US: Republicans See English as the "Official Language"

[Harold Schiffman]

 Forwarded From: edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu


Education Week



Republicans See English as the "Official Language"



The platform for the Republican National Convention, which opened this week
in St. Paul, Minn., considers English to be the "official language" of this
country. But apparently an earlier draft of the platform used softer
language, stating that English is the "common" and "accepted" language,
according to a Fox News reporter (hat tip to Latina Lista). The Fox News
reporter says delegates from North Carolina and Colorado wanted the stronger
language.



Here's what the platform says about language policy in this country:

One sign of our unity is our English language. For newcomers, it has always
been the fastest route to prosperity in America. English empowers. We
support English as the official language in our nation, while welcoming the
ethnic diversity in the United States and the territories, including
language. Immigrants should be encouraged to learn English. English is the
accepted language of business, commerce, and legal proceedings, and it is
essential as a unifying cultural force. It is also important, as part of
cultural integration, that our schools provide better education in U.S.
history and civics for all children, thereby fostering a commitment to our
national motto, E Pluribus Unum.



Full story:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2008/09/republicans_see_english_as_the.html




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Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone: (215) 898-7475
Fax: (215) 573-2138

Email: haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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