Public meaning in a professional setting And my bad for using the word "required", how about "encouraged" I'm sorry.

Lol! I think people should be able to speak it and must while at work, but I dont think it's quite necessary for everyone to have to speak it in public.

Yea I guess I mean more like when making use of public services like transportation, eating out etc.

You get your phone fixed? Or are you still slummin' with the flip phone, lol...

New phone comes friday. I cant wait to talk normal again, having only numbers sucks

Yes. But mainly for work and if not have a i dont speak English

Darn right you don't speak english, I can barely understand your comment, lol ;)

I would have to disagree. It would obviously be advantageous for anyone living in the US to speak English but I don't see why it should be a requirement.

You're talking about productive members of society who work, pay taxes and can vote. The United States is an ethnically and culturally diverse country. While English is obviously the most commonly spoken language in the US you don't even have an official national language. Regardless, I don't believe that any country should have the right to dictate what language people should be speaking in public.

Lol

Why not Apache? Or how about Spanish. You know, the language first spoken in America by the Europeans.

The Spaniards spoke Spanish yes. But you're right about Apache, Europeans should have learned the language of the land they were inhabiting. That's how it is in other countries. If you want to move to Germany you have to learn German. I don't think they have the option press 1 for English. When I visited my home country you had to use their language anytime you stepped out your door.

Personally I think you are being horribly selfish like so many others in this country of emigrants. Be like us! Stop making us feel uncomfortable!

I will be in China next month, should I have to learn Mandarin first? And have you been to Germany? Most of them speak English and better than most Americans I know. You live in California right? They spoke Spanish long before they spoke English. How do you get to tell them they're wrong?

Yes, when you try to order fast food in California, you SHOULD have to know Spanish...

did you mean immigrants? which I am. I am an emigrant of Central America but an immigrant to the US. there's no right or wrong way to speak. goodness, how many languages are there, just spoken in one US city? I think if you're hired, if you want to be a citizen, live in the US long term, raise a family here, it would be more beneficial as an immigrant as well as to people born here to be able to speak English. I'm not uncomfortable with other languages, (except when I'm with my in-laws and they decide to have a party and speak only Igbo and I'm left sitting by myself awkward as ever because I can't understand anything, or the time I was struggling to carry 5 heavy bags and manage 4 children in a busy airport and asked some ladies for help and they totally blew me off pretending to not comprehend my plight even though I'm sure they understood my broken spanish. ayudar por favor?) I love the diversity of this country. But I think sometimes the disrespect can go both ways when a group of foreigners chooses to live in their own little bubble to the exclusion of English speakers)

You know who learns English when they come here? The Children.

But thinking you are being inconvenienced because you have to press one is a first world problem if there ever was one.

Where did I say that was an inconvenience? no where. I was simply pointing out that seems to be unique to the US. When I traveled to Honduras, there were no options in English, I couldn't buy a coffee in English, . If you were to make a phone call outside of the US do they have those options? Please let me know when you go to China. Again Please read all my comments and the title of my post, I'm not anti Spanish I'm not anti immigration, (I am an immigrant, who was uprooted from my country do you know what that's like?) Please stop judging me, Its an imgflip meme for crying out loud.

ok, hold up. First off read my comment to Borderline above. I'm an immigrant, I did not speak english when I came here, I was forced to be like everyone else and speak english and lost my native tongue. That is not what I'm talking about. I said if you LIVE and WORK in this country expect to benefit from it's resources, make use of its public facilities then you should have some grasp of the english language. VISITING (like you are going to China on a business trip) is not the same as moving to a country. I'm not saying throw away all your homeland traditions and isolate yourself from everything you know and love and wholeheartedly embrace the American Way. Let me tell you the backstory to this post. My daughter was attending a preschool in which the teacher's aide could not speak a word of english beyond hi, or bye. Every day when I went to pick her up from school I couldn't ask her about my daughter's day, I couldn't ask if I needed to bring anything for the next day, if there was homework. I could only wave to her. Now that made me uncomfortable because what was I to expect would happen in something like an emergency entrusting my child to someone who couldnt' even communicate with her or me? That's what I'm talking about. In a professional setting where english is the primary language there is a bare minimum you should be able to communicate. (I'm from Texas, originally part of Mexico and primarily spanish speaking)

I cant really agree with that. I mean, I see what your saying, and I can understand, but lots of people dont know English because of immigration/families. Heck, the only reason I know English is cuz I was forced to do it when I was 4! If that hadn't happened, I dont think I'd be as fluent as I am now.

My native language is spanish and i was also forced to learn english at 4 but to the end result of losing my native tongue entirely. Which is really unfortunate. I am not saying people should not be able to speak any language they wish home, private school or church but out in public especially in government run facilities speak the common language. Do you believe you are better off speaking more than one language? I sure wish I could.

I'm not a "shrink" or close to it...but I think you might be harbouring the pain from the loss of your native culture & language And possibly have some resentment ...which would be understandable ..just from a humanistic point of view. Those underlying feelings may be coloring your view on others speaking

you may be right. I do resent that I pretty much had to forget where I came from including my language and only 20 years later as an adult was able to revisit my homeland and my people. So I'm not saying one culture is better than other but can't a person adopt both the land they're living in and the land they're from and still keep their identity? If you want to be an American, speak our language as well as yours. I guess I'm the only one who thinks this way.

No, you're not the only one.

See below:
Speak Both when and where you like.
TEACH BOTH. Or at least offer commonly used ones AND English from PRESCHOOL age.
It's a slippery slope to tell ppl where & when to speak a language.
You have toddlers...perfect time to re-learn your native tongue (Catillion Spanish? ) WITH your children.

caveat: let's not pretend or ignore the fact that some employers NEED their employees to speak English to communicate with their customers for safety reasons...which goes back to your backstory.
But, How come you didnt ask to speak with the teacher when the teacher's aide couldn't communicate?

the teachers aide was the only one with the children when I would pick them up. Most of the main teachers have left the building by then.

I understand. You should have someone who can communicate with you.

their native tongue.
America is unique from all other countries because it is a land of immigrants ...its a real tragedy when anyone anywhere is forced to speak only one language ..muchless in,the land of immigrants.
What should likely be happening in the country (that happens in many other countries) that's not ..is learning Two languages from age 2 ... so Both those that are here and those that come here can be bilingual AND maintain their cross cultural identities.
It would bring more of us together and pull us out of isolationism and what was once termed "the ugly Americans" fixation on all things western..including the English language.
I wish we would invest in training that promotes the beauty of diversity rather than,the beauty of assimilation.

I see color AND language because our differences are just as beautiful as our similarities... the difference just get assigned negative connotations often by a dominant culture

Well, to answer your question, I do think Im better off, but have you heard of the lawyer in a Mexican restaurant scandal/issue a few years back?

perhaps "required" is too strong a word except for like a job. encouraged maybe?

and 10 years sentence of diagramming sentences watching nothing but Schoolhouse rock. That will teach 'em! Mwahahaha! just kidding, seriously did no one read the title of this? You all make me sound like some English only tyrant.

With beatings. Numerous beatings.