87% Say English Should Be U.S. Official Language

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State example:


SOUTH CAROLINA (1987)
S.C. Code Ann. § 1-1-(696-698)
§ 1-1-696. Official State language.
The English language is the official language of the state of South Carolina.
§ 1-1-697. Use of language other than English prohibited.
Neither this state nor any political subdivision thereof shall require, by law, ordinance, regulation, order, decree, program, or policy, the use of any language other than English; provided, however, that nothing in this act shall prohibit a state agency or a political subdivision of the state from requiring an applicant to have certain degrees of knowledge of a foreign language as a condition of employment where appropriate.
§ 1-1-698. Exceptions to prohibition against use of language other than English.
This act does not prohibit any law, ordinance, regulation, order, decree program, or policy requiring educational instruction in a language other than English for the purpose of making students who use a language other than English proficient in English or making students proficient in a language in addition to English.
 
Yes, and Hawaii has two official languages. ;) The only state to have two.
 
Another example:

South Carolina General Assembly
118th Session, 2009-2010

S. 3

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators McConnell, Rose, O'Dell, Bryant, Shoopman, Elliott, S. Martin and Bright
Document Path: l:\s-jud\bills\mcconnell\jud0014.pl.docx
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3771

Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2009
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Summary: English only

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date Body Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/10/2008 Senate Prefiled
12/10/2008 Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary
1/13/2009 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-73
1/13/2009 Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-73

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

12/10/2008


A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 1-1-696, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE STATE'S OFFICIAL LANGUAGE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT AFTER JULY 1, 2009, ALL STATE AGENCIES AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS OF THE STATE SHALL OFFER ALL SERVICES, PUBLICATIONS, PRINTED, AUDIO AND VIDEO MATERIALS, AND TEST IN AN ENGLISH-ONLY FORMAT, UNLESS OTHERWISE REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW OR REGULATION, AND TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 1-1-696 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 1-1-696. (A) The English language is the official language of the State of South Carolina.

(B) Except as provided for in Section 1-1-698, after July 1, 2008, all state agencies and political subdivisions of the State shall offer all services, publications, tests, and any other material, whether in printed, audio, or video format, only in an English language format unless otherwise required by federal law or regulation, or as provided for in subsection (C).

(C) State agencies and political subdivisions of the State may offer services, publications, tests, and any other material, whether in printed, audio, or video format, in a language other than the English language when prepared or offered:

(1) by public libraries, schools, or institutions of higher learning to meet the academic or other purposes of their missions;

(2) to protect the health or safety of any person;

(3) to promote trade, tourism, or commerce;

(4) to use proper names, terms of art, or phrases from languages other than the English language;

(5) to protect the rights of victims of crime or criminal defendants; or

(6) by the South Carolina Educational Television Network (ETV) for educational purposes only."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on Monday, November 23, 2009 at 2:37 P.M.


2009-2010 Bill 3: English only - South Carolina Legislature Online
 
kokonut said:
I see nothing but English here.

:)

Except that Txgolfer need to stop what he's taking. How's your head?
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Pero mucho gente aqui pueden hablar espanol tambien.

Most people here speak at least one language besides English, whether it is ASL, BSL, Spanish, or.....

I do not believe the US needs to declare an "official" language. We are doing just fine as we are.
 
Well to be fair... when most country have an "official" language... it's usually focused on the written language, not the spoken language for simplifying legal documents.
 
Jiro said:
did they count my vote?
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Obviously not. That is why polls are so unreliable. What the title should say is "86% of those responding to the poll". That is a very different number from 86% of the residents of the United States.
 
Berry said:
If we are going to have an official language then that Language should be as American as we are. It should be a language that grew up and developed with, in, and alongside the American culture.

Only one language fits that description: American Sign Language.
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American Sign Language is a language of its own and doesn't follow the syntax of standard English.

ASL is called "American Sign Language" because it was invented in America.
 
In 30 states within the USA, English IS the official language. Are those of you against English as the official language wanting some other language to be the official language? Or are you just saying there is no need for an official language?
 
United States - No official language nationwide, English is the de facto but not the de jure official language (at the federal level).
English (official, in Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming)
English (de facto, in Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, District of Columbia )
Source: List of official languages by state
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rockdrummer said:
In 30 states within the USA, English IS the official language. Are those of you against English as the official language wanting some other language to be the official language? Or are you just saying there is no need for an official language?
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Based on the fact that this country has always taken great pride in identifying itself as "The Great Melting Pot", along with several other prideful statements regarding tolerance and acceptance, why should we need any language to be declared "official". It's a bit hypocritical to what America has always taken pride in, wouldn't you say?
 
rockdrummer said:
United States - No official language nationwide, English is the de facto but not the de jure official language (at the federal level).
Click to expand...

I think it'd be a whole lot easier to declare it nationally that the U.S. official language is English.
 
"The Great Melting Pot" means that people from a variety of countries, with a variety of languages and cultures, can be mixed together and melted into a unique culture called "American." The American culture includes the American English language.
 
kokonut said:
I think it'd be a whole lot easier to declare it nationally that the U.S. official language is English.
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Again, why is that necessary, and isn't it hypocritical based on the stance that this country has always taken on immigration? Might want to take a trip and check out the Statue of Liberty. In particular, pay attention to the wording on the plaque there, Mr. Patriot.
 
English. let's go.
 
Reba said:
"The Great Melting Pot" means that people from a variety of countries, with a variety of languages and cultures, can be mixed together and melted into a unique culture called "American." The American culture includes the American English language.
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Nope. What you are referring to is a sociological concepts that presumes when one enters another country, one gives up their native culture and language. It is called assimilation.
 
Wirelessly posted

jillio said:
rockdrummer said:
In 30 states within the USA, English IS the official language. Are those of you against English as the official language wanting some other language to be the official language? Or are you just saying there is no need for an official language?
Click to expand...

Based on the fact that this country has always taken great pride in identifying itself as "The Great Melting Pot", along with several other prideful statements regarding tolerance and acceptance, why should we need any language to be declared "official". It's a bit hypocritical to what America has always taken pride in, wouldn't you say?
Click to expand...

I rather take pride in a cultural mosiac than a melting pot.
 
jillio said:
Nope. What you are referring to is a sociological concepts that presumes when one enters another country, one gives up their native culture and language. It is called assimilation.
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The Great Melting Pot is assimilation. That's what one is supposed to do when adopting a new home land.
 
souggy said:
Wirelessly posted



I rather take pride in a cultural mosiac than a melting pot.
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As would I, dear souggy, as would I. Shame that some don't seem to see the life enriching benefits of such.:wave:
 
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