February 01, 2006
You Know It's a Multicultural City When...
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa responded to President Bush's State of the Union address on Spanish television last night, then made copies of his statement available in English and Korean, LA Observed reports.
This seems as good a time as any to reflect on the importance of a shared language in a democracy. As I wrote recently on Beyond Borders Blog:
All immigrants should learn English.In some circles that statement is politically incorrect, and its adherents are the subject of ridicule. Establishing fluency as a condition of long term legal residency and a prerequisite for citizenship is deemed xenophobic and culturally chauvinistic.
In fact one need not fear foreign looking street signs or resent the sound of foreign tongues in the supermarket line to favor English fluency for all immigrants. I rather enjoy the cacophony of languages you’ll here in urban areas, and I’m saddened when children don’t speak all the languages spoken by their parents.
Yet I understand that democratic republics like ours require a citizenry that participates in elections and political culture. English, the language of our presidential debates, our legislation and our judicial opinions, is surely a prerequisite for meaningful participation in our system of government.
I'm gratified by those Los Angeles area immigrants who care enough about our system of government that they sought responses to it in their native language. Here's hoping that next year, or the year after that, they'll have succeeded in navigating the whole event in English.
Posted by Conor at 02:47 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack