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By Dennis R. Preston
English Professor
I have just read in the Daily O’Collegian that “[a] group of lawmakers … are refiling legislation … to make English the official language of Oklahoma government in an effort to save taxpayer money and help legal immigrants assimilate into American society.”
In another venue the chief sponsor of this legislation, Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, has said that “census data shows that learning to speak English is a near guarantee that immigrants will increase their earning power. This bill will improve the lives of immigrants, foster better relations between all citizens and grow our economy.” Although careful studies in many sites have shown the expense of services in other languages is vastly overestimated, that is not the reason for my response. This initiative presupposes that there are many legal immigrants who do not learn or even want to learn English and that a punitive whip is needed to get them going. Nothing in recent surveys suggests that this is true.
The rapidity and thoroughness of learning English is better in the current climate than it was when many of our grandparents (well, mine) and great-grandparents (probably yours) came to the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Read more…
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 English Only, Rep. Randy Terrill Trackback URL for this entry
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5 Comments
1. mj replies at 3rd February 2009, 8:36 am :
It’s so refreshing when academic-elites lower themselves to comment on what the peasant class deems worthy. This professor is no different than the plantation-owners of today who insist on decrying ANY effort to hasten illegal immigration or modify it in any way. They cloak themselves in their compassion; all the while and usually without any subtlety, display their contempt for the average American and the country which allows them to flourish and succeed.
This guy has obviously never been to areas of Tulsa (or any larger city ) where storefronts are void of ANY communication in English.
The English language is the glue that binds our country together as a nation and should be respected as such.
2. leonar replies at 3rd February 2009, 9:12 am :
Most Oklahomans want English as the official language and I suspect we will see this year’s legislative session make it a reality.
3. Seth Rott replies at 3rd February 2009, 10:08 am :
mj, this bill would do nothing to change what you are seeing in Tulsa storefronts. This bill only effects the State and State agencies. My only fear is, and I hope that there are provisions with in the legislation, to protect Indian languages.
4. MuskogeePolitico replies at 3rd February 2009, 11:51 am :
There are protections for Native American languages in the Terrill/Faught bill, just as there were in their bill year, and in Faught’s bill in 2007.
5. mj replies at 3rd February 2009, 1:48 pm :
I agree about the possible lack of impact to T-
town storefronts but this bill could go along way to promoting a mindset, too. I have seen several local news spots following enactment of HB 1804 lamenting the Hispanic merchants who have seen alot of their clientel disappear.
Encouraging more assimilating via the commonality of language might have helped those same merchants if they had not made the decision to cater to only “their own” vs. the greater population.
Everyone should remember the case of the folks in Bartlesville who have threatened to sue the state because the DL tests were NOT offered in FARSI, for God’s sake! Official English (not ENGLISH ONLY- opponents preference ) would eliminate that from becoming an issue in the future & save taxpayers’ money unlike California which is REQUIRED to print all types of govt’ documents in a host of languages.
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