# If Spanish is so Unamerican, why tolerate names like San Francisco and Los Angeles? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 27, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699 "2002-08-27T00:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699/101 "2002-09-01T05:07:20Z")
[Paul Rodriguez] And for those of you who don’t speak Spanish: Learn. [/Paul Rodriguez] ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699/102 "2002-09-01T05:20:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by even sven \* > \*\*speaking Spanish is bound to lead to lesbian vampire commies \*\* Oh, fuck you very much. I speak French. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699/103 "2002-09-01T12:49:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Wait a minute! Am I the only one who see a patern here? These are all people that were in the US territory BEFORE the US moved in. I’d say it is all fair… but that may be just me. Well, there may have been been speakers of some Asian languages and there certainly were speakers of Spanish before the US moved in, but as far as I know languages spoken before the US moved in would not include all Asian languages, and would include French…Additionally, I doubt (although I don’t know if anyone has ever checked) that many places would meet the numerical threshold in Spanish and Asian languages if only the people of limited English proficiency whose ancestors were here before the US were counted. Those languages may very well be the most common languages spoken by naturalized citizens with limited English proficiency, but I don’t think the reason is “because they were here first” Otherwise, why is French not included while Vietnamese is? Alaskan and American Indian languages are a somewhat different issue, since AFAIK, those languages are not spoken anywhere else, and therefore those of limited English proficiency must have ancestors who were “here first” ,and Native American nations (which may or may not include Alaskan natives, I’m not sure) have special status as sovereign nations, at least on the reservations. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699/104 "2002-09-01T17:41:00Z")
It looks like Even Sven is comfortably moved into his/her dorm now, internet connection and all! Good luck in the coming semester, ES. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699/105 "2002-09-03T17:07:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by doreen \* > \*\*I will concede I missed the amendments the first time around. (which by the way,\*\*Tars **, you didn’t link to the first time)** that will teach me to debate when i have less than 5 mins a day to check out the boards (but i have much more time this week to argue semantics!) > [@](#): > > \*\* > But I’m funny. I thought rights were things that didn’t expire and that everyone had the same ones and you don’t gain or lose those you have under federal law by moving… Apparently, the right to a bilingual ballot is a right enjoyed by speakers of only certain languages (European languages other than Spanish are excluded, as are others), in certain areas and only until 8/6/2007 (unless it’s further amended) \*\* The expiration date was probably a compromise to get it passed (IIRC, the civil rights act had one as well…). With republicans courting the hispanic vote, and democrats targeting all minorities, you can be guarenteed it being renewed. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699/107 "2017-05-31T09:13:05Z")
May I suggest, El Zombio. It’s unisex. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699/108 "2017-05-31T09:53:12Z")
Zombi is. El Zombio isn’t. _hits Jack Batty with a soft-bound copy of the Ortografía_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-spanish-is-so-unamerican-why-tolerate-names-like-san-francisco-and-los-angeles/125699.md?page=5)