I’ve just run into my family’s revulsion and hatred for people who sing the National Anthem in anything other than English, specifically, Spanish.
But I would very much doubt that Spanish is the only other language people sing it in. Anyone know of others?
My view is that singing the (translated) National Anthem in the only language you know is far better than not singing it at all.
What’s your view?
When I was a Christian, I used to sing “Adeste Fideles” in Latin & in English. It’s nice in both languages. I really only know “Stille Nacht” in English translation.
Admittedly, those aren’t national anthems. But the USA is likely to follow either of two paths in the next century: It can become officially bilingual in about two generations; or, absent a conservation of separate lexicons, evolve a Spanglish synthesis as its actual language in about five generations’ time.
A respectful adaptation of “The Star-Spangled Banner” into Spanish is a decent idea. I welcome it.
If you’re going to sing the U.S. national anthem to show allegiance to the country, I think you should do it in English. Period. although English is not the official language of the land (though it should be for reasons discussed many times before), is is the de facto language.
I’ve heard it in Navajo. Didn’t bother me.
We read the Bible in other languages besides Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.
Actually, I think it is the official language now. It is in some states. I, however, am leery of giving it official status as some kind of declaration of cultural identity–unless we plan to give the northern half of Mexico back? Perhaps relocate to Great Britain? I’m of Pennsylvania Dutch descent, & if the American English want so bad to be English, they can move back to the Commonwealth & learn to spell it correctly.
Why? Why go back a hundred or two hundred years? Why not 1,000 or 2,000? Or 10,000.
Good question.
Why go back, at all? People are singing oddly changed words to that old baccanalian song, today, why should a shift in the words (that has already occurred) matter to anyone?
It’s a shift not just in the words, but in the language. As if you didn’t know that.
And just for the record, all my questions are good. and all my responses, great.
So what? They are singing the National Anthem of the USA. I really don’t give a rat’s ass what language they do it in, as long as they are doing it respectfully and patriotically. Sign it in ASL. Yodel it in Rumantsch. You are singing it out of respect for my country, and I thank you.
Pay no attention to the English-only folks. They’re still bitter they lost the war.
Would you object to it being sung in Navajo or Ojibway? How about a recital in sign language?
What sort of penalty would you like to see meted out for those who sing or recite it in other languages? Civil fines? Criminal sentences?
Sign language? No. Anything else? Yes. If Native Americans want to show allegiance and solidarity, excellent. If not, that is their choice.
The ripping out of tongues of course. Seriously, I would simply request that it be sung in English. If that is not respected, I would simply ignore them.
Now it it were being done in a public forum, I’d turn off the mic and play a tape of it in English.
I’m generally not a fan of national anthems. However, I would say that probably the best way to show your allegience would be to actually not sing it in English. The English words are pretty common and most of the country speaks it, so to learn it is not going out of your way that much. To sing it in another language would require at the very least to find out what the words are, and to get the right pronounciation. It seems to me that more work you put in, specifically to learn the song, the more respect you show it. A native Spanish speaker learning the English words would be in my book more diligent than a native English speaker doing so, and vice-versa.
I’m certainly not liberal; however, I have no problem with people singing the National Anthem in any language whatsoever. I think it’s great. “I can utter words in English” is not the message of the song, the words of the song are.
And I fear that the people who have no objection to the song being recited in Sign Language just might be the same people who think “Sign Language is really English.” I know this is anecdotal but I quit counting the number of times I’ve heard that said about Sign Language.
Given just who “The Star-Spangled Banner” commemorates our fightin’ against, maybe we should sing it in any language but English…
“Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution!”
Thanks for all the responses. The comments about the Bible seem very apropos: The view that one can only show sufficient respect to the USA by singing the words in English directly translate (sorry) to the view that to sufficiently respect the Bible it must be read in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic (I may be missing some).
The “no other language” position – especially the “never in Spanish position” – seem to me to driven by anti-Immigrant contempt more than respect for the Anthem or the USA. And how much respect does that show to American ideals?
You’re behind the times. The official lyrics of “La Bandera de Estrellas”.
I think it’s kind of cool. Indeed, I’d be interested in hearing it in other languages long spoken to America- Pennsylvanian Dutch, anyone?
The fact is that we live in a linguistic diverse country- just like most of the countries on this planet. And in huge chunks of America, Spanish was there first. Our strength is not that we are all the same, but that we share a common outlook and a common goal- and I think singing the national anthem in our many languages is an interesting sign of that.
The more languages, the better. If singing the song in their native language makes an immigrant feel more American, everyone wins.
I respectfully disagree. I would far prefer to have the national anthem sung in English. Tensions between French- and English-speakers have bedeviled Canada for a long time; Belgium has similar problems. We are a stronger, more united nation if we share a common tongue rather than slowly become what Theodore Roosevelt called a “polyglot boarding-house.”
Si Senor, but why?
There’s natural born Americans that do speak alot more Spanish then American. I think it’s disrespectful to ideals that make America was founded, and faught for to dictate to other people how they should sing. Free Speech. Allegiance to America is no less valid in Spanish.
Semirelated how would you feel about a Cherokee, Cree, Shawnee, or Inuit version of the anthem? Edit nvm see the question was posed and anwered.