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 #2 (permalink) Mon Nov 17, 2008 15:58 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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| Hey Mr Smart Guy, are you trying to kid us? Any fool knows that English is the official language of the US. Next thing you'll ask us how many states the States has. Can't you come up with something smarter? |
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 WhiteRussian
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| #3 (permalink) Mon Nov 17, 2008 17:27 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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Actually, Cookie, it's a trick question. There is no official language of the U.S., unfortunately. Joke's on you.
There is some push to implement one, but it's not a widespread movement nor does it have much momentum.
As a result, I have to push '1' to choose English, instead of having English as the default choice. This really pisses me off every time I use an ATM, an automatic scanner, make a phone call, read the school announcements, etc.
I see signs and services provided in Spanish that aren't correspondingly provided in English. No wonder our Hispanic immigrants often don't bother to learn English. Why should they, there's little incentive, as almost everything is provided to them in Spanish.
How long, I wonder, until the Citizenship exam is given in languages other than English? It's the sole bastion of 'English only', so I doubt it'll be long before there's a bunch of lawsuits brought forth claiming that it's discriminatory to make people take the citizenship test in English, since English isn't the official language.
Something just doesn't smell quite right about all this...
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Skrej
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| #4 (permalink) Mon Nov 17, 2008 19:50 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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| Cookie wrote: |
| Next thing you'll ask us how many states the States has. |
That would be just as seemingly obvious a question, Cookie. Having spent 18 years in Germany, I can tell you that many Europeans think they know the answer to that question for sure, but don't. :wink:
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Yankee
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| #5 (permalink) Mon Nov 17, 2008 20:34 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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The US does not have an official language. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_United_States
In California, you can request your voting ballot or driving test booklet to be in just about any language. Interestingly enough, California's official language is English (since 1986). Unlike Skrej, I like diversity. I don't mind signs in other languages...it's fascinating. |
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Diverhank
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| #6 (permalink) Mon Nov 17, 2008 22:43 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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America is as the country very very special and for foreigners in general just hard case to follow or to understand ,in many situations it would be a reason why so many people feel to be alienated by USA.
About English in States Texas , I heard about one high rank politician , that she has tried to force local kids in kindergarden (Spanish spoken children) to use only English, as I am remembered it was under some kind of the forcefully implemented law ,one of her arguments was that if English was good for baby Jesus than would be good enough for Mexican kids.
Just in case if some of our natives couldn't find anything strange in this.
Jesus never had even a chance to know anything about English.
The language nationalism is just danger whenever and certainly America is not free of these problems.Only Esperanto will grant all of us the eternal linguistic joy.
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Jan
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| #7 (permalink) Mon Nov 17, 2008 22:53 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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| Yankee wrote: |
Having spent 18 years in Germany, I can tell you that many Europeans think they know the answer to that question for sure, but don't. :wink:
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Hi Amy, yesterday you missed an interview on the radio where the guests were asked to explain the term: USA. Imagine one of their answers was: "Universal States ÄHHH..." :shock:
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Foah
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| #8 (permalink) Mon Nov 17, 2008 23:41 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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| Fan Of Arabian Horses wrote: |
| "Universal States ÄHHH..." :shock: |
Hehe. People say the darnedest things sometimes, don't they? :D
Some of the cities in Germany are considered to be the equivalent of "states" (Bundesländer), aren't they? How many "city states" does Germany have?
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Yankee
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| #9 (permalink) Tue Nov 18, 2008 14:03 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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| Skrej wrote: |
Actually, Cookie, it's a trick question. There is no official language of the U.S., unfortunately. Joke's on you.
As a result, I have to push '1' to choose English, instead of having English as the default choice. This really pisses me off every time I use an ATM, an automatic scanner, make a phone call, read the school announcements, etc. |
Hello Skrej! Joke's on me fine by me. But why do you want English is your official language when you are not English? You are American, are you not? Why don't you have your own language when you have your own constituation and are an independent country? |
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WhiteRussian
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| #10 (permalink) Tue Nov 18, 2008 15:17 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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| Yankee wrote: |
Some of the cities in Germany are considered to be the equivalent of "states" (Bundesländer), aren't they? How many "city states" does Germany have?
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Hi Amy,
in some way, I can´t resist the feeling you´re trying to pull my leg, aren´t you? :lol:
Two of the German city states are Hamburg and Bremen located at the North Sea, two of the so called " Freie Hansestädte". The 3rd former "Freie Hansestadt" is Rostock (Baltic Sea) which don´t have an independent state yet.
Another city state is Berlin. And here you were about to catch me. :wink: But before the German Reunion it had been a city state of the FRG. I didn´t know for sure whether Berlin kept that state after the reunion in 1990. Wikipedia suggests Berlin did.
Good you asked :wink:
Michael :lol:
By the way, the license numbers start with HH for (Hansestadt Hamburg), HB for (Hansestadt Bremen), HRO for (Hansestadt Rostock).
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Foah
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| #11 (permalink) Tue Nov 18, 2008 15:29 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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| Fan Of Arabian Horses wrote: |
| Another city state is Berlin. And here you were about to catch me. :wink: |
Hi Michael
I wasn't trying to pull your leg or "catch" you. :)
Actually, I was thinking about the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), which has a special status here in the US. It is not a state, nor is it considered to be part of Virginia or Maryland.
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Yankee
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| #12 (permalink) Tue Nov 18, 2008 15:41 pm What is the official language of the USA? |
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Amy, in that case I apologize for suspecting you! :oops:
What exactly does the Suffix D.C. mean? And is Washington D.C. situated straight on the border between two states or is it having the state of an enclave?
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Foah
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| #13 (permalink) Tue Nov 18, 2008 16:01 pm What is the official language of the USA? |
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| Fan Of Arabian Horses wrote: |
| What exactly does the Suffix D.C. mean? |
I guess I edited my previous post while you were writing your question. It means "District of Columbia".
| Fan Of Arabian Horses wrote: |
| And is Washington D.C. situated straight on the border between two states or is it having the state of an enclave? |
Physically, it is "in" or surrounded mainly by Maryland. Wikipedia describes it this way: "Washington is therefore surrounded by the states of Maryland to the southeast, northeast, and northwest and Virginia to the southwest."
Washington DC is different from a US state in many ways -- including voting rights, for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_voting_rights
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Yankee
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| #14 (permalink) Tue Nov 18, 2008 16:42 pm What is the official language of the USA |
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| Cookie wrote: |
| Why don't you have your own language when you have your own constituation and are an independent country? |
We do have our own language, Cookie. It's a North American version of English, and it has a few characteristics that are different from the current British version of English. There are some Brits who are unhappy about the fact that ever since the British colonizers deposited English in North America, we have stubbornly continued to refer to it as "English". :lol: Here is a quote from one very "open-minded" Brit by the name of H.W. Fowler:
"Americanisms are foreign words, and should be so treated."
:?
By the way, as far as I know, English does not have a legal/constitutional status as "the official language" in Britain, either.
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Yankee
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| #15 (permalink) Wed Nov 19, 2008 21:39 pm What is the official language of the USA? |
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Hi Amy,
seems Virginia don´t have any right to require any piece of D.C. -since its property was retroceded in 1846- unless possibly a small piece of land close to Capitol Hill, the White House and the Supreme Court building.
By the way, do you think DC residents were happy to have a new Prez? I can imagine what they expect from Mr. Obama now. :idea:
Is it rude to use the abbreviation "Prez" when one come to speak about the certain person?
liked to read from you
Michael
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