[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]

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.