# Is an Official English Language Academy/Board a Good Idea? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808 "2017-10-25T13:15:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/41 "2017-10-28T14:26:00Z")
It’s too late for that anyway. Spanish is here and not going away. No nativist action is going to stop that. I required my kids to take Spanish in high school. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/42 "2017-10-28T14:37:00Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > It’s too late for that anyway. Spanish is here and not going away. No nativist action is going to stop that. I required my kids to take Spanish in high school. Same here, although my kids are 3 1/2 and 1 1/2. The pre-K the older one goes to is 90% taught in Spanish, the daycare for the younger one is probably about 50-50. Make all the laws you want, the reality isn’t changing. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/43 "2017-10-28T14:39:27Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Um. It already is one. [😕](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Languages_Act_(Canada)) The US doesn’t have any official languages. Some states might, but not at the federal level. > [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > It’s too late for that anyway. Spanish is here and not going away. No nativist action is going to stop that. I required my kids to take Spanish in high school. Very smart move. As is well known, Spanish is the easiest language for Americans to learn, so they will likely get better grades than if they took a different language. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/44 "2017-10-28T15:11:54Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > It’s too late for that anyway. Spanish is here and not going away. No nativist action is going to stop that. I required my kids to take Spanish in high school. Where is “here?” because the most common non-English signage and usage _I_ encounter every day is Arabic. > [@Clothahump](#): > > Not so much. I do believe that we need to make English the official language of the country, though. we’ve got along just fine for 230 years as is. I’m sure some politicians would love to do so to pander to their aging voter base, but it wouldn’t really accomplish anything other than make a few people feel as though they “saved” “their” country from someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/45 "2017-10-28T16:54:55Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Where is “here?” because the most common non-English signage and usage _I_ encounter every day is Arabic. For me it’s exurb Charleston, South Carolina. Unless you’re in a few specific area I’d be astonished if you had more Arabic speakers near you than Spanish speakers. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/46 "2017-10-28T17:23:01Z")
Agree that viewed on a nationwide average Spanish is the biggest next big thing. But that average hides a lot of local variation. IME in San Francisco proper the second language is much more likely to be Chinese than Spanish. Here in greater Miami we have plenty of Spanish areas, but also areas where the signage is in Haitian Creole or in Brazilian Portuguese. All 4 languages appear on all our ballot materials and many public safety signs. At Chicago O’Hare a lot of signage in the backstage employees-only areas is in English and Polish. Which really surprised me the first time I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/47 "2017-10-28T17:48:30Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > What makes having one for English a bad idea. Because no-one would take any notice. It’s precisely the range of options and seeming imprecisions, the amorphousness of the different Englishes, that give the language its strength and vigour. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/48 "2017-10-29T00:46:30Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Um. It already is one. [😕](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Languages_Act_(Canada)) Psst! **orcenio**! Wrong country! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/49 "2017-10-29T01:38:12Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Just curious- what specifically would change if Congress declared that English is our official language? Big reduction in government costs, for one thing. No bi-lingual education in schools, no ballots in forty-lebben different languages, no street signs in other languages, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/50 "2017-10-29T01:39:56Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Um. It already is one. [😕](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Languages_Act_(Canada)) The USA does not have an official language. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/51 "2017-10-29T01:45:11Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Big reduction in government costs, for one thing. No bi-lingual education in schools, no ballots in forty-lebben different languages, no street signs in other languages, etc. Declaring that English is the official language of the US in no way would cause any, much less all, of that other stuff to change. What you really mean is you want a law saying it’s prohibited for anyone (or at least any government agency) to use anything other than English for any purpose. That’s a vastly larger, and even more backwards-thinking idea than the simple declaration of an “official language”. Which is a pretty ignorant and backwards thing in itself. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/52 "2017-10-29T03:57:59Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The US doesn’t have any official languages. Some states might, but not at the federal level. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Psst! **orcenio**! Wrong country! > [@Clothahump](#): > > The USA does not have an official language. Wait a minute here…there’s other countries? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/53 "2017-10-29T04:05:41Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Big reduction in government costs, for one thing. No bi-lingual education in schools, no ballots in forty-lebben different languages, no street signs in other languages, etc. cite that doing so would lead to a “big reduction” in government costs? not that you’ll find any. 'cos even if the US Federal Government were to make English the country’s “official” language, all that would mean is that any official communications to and from the _Federal_ government must be in English. As for the examples you gave: - schools are run by state education departments and local boards. if a state wanted to include bi-lingual education in their curriculum, they’d still be free to do so. no cost reduction here. - ballots are designed by state and local election commissions. if the state election boards want to continue to include other languages on ballots, they’d still be free to do so. no cost reduction here. - street signs are handled at the state, county, and municipal level. again, they’d be free to put them up in multiple languages if they wished to do so. no cost reduction here. Anything else? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/54 "2017-10-29T04:30:03Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Declaring that English is the official language of the US in no way would cause any, much less all, of that other stuff to change. > > What you really mean is you want a law saying it’s prohibited for anyone (or at least any government agency) to use anything other than English for any purpose. > > That’s a vastly larger, and even more backwards-thinking idea than the simple declaration of an “official language”. Which is a pretty ignorant and backwards thing in itself. “Official language” simply means there is a law that any legal document in the official language must be accepted as binding, and that the right to conduct official business in any other language is not guaranteed (but may be accepted by all parties as binding), In other words, if English is the official language, the government has the right to communicate to you or with you in English and consider you to have been informed. Private parties may use any language all parties agree to, and your cable company can still ask you if you wish to oprimea el dos. Which they do now, not because of any legality, but because it is good business practice to communicate with customers in a language in which they are fluent. It wastes a lot less time by workers in their call center. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/55 "2017-10-29T13:05:48Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > No bi-lingual education in schools Why is that a bad thing? That was a _selling_ point for the school we send our preschooler to. (We literally picked this school because it was the only Catholic school around us with true bilingual education, starting 90-10 Spanish-English in pre-K3 to 50-50 Spanish-English by 4th grade.) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/56 "2017-10-29T13:15:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Why is that a bad thing? That was a _selling_ point for the school we send our preschooler to. (We literally picked this school because it was the only Catholic school around us with true bilingual education, starting 90-10 Spanish-English in pre-K3 to 50-50 Spanish-English by 4th grade.) It’s one of the things about which it is incredibly embarrassing to be an American. There are over 100-million people living in the Philippines, and I believe I am the only one who is too stupid or uneducated to speak at least two languages. I go around the world forcing everyone to speak my language, and I am very ashamed of that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/57 "2017-10-29T13:25:41Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > It’s one of the things about which it is incredibly embarrassing to be an American. There are over 100-million people living in the Philippines, and I believe I am the only one who is too stupid or uneducated to speak at least two languages. I go around the world forcing everyone to speak my language, and I am very ashamed of that. You should stop doing it then. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/58 "2017-10-29T13:37:23Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > No bi-lingual education in schools, Bwuh? Lack of language study in the US is one of the major weaknesses we have, it makes us less competitive in international business and also makes us looks like asshats. > [@](#): > > no street signs in other languages, etc. Going to insist we re-name Los Angeles, too? And Chicago - that’s not an English word, either. What about all those streets named after damned-dirty-[del]apes[/del]foreigners? There is more than just the English language in the world. Get a grip and deal with it. English doesn’t need an Official Standards Board. It’s doing well enough without a straitjacket. Unlike some people I’m not frightened by people who are different from me. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/59 "2017-10-29T14:03:21Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Big reduction in government costs, for one thing. No bi-lingual education in schools, no ballots in forty-lebben different languages, no street signs in other languages, etc. Those costs are utterly insignificant, as a percentage of government budgets. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808/60 "2017-10-29T14:08:19Z")
[hijack continues] > [@jtur88](#): > > In other words, if English is the official language, the government has the right to communicate to you or with you in English and consider you to have been informed. Private parties may use any language all parties agree to, and your cable company can still ask you if you wish to oprimea el dos. Which they do now, not because of any legality, but because it is good business practice to communicate with customers in a language in which they are fluent. It wastes a lot less time by workers in their call center. Heck, the government itself can decide it’s good business. It may prefer the resident just make that tax payment or update that permit and figure it will cost more to take them to court on account of “I wrote you in English, that should have been enough”; PLUS, as **LSLGuy** points out, in the US “government” is highly layered and decentralized. Good luck having Miami-Dade or Kings(Brooklyn) counties adopt English-Only. (What’s \*\*Clothy \*\*gonna do, ban federal funds to states and counties who fail to do so? Make the Texas state leg forbid Bexar County from doing anything bilingual?) The federal judiciary, for example, already has internally English as its official language of record, and proceedings must be conducted in English(\*), but it will provide interpreters and translations for witnesses and defendants as a matter of protecting the fundamental right of knowing what are you being charged/sued for and what’s the testimony for/against you. The US Congress, again, internally has English as its language of proceedings and record, but individual Congressmen may have parts of their web pages in the languages of large voting populations in their district. Because it’s good politics. (\*It is amusing to be at the US District Court for Puerto Rico, and at a particular trial you may know the judge, the parties, the lawyers, the clerks and bailiffs and the whole jury to be all native Spanish speakers who conduct their daily lives in Spanish, yet here they are addressing one another in English with varying degrees of fluency. And sometimes you can tell the jurors want to yell at counsel “Tell your witness to ask for an interpreter, you fool!!”) [/hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-official-english-language-academy-board-a-good-idea/799808.md?page=4)