications should be in English...this would treat all immigrants the same, reduce costs and promote the rapid integration of immigrants into the society...

AMEN & AMEN! WELCOME, Wolf!

Not for the sake of Immigrants, but Every American High Schooler sould be required to be fluent in another language as a condition of graduating high school. Learning a second language is good for the mind.

Both of these responses suck. English has been the De-Facto language of America for over 200 years. If you want to be successful, you'll learn it.

Beat Magnum True, great answer. I like that. Learning a second language is super good for developing brains, and agree that it should be a requirement to graduate from High School. On the West Coast when I was in Secondary Ed. there, it was a requirement. I don't know about now. Those from the lower end of the gene pool who don't have to learn the language of their chosen country-of- residence may not do it.

We can thank Ted Kennedy, who was instrumental in the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, which removed the quotas on immigration from any particular country, which had been in place to 'encourage ' assimilation .

Misread the answer, thought it said we are NOT obligated. But to be honest neither answer is true. You are not obligated to speak to them, and they are not obligated to speak to you. It's really a non-issue. If you do for some reason need to speak to them, make the appropriate arrangements for translation.

Malinterpretado la respuesta, pensé que nos dijo que no están obligados. Pero para ser honesto no respuesta es verdadera. Usted no está obligado a hablar con ellos, y ellos no están obligados a hablar con usted. Es realmente un no-tema. Si usted por alguna razón necesita hablar con ellos, realizar los trámites correspondientes para la traducción.

See, it's easy

for the past two years I have lived in a country where I do not speak the language, No one has demanded that I learn it, and I do not expect them to learn English. If they approach me I tell them I only speak English, If I approach them I use sign language or translate what I want to say. it's been a great two years.

It is called assimilating to the country you live in. Being in the service I learned German when transfered to Germany, didn't expect the Germans to speak english, all though they did so better than was my German, but hey I did it.

I've found that most Germans speak better English than most Americans.

I don't think we should HAVE to learn another language for immigrants but I think we should respect they have there own and help them naturalize to the country.