Univision and The Republican Debate In Spanish (Don't Press One For English)

December 8, 2007 | ED

[Clemenza]

When I was in Spain, it was "Press 2 for English." The ATMs over there came in eight different languages, and Sevilla was nice enough to put English names under the street signs in center city.

It is a new world folks.

[kabar]

The Hispanic Challenge By Samuel P. Huntington

"The persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages. Unlike past immigrant groups, Mexicans and other Latinos have not assimilated into mainstream U.S. culture, forming instead their own political and linguistic enclaves—from Los Angeles to Miami—and rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream. The United States ignores this challenge at its peril."

"In the debates over language policy, the late California Republican Senator S.I. Hayakawa once highlighted the unique role of Hispanics in opposing English. “Why is it that no Filipinos, no Koreans object to making English the official language? No Japanese have done so. And certainly not the Vietnamese, who are so damn happy to be here. They're learning English as fast as they can and winning spelling bees all across the country. But the Hispanics alone have maintained there is a problem. There [has been] considerable movement to make Spanish the second official language.”

"If the spread of Spanish as the United States' second language continues, it could, in due course, have significant consequences in politics and government. In many states, those aspiring to political office might have to be fluent in both languages. Bilingual candidates for president and elected federal positions would have an advantage over English-only speakers. If dual-language education becomes prevalent in elementary and secondary schools, teachers will increasingly be expected to be bilingual. Government documents and forms could routinely be published in both languages. The use of both languages could become acceptable in congressional hearings and debates and in the general conduct of government business. Because most of those whose first language is Spanish will also probably have some fluency in English, English speakers lacking fluency in Spanish are likely to be and feel at a disadvantage in the competition for jobs, promotions, and contracts.

"In 1917, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt said: “We must have but one flag. We must also have but one language. That must be the language of the Declaration of Independence, of Washington's Farewell address, of Lincoln's Gettysburg speech and second inaugural.” By contrast, in June 2000, U.S. president Bill Clinton said, “I hope very much that I'm the last president in American history who can't speak Spanish.” And in May 2001, President Bush celebrated Mexico's Cinco de Mayo national holiday by inaugurating the practice of broadcasting the weekly presidential radio address to the American people in both English and Spanish. In September 2003, one of the first debates among the Democratic Party's presidential candidates also took place in both English and Spanish. Despite the opposition of large majorities of Americans, Spanish is joining the language of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, and the Kennedys as the language of the United States. If this trend continues, the cultural division between Hispanics and Anglos could replace the racial division between blacks and whites as the most serious cleavage in U.S. society.

[kabar]

When I was in Spain, it was "Press 2 for English." The ATMs over there came in eight different languages, and Sevilla was nice enough to put English names under the street signs in center city. It is a new world folks.

English has become essentially the world's second language. Due to tourism and the EU, Europe has been using English in airports, train stations, banks, shops, restaurants, etc. This is nothing new. You can find similar things in Japan, the Middle East, etc. Re the US, the real question is whether English should be the sole official language and how much should we accommodate Spanish language speakers. Commerically, most of our grocery store items have directions in English and Spanish. The same holds true for banks, phone companies, airlines, etc. Local governments also are making available Spanish language access to services, inquiries etc. In some places, fire and police departments pay more to people who are bilingual.

By 2050, one in four residents of this country will be Hispanic. It is not inconceivable to believe that Spanish will become an official language of the US by that time. How this will effect assimilation and a sense of national identity remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that we are heading that way. It is a new country folks.