Arizona referendum makes English the states official language.

[Balbi]

Another result from yesterdays polling day, Arizona makes English the states official language.

I expect the dictionaries in the State to be putting the U back into color and referring to all fawcetts as taps from now on.

 

[snorbury]

I say........ what splendid news.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Joder.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

By the time...

 

[Crispy]

This is to pre-empt any attempt at daul language status isn;t it? (eng + spa)

 

[guinnessdrinker]

Maybe we should have one in England. In the Observer yesterday, page 6 of the news section, first sentence of column 2: "Judges will have to use American-style language when handing down sentences"

 

[TomUS]

It's an excellent idea. Half of the Hispanics in Arizona think so to. It should be a national law. To get any kind of decent job in the US, you have to know English.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1109off-english-ON.html

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

You forgot the other ballot initiative in Arizona: a gay marriage ban. Which failed.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

By the time...

Speaking of which.... Flavor of Love 2 started yesterday. One girl who was wearing a ball gown and no underwear shit herself on the staircase. Another got her head banged agaist a wall by a girl upset with the bed assignments.

Quality tv.

 

[TAE]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-08-official-english_x.htm

I thought english was already the official language.

 

[JHE]

I thought english was already the official language.

Until recently it wasn't thought necessary to declare English the official language.

 

[bluestreak]

You forgot the other ballot initiative in Arizona: a gay marriage ban. Which failed.

which is far more important. *applauds*

 

[lostexpectation]

It's an excellent idea. Half of the Hispanics in Arizona think so to. It should be a national law. To get any kind of decent job in the US, you have to know English.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1109off-english-ON.html

god bless those minute men stood outside polling places with guns, asking nicely if people spoke english...

 

[JHE]

Joder.

I'm sure you know that where you live there is an official language. In Aragon, and in much of Spain, Castilian is the only official language.

Does that make you exclaim 'Fuck'?

It doesn't me. I think it's perfectly sensible.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

I'm sure you know that where you live there is an official language. In Aragon, and in much of Spain, Castilian is the only official language.

Mmmm. "Much". But not in parts of Spain with substantial minorities (or more) who speak another language.

 

[JHE]

Mmmm. "Much". But not in parts of Spain with substantial minorities (or more) who speak another language.

Galician in Galicia
Basque in the Basque Country & in Navarra
Catalan (varieties thereof) in Catalonia, the Valencian Community & the Balearic Islands

Castilian throughout, though some Catalanistas & Basque Nats would like to change that.

Neither English nor Arabic are official languages anywhere in Spain - and I wouldn't want them to be. Would you?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Neither English nor Arabic are official languages anywhere in Spain - and I wouldn't want them to be. Would you?

I don't see the relevance to my point.

 

[JHE]

I don't see the relevance to my point.

Your point being "Joder"? Joder...



There are many (and an increasing number of) people in Spain who speak English or Arabic.

Should English or Arabic acquire the same status as the existing official languages?

 

[chilango]

For the record....

There is a spanish speaking population in arizona that was there prior to its conquest by the USA...the hispanics in arizona starting immigrating there way back in the 1500s before the USA even existed.

Equally many of the more recent immigrants from Mexico are from indigenous groups who are related to indigenous groups within the US... the comanche for example lived on both sides of the border.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

There is not really a substantial minority of people for whom either English or Arabic is a first language and who might therefore reasonably aspire to have that fact recognised in statute. The comparison is inapt.

 

[chilango]

...and in mexican spanish its "Chingar" not "Joder"...

(Chingar containing a reference to the raping by the conquistadors)

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Apparently I have to avoid "coger" too, right?

 

[chilango]

No we were using that this morning...although it turns out there seems to be no equivalnet to "bell end" sadly...

 

[JHE]

There is not really a substantial minority of people for whom either English or Arabic a first language...

You think not? You don't get around much, do you?

 

[JHE]

No we were using that this morning...although it turns out there seems to be no equivalnet to "bell end" sadly...

Gilipollas

(The word, not you)

 

[Donna Ferentes]

You think not? You don't get around much, do you?

No I don't, but if you have figures to demonstrate otherwise I'd be glad to see them.

 

[chilango]

what for bell end?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

If anybody can find figures, by the way, for the proportion of Arizona residents who are Spanish speakers, it'd be interesting to see them.

 

[chilango]

Note the position of the border....

 

[Donna Ferentes]

In the US as a whole it's 11% according to the CIA. I'd hazard a guess that it was rather higher than that in Arizona.