In 1907 Theodore Roosevelt stated, "In the firs place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man becasue of creed, or bitheplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becp,omg om everu facet am American, and nothin but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American Flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.
I feel this say's it all and I work every day with more Spanish then English. I teach them a English word a day and they teach me a Spanish. I tell them that this country is made up of all type's of people, from everywhere and to live here as one nation we need to have a common language to make us one unit. This is not saying that learning another language is bad, it seems to me that any time you can learn something new and something you may use later on down the road in your life time is never bad for anyone.

All this is just an excuse to be rascist.

My grandparents all came by way of Ellis island and they were proud to learn English and American history and become naturalized citizens. What ever happened to the pride of calling yourself n American and speaking the language fluently? My father fought in WWII and was proud to do so, having enlisted even before Pearl harbor. How many illegals would do even that? I get sick of trying to find the English signs on buildings and the English labels on the multinational food cans.
Some government offices are getting carried away, even printing 7 or 8 different languages.
Come to our country, but don't expect us to learn ten different languages to accomodate the immigrants.

I am ashamed of the so called leaders in this United States. It seems to be that the politicians are representing the people that breaks the law. They are constanstly fighting for the rights of the people that has no rights. The english language should be a given and not debated and those politicians who debated should not be re-elected.

I find this issue extremely interesting and horrifically sad! I am an African-American wife and mother who's ancestors were forced into slavery and stripped of their native tongues. WE were forced to learn english as well as adapt to American culture (we will never completely assimilate), but nontheless, we have played the hand we were dealt and have adapted quite well. Our history and heritage is a huge contribution to the history and culture of this country and I would not want to live anywhere else.
Sure we have racial issues in this country and sure we will always be somewhat divided, but we are still Americans! If we had to adapt to the culture of this land, then those who have arrived here by CHOICE should be breaking down doors to learn the language also. This is America! When my husband and I travel to other countries, we do not expect them to cater to our culture! That would be obscene! So how can these illegal immigrants make demands on the American government, when they have no respect for our laws?
I don't object to honest law abiding people coming to America through the proper channels, but when you have over twelve million illegal immigrants entering our country illegally - one might ask, How are they going to behave once they are here?

My grandmother and her siblings learned English in the late 1800s, my father-in-law learned English in the early 1900s not because English was the official language but because they wanted to be Americans and they wanted their children to be Americans. They were immensely proud of their European heritage but prouder still of speaking, even an accented English, and reading and writing it as Americans. A bi- or multi-lingual America could end up as a country divided like Belgium by language.
Mr Fitzgerald's facetious remarks about usage foreign words fails to recognize the great flexibility and beauty of the English language is its ability to absorb words and phrases from even a dead language like Latin into its vocabulary.

We Native First Americans allowed all you foreigners to bring your own language to use, but not to force your tongue upon us. People should be allowed to use the language they most fell comfortable with.

I have seen some silly things, but it should not be necessary to debate that our national language was, is and always shall be, ENGLISH. It was the major tongue since the conception of what is The United States. Not only does English unify America, but English is the language of unfication of the world as well. As long as we are native speakers of English, then we have a major plus in our favour in a modern world that is unified by the speaking of English as a "lingua franca" in all aspects of our daily world.

Secondly, Enlgish is the language of inheritance; whether we have Anglican roots or our forefathers adopted it when they became "Americans" - either way, that was part of every American's inheritance. I can asure you, that every land on this earth, has its own language as its national language, and that if we move there we learn their language, not they ours!

To even think of debating on this is not only un-intelligent at best, but could be bordering on something unpatroitic at worse.

The language base for the USA has been English. Was English the base language for the founding fathers? Did they have to learn English? Were their parents non-English speaking as a primary language?

Are we not bending our own laws to support "immigrants" who broke the law to be here? Are we not a law abiding nation and should we not enforce our laws? Why do we have to "bend over backwards" to support people who should not be in the country in the first place. We have given a lot of support to various non-English speaking people to live in the USA (Spanish, Chinese dialects). What is the basis for doing this.

I think that we should limit the language base to Englsih. All laws should be written in English; all commerce should be conducted in English; etc. That is the common base for us to understand each other. If we do not have a common language base then we will have a lot of misunderstanding and significant problems. If I travel in the USA I should not have to worry about the language that is spoken and if I will be inderstood.

Yes Canada is a bilingual country (French and English) but with a dependency on one part of the country that limits the language that can be spoken. I do not know if China has a national language with its two major variation in Chinese and I do not know how the language base functions within China. Do the leaders all speak Mandarin Chinese or the other major dialect?

I am Native American and our ancesters were forced to abandon our native languages to be assimulated into mainstream white-America. I feel that immigrants should learn English as well. Besides, a person cannot expect to go very far up the social ladder in this world without being able to speak English well. Yes, Engish should be our national language.

The remarkable beauty of the English language is that it is a rich blend of ancient and modern tongues. The words and phrases you mention have been adapted for use within the framework of the English we speak as Americans, so I guess I don't see your point. English, I think, should be our national language because it unites our culture as one, no matter where you or your ancestors came from. I don't care what language people speak within the privacy of their homes or within their communities, but I also don't want language to become a politically devisive issue like it can be in Canada or Belgium. The last great wave of immigrants a century ago seemed to know this instinctively: learning English = a better life. It's time for the new immigrants of this century to learn the same lesson.

I love language and accents but...I can hardly understand the english Texans or southerns say.

MIDDLE AMERICA HAS RIGHTS TOO! MIDDLE AMERICA VOTES TOO!! WE DEMAND ENGLISH BE SPOKEN HERE! AFTER ALL, WE ARE FOOTING THE BILL FOR THE ENTIRE HEMISPHERE!

1) How in the world can anyone come on to this blog and claim that this debate should somehow be secondary to gas prices and/or Iraq?!

Trade in your Hummer H2 if you don't want to pay $85.00 a gallon to top your tank. Better yet, move closer to your workplace in the city where you can witness the demise of the English language in the U.S. right along with our way of life, too.

Too many people who live in gated communities have an opinion about all this. You people don't understand a thing!

2) To those throwing around the "We are Nation of Immigrants" talking point without understanding what that actually means:

This is a nation of laws - first, foremost and above all else. The whole reason the U.S. got to prominence in the world inn the first place is because the people that came here and made it what it is assimilated when they got here. Step 1 in assimilating means speaking the language that is spoken, not trying to replace it with the ones they brought. For Christ's sake are we going to do this again in 20-50 years when the Chinese start exporting their human problems?!

3) For those who would brag (on the internet of all places....) about being able to speak six or eight languages:

The rest of us are really, really proud of you. Now tell the rest of us unenlightened bigots how what YOU can do is at all pertinent to why, after 220 years, we should suddenly accept the Spanish Language as an unifying lingual element of our national identity when MOST of these people weren't here 15 years ago.

Did your parents come from somewhere the people switched freely between six different languages in everyday conversation? Did your mother read six different good night stories, each in a different language, to you while you were in your crib?

Re-read those last statements, please. The debate in Washington is about is about OUR national identity, as opposed to your own personal or achievements. Which are all rendered meaningless if this country eventually fractures by means of the unarmed invasion we are currently suffering.

To all who still see this as a wasteful on the part of Congress, it's only happening because there are a great many who have no intent of assimilating because there is no pressure to do so, and their numbers are massing. Credit our Congress with being, at least somewhat, observant on that point.

As for the person who blogged about the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. You're not helping....So please don't try.

Lastly, Gena. The last time I watched C-SPAN, I didn't see (hear) Dick Durbin or Harry Reid discoursing in Latin to one another or the rest of the Senate. Save those really cute and pithy tricks of logic for the "real" issues in this country. You know, like three dollar-a-gallon gas.

Any one who thinks this is not a problem - doesn't live in a border state. I live in Plano, Texas - a suburb of Dallas. We used to have a Kroger, a Sack & Save and a Brookshires. Now we have a Fiesta, a Carnival and an Ole. The laundry mat is now the Launderia. EVERYTHING around here is in Spanish FIRST! I feel like I woke up one morning and found myself living in MEXICO!!! Sure - it's the land of opportunity - IN ENGLISH!!! People up north don't realize we are LOSING THIS COUNTRY. Mexico has decided to just take back Texas and no body is doing anything to stop them!!!

What's all the fuss over "official english language" ? After listening to a few speaches by our own president... I would think the republicans would drop this issue all together !

Ha.. yeah. Try going into Mexico and demanding they speak english. Not going to happen and you'd be met with more than just a little resistance. It's time to stop this expensive foolishness. Come to America.. learn the language. Same as is expected anywhere else. And as big as any other issue is the expense. What right does anyone have to demand that Americans pay more for their goods, pay more in taxes, be inconvienced and insulted by this continuing mockery.
I can't believe we let this get so out of hand in the first place. But I do feel we have the US companies to thank. They were the first to cave in to this absurd demand. If they opt to continue speakig any language other than english. Let it be their problem. Not the whole nations. And if we're going to cater to one language. Fine.. let it be a freeforall. I demand we cater equally to every single language there is. All government and company recorded messages to be in hundreds of language choices. And all first so nobody has to wait thru the english one that doesn't bother to learn our language. All signs, banners, ads.. everything.. In 'all' the languages. Equality and fairness? There ya have it. Now when when you look at it that way.. the only fair way there could possible be to not hold the people on these shores to one united language.. the whole thing suddenly gets pretty stupid.
Why has spanish been singled out to be the second official language here? How discrimatory is that to people who speak any other language other than english as their first language?
It's wrong. Has been wrong.. is still wrong.
I'm am American.. now. Not always been one. I came (legally and thru the proper channels), I learned and I speak. I resent those that don't respect this country enough to speak its language. Then again, why expect any sort of respect from people that don't even bother to make sure when they cross our borders.. it's done legally.

I guess your an open borders kind of girl, too?? I think it is ridiculous that we have to even have an amendment to law establishing English as our language, and its its even more ridiculous for a Senior Producer to write such a blog.

Being an immigrant (legal) myself I strongly support making English the national language of the US. The heritage of this country must be preserved. Also, it's the only viable option of communicating for people who came here from all over the world.
The argument of 'racism' is ridiculous - language has nothing to do with race.

Nobody in this country speaks "English". In other countries you live with your mother, you don't "stay by my Mama house". Who is "My baby Daddy"? The infant who fathered you? "Pimp my ride"? Send your car out to sell sex for money? Fantabulous? That's a word??
"Oh, that's "slang". So, let's make Slang our national Slanguage. How many meanings can YOU think of for "pot", "pad", "bag", "rag", "flick" and "pig"?
Why don't people learn English? Cough, rough, bough, bought, although and through, just for a few examples. Then there is laughter and daughter, good and food, come and home, comb and bomb, rum and dumb, relieve and receive, ad infinitum(b).Hooked on phonics? Phonics is a joke. Every other world language has pronunciation rules. As you can see from the examples, English has no rules at all.

mr robocop just does not get it. how can we go back to our homeland when this is our homeland. we were here before you were. spanish was spoken in california, colorado, arizona, new mexico, texas. etc etc. etc. we spoke spanish and continue doing it. we did not come to the us, the us came to us, get it.

what a stupid article....no matter what is said in one language {like Latine) in a country {like, lets say, the Netherlands) IT ALWAYS GETS TRANSLATED BACK INTO THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE...

WHAT A STUPID ARTICLE

Get a grip. They have put on the back burner our national security. They are worried illegal immigrant wont get SS benefits even though they are using fradulant documents, not paying taxes, and breaking the law numerous times that a citizen would be go to jail for.

ALL MY FAMILY, ALL MY FRIENDS, ALL MY CO WORKERS...ENGLISH SHOULD BE OUR NATIONAL SPOKEN LANGUAGE...IF A PERSON IS PROUD TO BE HERE, IS PROUD TO FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND GETS A TEAR IN HIS EYE WHEN THE AMERICAN FLAG IS RAISED, THAN LEARN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE !!!!!! GOD BLESS OUR VET'S

Theodore Roosevelt had it right on immigrants and being an American in 1907. He stated ".... Any man that says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people".

And why are all people picking on the Mexicans? Are all illegal and legal immigrants mexicans? Are all mexicans immigrants? Is mexican a race? Do you really think they won't learn English? Are you being racist?

I like what this guy wrote:

"I am sitting here at work, laughing hysterically at all the crap that is flying around the web. Amazing. First, it cracks me up that we actually had to put a bill together and spend time thinking about making English the national language. Maybe Congress is afraid that we will actually be speaking in "American Text Message" if they don't act now. Secondly, it seems that the vast majority of Americans out there seem that "if you come to our country, speak our language!" My absolute favorite one is that "Business and education is conducted in English; people have to be able to speak English in order to stay competitive." Good for you, looking out for everybody.

Well, I have traveled the world - China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Montreal,Canada (you know, the French part), and yes Mexico, just to name a few. The one common thread that every one of these countries have is that every person that I came into contact with spoke.... English. Yes, it is true...they knew my language, I did not know theirs. So, to all the "I want us to speak American" crazed people out there, the rest of the world does speak English (not "American")- between the United States and the UK, we have forced it upon the world. I have no doubt that the Japanese Prime Mminister speaks English...I wonder if George W. speaks Japanese?

And as far as speaking to people around the US...do not be so blind to believe that the "non American speaking" people do not know what you are saying - the rest of the world understands us a lot more than we understand them - they simply don't want to speak to your ignorant, self absorbed, generally uneducated dumb &^%$. Take it personal."