Dallas cop issues ticket for not speaking English

[tricky_ab]

Dallas police ticketed 39 drivers in 3 years for not speaking English | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/DN-citations_23met.ART.State.Edition2.4bac015.html?nT ar=OPUR)

Dallas police wrongly ticketed at least 39 drivers for not speaking English over the last three years, Police Chief David Kunkle announced Friday while promising to investigate all officers involved in the cases for dereliction of duty.
Pending cases will be dismissed, and those who paid the $204 fine for the charge, which does not exist in the city, will be reimbursed, Kunkle said.
"I was surprised and stunned that that would happen, particularly in the city of Dallas," Kunkle said. "In my world, you would never tell someone not to speak Spanish."
The citations were issued in several different patrol divisions by at least six different officers. One of those officers was responsible for five of the citations, Kunkle said.
The case that led to the discovery of all the others occurred Oct. 2, when Ernestina Mondragon was stopped for making an illegal U-turn in the White Rock area. Rookie Officer Gary Bromley cited Mondragon for three violations: disregarding a traffic control device, failure to present a driver's license and "non-English speaking driver."
In that case and perhaps the others, officials said, the officer was confused by a pull-down menu on his in-car computer that listed the charge as an option. But the law the computer referred to is a federal statute regarding commercial drivers that Kunkle said his department does not enforce.
Bromley, 33, is a trainee officer in the northeast patrol division, meaning he still works with a training officer during every shift. His training officer on that day was Senior Cpl. Daniel Larkin, 53.
According to department policy, a sergeant must also sign off on all citations. The supervisor who signed off on the Mondragon ticket was Sgt. David Burroughs, 50.


Hopefully, this thread won't turn into some ridiculous argument over whether or not English should be the official language as those conversations always suck and there's no actual way to win.

[HyperTek]

Cop of the year!!


im sorry guys lol

[Chernobyl]

Hopefully, this thread won't turn into some ridiculous argument over whether or not English should be the official language as those conversations always suck and there's no actual way to win.

Then why did you make the thread? You know that's what will happen. Troll.

[tricky_ab]

Nah I posted it as I thought it was kinda a dick move from the cops...

EDIT:

If you have a driver's license, then you should know how to read the signs. If you don't then there is something wrong with the DMV giving the exam. As long as you can read the signs, and know the rules of the road.. i don't see why english should be mandated.

[!Zar!]

http://cdn2.knowyourmeme.com/i/3088/original/English_Motherfucker_Do_You_Speak_It.jpg

[BoostedCoupe]

come to a country where english is the language then speak it. And i with hypertex i vote him cop of the year, more cops should step up and do this.

[Touge Noob S13]

As the Hispanic voice in this thread I would have to agree with what the cop did. Im sick of all these people living here and not even being able to communicate. I used to work at a hotel in the housekeeping department and all the housekeeping ladies would always call me or my co-workers to translate what the "gringo" hotel guests would ask them.

[S14DB]

It's a DOT requirement for Commercial drivers. Unless they have a CDL it's unenforceable.

The question is why are they doing this?
Discriminating against people that don't speak English?
Padding their ticket book?
Ignorant of the laws they enforce?

[borracho]

chinge su madre pinches chotas!!!

[HyperTek]

nah i think its serious.. those people could be faking just so they can try to get off easy by the cop who doesnt know the language. What if these people get into car accidents? they wont be able to exchange information because they dont know how. At least attempt to learn some english, even little english is better than no english.

[articdragon192]

Just because there is a language barrier doesn't mean there's a common sense barrier.

[Genovese.Jr]

lmao ..........

[Persona]

I'm all for diversity, but in a nation thats population generally speaks english, learn it.

I hate playing sign language with people that dont even try to speak english, or refuse.

[sidewaysil80]

in america the language is english...if you cant speak it learn it... how the hell can you pass an ENGLISH driver license test and not speak english...WTF!? and yes, road signs/highway signs/alert signs/etc. are all in english. so yeah, their is a legimate reason why you need to be able to speak/understand the american language. and again, that goes into the argument of how can you communicate after an accident to exchange info or how is a cop supposed to communicate with you if you cant speak english!

[Chernobyl]

in america the language is english...

There is no official language in the USA. Therein lies the problem.

I do agree that immigrants should make an effort to learn English.

[Brian]

Well, at least the other citations still stand.

also, I found these stickers while in Wisconsin... they sort of apply to this thread.
enjoy.
http://bhworld.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/10110922221.jpg

[jdm538]

i learned spanish from the corn man.

i love mayonnaise with corn and round chip things with hot suace and lemon. mmmmmmmmm...

[ayuaddict]

haha i would like the Illegal immigrant hunting permit.

[blasting_speed]

in america the language is english...if you cant speak it learn it... how the hell can you pass an ENGLISH driver license test and not speak english...WTF!? and yes, road signs/highway signs/alert signs/etc. are all in english.

Thank you sir. I couldn't of said it better myself.

+1 rep for you.

[!Zar!]

Last I checked the English came over here and started forcing their language on others.

If anything, the real official language would be Spanish. As for not speaking any English, I remember last time I went to the DMV this one person got a test in Spanish as well as a tape and headsets to listen to the questions. I found that interesting.

[yokotas13]

stfu
whatever it should be, its not
Its english. deal with it or leave

[Bubbles]

Cop of the year!!




...................

[g6civcx]

Question for people who were born in America: do you feel you have a stronger command of American English (as defined by commonly accepted grammar textbooks) than the average immigrant?

[Team DET]

chinge su madre pinches chotas!!!
lol...........

[Bubbles]

The average immigrant doesn't have what I would call a command of the English language.

So yes.

[yokotas13]

Question for people who were born in America: do you feel you have a stronger command of American English (as defined by commonly accepted grammar textbooks) than the average immigrant?
I do, but i know many that do not. I know some immigrants that have fantastic english. But i know a large number more that do not.

Its like going to another country. When im here in japan, i don't expect them to speak english. I carry around a dictionary on my phone, and have been learning the language so im not that kind of person.

[Matej]

As a non-citizen resident, it is painful to see illegal immigrants getting all kinds of government help, and even scholarships. I am pretty sure it is easier to live in the US as an illegal immigrant, than a foreigner living here legally.
And English is one of the easiest languages to learn. It should not take anyone more than a few months to be able to communicate in it. They should deport anyone who has made no effort to learn English after living here for a year back to wherever they came from. No mercy. There are dictionaries, books, classes, audio lessons, internet lessons, and countless helpful tools for the native speaker of virtually any language who would like to learn English.
It is ridiculous that people are even able to obtain a driver's license without being able to speak English in the first place.

[SR_Vlurs]

Last I checked the English came over here and started forcing their language on others.

If anything, the real official language would be Spanish..

QFT i agree with that

[ranger240]

why should it be spanish? didnt the Spaniards come over here and started to force their language on others??

lets bring it back to whatever dead language the mayans spoke.. o wait, they forced their language upon others unjustly...

shit.. lets just all stfu.. its the only way to keep things fair :cry: and protect people who cannot/refuse to adapt.


2 weeks in denmark and i was trying/starting to learn danish wtf

[ranger240]

Ernestina Mondragon was stopped for making an illegal U-turn in the White Rock area. Rookie Officer Gary Bromley cited Mondragon for three violations: disregarding a traffic control device, failure to present a driver's license and "non-English speaking driver."

In that case and perhaps the others, officials said, the officer was confused by a pull-down menu on his in-car computer that listed the charge as an option. But the law the computer referred to is a federal statute regarding commercial drivers that Kunkle said his department does not enforce.

http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/content33998.aspx
If you go on to read more of Chapter 521 you will find that it notes that being cited for a first time offense of driving without a license in TX you will get a fine of up to $200. This section of Texas law does go on to show that if you continue to drive without a license and get cited the penalties get more severe for instance being convicted for a third time of this offense can get you a fine of up to $500 and confinement in the county jail for not less than 72 hours or more than six months.



Hemmmm that doesnt seem at all unreasonable to me.. getting a $206 fine for pulling a u-turn and driving w/o a license

[articdragon192]

Thank you sir. I couldn't of said it better myself.

+1 rep for you.

They actually give DMV written exams in Spanish here in California if requested, as well as a Spanish instructor for taking the driving exam.

[SR_Vlurs]

its not unreasonable to give a ticket for $206 for u-turn and driving without a license but that's not the reason this thread was created so that doesn't really matter much now does it

[ranger240]

its not unreasonable to give a ticket for $206 for u-turn and driving without a license but that's not the reason this thread was created so that doesn't really matter much now does it

youre right, the real question is, what language we should be speaking..

the answer is

:trogdor:ENGLISH:trogdor:


take zilvia for instance.. we dont take too kindly when those silly french Canadians speaking in that sissy french tongue...


:trogdor:ENGLISH FTW :trogdor:

[jdm538]

i took 4 years of french in highschool..

sadly no one uses it here so i lost it all.

[murda-c]

In Texas how much is a ticket for driving without a lice? (http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/content33998.aspx)




Hemmmm that doesnt seem at all unreasonable to me.. getting a $206 fine for pulling a u-turn and driving w/o a license

Everyone who was ticketed had to pay that fine, on top of what you had to pay for you other violations.

fucking duh.

Anyway if learning english was necessary everyone would have done it. It obviously isn't necessary. It's the smart thing to do, but so is going to college or investing your money instead of buying rimz or a boat.

Someone else not speaking english has never hurt me in any way.

[HyperTek]

Well, at least the other citations still stand.

also, I found these stickers while in Wisconsin... they sort of apply to this thread.
enjoy.
http://bhworld.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/10110922221.jpg

sadly i think you would get soo much hate here in socal if you had those stickers on your car

[raz0rbladez909]

Everyone who was ticketed had to pay that fine, on top of what you had to pay for you other violations.

fucking duh.

Anyway if learning english was necessary everyone would have done it. It obviously isn't necessary. It's the smart thing to do, but so is going to college or investing your money instead of buying rimz or a boat.

Someone else not speaking english has never hurt me in any way.

Obviously they were all pulled over for other laws they had violated, i'm sure its not like the cops just looked at them and said hey they might not speak english lets pull them over. Obviously they were breaking laws that if they knew english they might understand, if I were to go down to Mexico I certainly wouldn't expect them to have special shit for me in english just because I don't feel like learning spanish, pull the race card all you want, i'm spanish too learn the local fucking language or gtfo:axe:

[zenki.life]

haha. this is ridiculously funny!

i think more cops SHOULD give this ticket.(joking btw) this is america after all. i mean shit. i speak english, AND i speak spanish. Buuuuut, English is the more important language to know!
anyone who comes to this country should be required to learn english

but i guess this should only pertain to the legals. the illegals, well nobody governs them :(

[silpena]

Obviously they were all pulled over for other laws they had violated, i'm sure its not like the cops just looked at them and said hey they might not speak english lets pull them over. Obviously they were breaking laws that if they knew english they might understand, if I were to go down to Mexico I certainly wouldn't expect them to have special shit for me in english just because I don't feel like learning spanish, pull the race card all you want, i'm spanish too learn the local fucking language or gtfo:axe:
you of all should know ppl in mexico dont care what language you speak unlike here in the U.S....
Its a choice if you want to learn or not. YOu make what you can of it. The ones who refuse to learn just a little will not last and get deported.(i see it all the time) they never get citizenship or any kind of papers so they cant keep a stable legal job. Are you a first or second generation mexican? did your parents learn english and do they know it perfectly now? are you gonna tell them to go back? You are expected to learn english. You were born here and have been given the chance to become what your parents cannot.

I do agree they were pulled over for a good reason. The cop did his job but the idiots couldnt communicate so the cop did the best he could. Its not his job to try and explaine why he pulled them over in spanish... im surprised they payed and didnt get deported. That be the thing to do. I'm tired of these idiots coming in and ruining it for other immigrants who are trying to adjust and work here.

Now wat really grinds my gears is women coming in marrying for papers then divorcing guys who live here..... but thats another day.

[doug200t]

...................................

[Matej]

It is sad that there are people all over the world learning English, many sacrificing their free time to do so, and a lot of those people will never even get to use it, while there are people living in an English-speaking country who cannot speak it and are not making any effort to learn.

[ashtonroche]

my buddies wife is the same way, he married here and brought her into this country. She hardly knows and speaks any english.

I told my buddy why not just speak to her in english and he had a valid response of well making a good marriage requires communication. He is straight up Oregon born white boy redneck and he knows spanish as if it were his own language. He spent the time and sacrificed to learn the language that isnt even Americas language. But yet she refuses to do the same. And there are many many people in our country that are the same way. They refuse to learn it. WHY? Guess they dont feel like it and dont feel like they have to. I think it should be more enforced. Cuz yeah we shouldnt have to cope with them by redoing all the road signs and whatnot to accomidate them.

Too many places already do this. It just lets them say yeah all the reason not to learn and speak it. And it sucks. haha

[drift freaq]

There is no official language in the USA. Therein lies the problem.

I do agree that immigrants should make an effort to learn English.

Actually the official language is English he is correct. The country has always spoken English, that pretty much makes it official. Its not like the country always made an effort towards bilingualism. In fact it did not happen till the 80-90's that you started seeing signs in Spanish or Chinese at the DMV.

Whats funny about this, is go to Mexico, Japan, China, France, Germany,Russia,Brazil, Guetamala, Costa Rica etc.. and try expecting them to speak English to communicate with you?
Its not going to happen. In fact they will insist on you speaking there language.

Why the fuck should the United States bend over backwords to support other languages? Come to my country speak my language, which is English. Don't know it? Learn it.
When I go to Japan I try to speak Japanese not expect them to understand English.

Oh and this has nothing to do with whether we have a multiple language education system that works. Its only about learning the language of your adopted country. When my Italian Grandfather and Grandmother came here they did not expect people to learn Italian they learned English and had their children learn English. Current immigrants could learn from examples like these.

[S13Boosts]

Ha ha ha.......LOL did you know theres a section on one of the forums that said if you dont HAVE A SSN number LOL! i started laughing after that you know what that means!:trogdor:

[ronmcdon]

Question for people who were born in America: do you feel you have a stronger command of American English (as defined by commonly accepted grammar textbooks) than the average immigrant?

No doubt the average immigrant writes better English than the average Zilvia member. jk.

Back to the issue.
The cop shouldn't have booked those guys for not speaking English,
AND have that written on any document as evidence.

If you had to get them, cite them for obstructing justice or whatever you can get away with.
There are so many ways a copper can harass someone, and not get in trouble for it.
If the said cops got in trouble, it was for exceptional stupidity and not abuse of power.
Perhaps even worse, were the judges in court & the police dept who went along with this.
Now they all look bad.

I do agree that immigrants should learn to speak English.
However, this isn't the appropriate or constructive way to deal with that situation.

Here in Los Angeles, it seems that barely anyone speaks English.
Even knowing a bit of Spanish and Chinese seems insufficient most times.
Won't be surprised if 10 yrs from now, kids will be expected to speak 5 languages.

[S14_Kouki]

If we lived over there we would learn Spanish, Since they moved to america they should learn English simple as that.

[Brian]

Here in Los Angeles, it seems that barely anyone speaks English.
Even knowing a bit of Spanish and Chinese seems insufficient most times.
Won't be surprised if 10 yrs from now, kids will be expected to speak 5 languages.

It really opens your eyes when you start to notice that English is sometimes in the subtitles of signs or whatever. It's pretty wild out here.

[iROCKchucks]

I live Around Dallas and cops are pretty racist around the rich neighborhoods. I got pulled over in my s14 and asked to step out of the vehicle and sit on the curb cuz i fit a persons description. Then the second white officer pulled up, guess not knowing what was going on and started to speak to me in broken Spanish asking if i had a green card and what part of mexico im from??? i responded in english and he felt embarressed. then they let me go.:cops:

[tricky_ab]

started to speak to me in broken Spanish asking if i had a green card and what part of mexico im from??? i responded in english and he felt embarressed. then they let me go.:cops:

What the hell? That's a pretty ass backward thought process...

[articdragon192]

It really opens your eyes when you start to notice that English is sometimes in the subtitles of signs or whatever. It's pretty wild out here.

This is so true. And to whomever said English is easy to learn... yeah fucking right. It has got to be one of the hardest language to learn. Every freaking rule has an exception to it. Hell, we spend more that 15 years learning it, and people still don't know the difference between to, two, too, and they're and their.

[Brian]

This is so true. And to whomever said English is easy to learn... yeah fucking right. It has got to be one of the hardest language to learn. Every freaking rule has an exception to it. Hell, we spend more that 15 years learning it, and people still don't know the difference between to, two, too, and they're and their.

Haha, Edgar.
Love the last line.

[JeremyR]

this is a stupid topic.

lets see.
what langauge are our road and traffic signs in?
english.

now from a safety stand point. wouldn't it just make SENSE for someone to read/speak/write/understand english in order to drive? it does to me.

this is more of a safety issue, than a racial/social one.

if you cannot drive correctly, or obey the law becuse you can't understand/read the sign, than i'm sorry you shouldnt be allowed a license or the ability to drive. driving is a priviledge, not a right. take the bus. or walk.

[drift freaq]

this is a stupid topic.

lets see.
what langauge are our road and traffic signs in?
english.

now from a safety stand point. wouldn't it just make SENSE for someone to read/speak/write/understand english in order to drive? it does to me.

this is more of a safety issue, than a racial/social one.

if you cannot drive correctly, or obey the law becuse you can't understand/read the sign, than i'm sorry you shouldnt be allowed a license or the ability to drive. driving is a priviledge, not a right. take the bus. or walk.

and a round of applause for this man.

[negrosx13]

Here in new york its little different i guess..we deal people who from many different parts of the world.
Cops will be pigs,this happen over with this mexican guy riding his bike on the curb.The guy got stop didnt have id nor could speak english.bang in jail for like a month cause he have didnt any kinda Id..lol.

Also Problem is these people come over here work there ass off make 7.00 or less an hour off the book working 12+ hours a day.And feel they dont need or have the time to try to learn english.But on the other hand when you come to this country you must try hard to adpat to this culture.Or you wont get far working wise and will always get the crappy jobs.I know many immigrant who speak english pretty well enough that you cant understand everything or make by having them repeat it..lol.Then there immigrant who are embarressed cause they know there english sucks balls.

I deal many different people form different parts of the world In my job( its up scale car service).so there pretty much full of russian,polish,etc people.The the drivers are either russian,polish,indian,chinese or somewhere from the middle east.Honestly i dont know how they even deal with driving in city without know much of english.And when they do speak its you cant even understand 2 words of what there saying.When they call the dispatch desk they ask for someone who speaks there langauge.
Some of these guys have lived here over 5-10years or more.And there legit to live in this country and they can hardly speak english.

Some Passenageres who call from big firms and there 401k company's where they making 50k+ a year and ther english trash..there accents are crazy rough it makes no sense.Im asking them for there pick up address and there asking me to repeat cause i didnt know my question or i can understand them:duh:...spanish,asian,euro,english,etc.

So its not only immgrants..its people from other country in general

[Tearlessj]

Everytime I hang out with other Asians, they always randomly speak to themselves in their own language. I always scream at them, "THIS IS AMERICA, SPEAK ENGLISH!". Seriously though, my parents came over here when they were in there 20's. They learned the language well and have good careers. They MADE the effort to learn the culture and fit it. Every now and then i'll go to a friends house, and their relatives or parents will speak almost no English. I asked how long they've been here, "Around 20 or so years." I don't understand how you can want to move into another country and not try to fit in.

On another note, my gf's mom doesn't really speak English. She also told me her mom doesn't like me, because I don't talk to her much. WTF?! I blame the nail salons, almost all the Viet parents I know barely speak English. If they didn't do nails, they would almost be forced to learn English to work. Most of them plan to raise their kids and go back to Vietnam.

[ronmcdon]

It's one thing to learn the language,
which I agree ought to be done out of common courtesy (if nothing else).

It's quite another to appreciate the culture.
that's even if there's a well defined American culture to begin with.
If you speak the language, get along ok with everyone else, I don't see what the prob is.

I'm Chinese, & I will always speak Chinese with another Chinese person when possible.
Doesn't matter where or which country I'm in.
If anything, it is odd (to me at least) when 2nd or later generations forget their cultural roots and original language.

[sevenstar]

this is awsome, i feel that all people living here in america need to assimilate to our country's native language of english. If you can not speak english then you will get a $400 ticket, which can be waived if you complete english classes, and learn to speak english...
too many immigrants legal or illegal come here, and do not assimilate, they drive our roads and some do not have licenses.
This is not a racist idea, its commom sense. why should tax payers spend extra money on non english speaking people? then we have to print our dmv books in their language, when all the traffic signs are in english. we was lots of money printing these books for them to read in their language, think about how many trees went into making those books, how much money is wasted every year on state funded services that print pamphlets in other languages.

[brndck]

learn the language of the country you live in.
whether its egypt, russia, mars, china, or the usa.
if i lived in france, you'd better believe that i would be speaking broken french within 3 weeks, and be fluent within 6 months.

imo, the feeling many of us have is that someone who is unwilling to try to learn our language will also be unwilling to contribute to our society in a positive manner.
i have no problem with any immigrant/nationality preserving their history and culture, even if they're in america, but they MUST accept the ways of our nation.

i will make a stupid example:
if i moved to the uk or to australia, but insisted on driving on the right side of the road, like we do here in the us, how long do you think i'd last?

[!Zar!]

I knew a man who had his license who didn't know how to read numbers or words.

[zenki.life]

I knew a man who had his license who didn't know how to read numbers or words.

How is that possible?

[JVD]

Question for people who were born in America: do you feel you have a stronger command of American English (as defined by commonly accepted grammar textbooks) than the average immigrant?
Yours is better than most.

;)

[HAWAII]

I really do not care if it is spanish/chinese/korean/some ethnic african language. You are living and driving on english speaking land. LEARN ENGLISH!

[!Zar!]

Like I said prior, I've been to the DMV before and seen someone using a headset and cassette in addition to the test.

Not to mention there are corrupt people in the DMV. Something went on for him to get his license.

He's still around driving to this day. Oh. And he has a mail order bride. Cute little filipina who he whistles for like a dog to call her near.

[zenki.life]

Like I said prior, I've been to the DMV before and seen someone using a headset and cassette in addition to the test.

Not to mention there are corrupt people in the DMV. Something went on for him to get his license.

He's still around driving to this day. Oh. And he has a mail order bride. Cute little filipina who he whistles for like a dog to call her near.

haha. i can just imagine that!

[DALAZ_68]

being mexican myself, if you dont know english, fucking learn it...

on a same note, if u dont know spanish and ur an officer in the southern states that connect the US to Mexico, fucking learn spanish...

its not hard...

[ManoNegra]

I'm an immigrant
I came here and learned English in 6 months and was fluent within the year
nothing like being teased in a language you don't understand to motivate you to learn.

I've had this argument with my dad on various occasions aswell
he's been here 20+ years and barely knows the language and has no interest to learn
I have a few relatives that are like this also
drives me f***ing nuts
learn the language, have a little respect for the country that's affording you a livelihood
your native country wasn't able to

on a similar note: if you were born here and can't speak/write a cohesive sentence, you're an idiot

[DALAZ_68]

I'm an immigrant
I came here and learned English in 6 months and was fluent within the year
nothing like being teased in a language you don't understand to motivate you to learn.

I've had this argument with my dad on various occasions aswell
he's been here 20+ years and barely knows the language and has no interest to learn
I have a few relatives that are like this also
drives me f***ing nuts
learn the language, have a little respect for the country that's affording you a livelihood
your native country wasn't able to

on a similar note: if you were born here and can't speak/write a cohesive sentence, you're an idiot THATS FUCKING RIGHT!

hell my dad has been here 30 + years and he embraced the language...took classes and reads english books and newspaper...

my mother ont he other hand....not so much...

[drift freaq]

being mexican myself, if you dont know english, fucking learn it...

on a same note, if u dont know spanish and ur an officer in the southern states that connect the US to Mexico, fucking learn spanish...

its not hard...

I can completely agree with this. Fact is though people here should speak English, law enforcement in the border states are bound to get tourists, illegals and whatnot that only speak Spanish so it makes sense for them to know it.

[Matej]

Went to high school with a Mexican guy who had a fake drivers license, fake citizenship, black market papers for everything. Pretty sure his entire family was the same way. He was really stupid, because he bragged about it, and talked about how they do not have to pay taxes. I hope they have all been deported. Doubt it.

[singlecamslam]

by 2050 white people will be the minority in America. Plus those people need to learn english, i dont care if you're spanish or Danish, learn the god damn language. I came to this country and learned it fluently in 2 years, and i'm a lazy fuck.

[ronmcdon]

this is awsome, i feel that all people living here in america need to assimilate to our country's native language of english. If you can not speak english then you will get a $400 ticket, which can be waived if you complete english classes, and learn to speak english...
too many immigrants legal or illegal come here, and do not assimilate, they drive our roads and some do not have licenses.
This is not a racist idea, its commom sense. why should tax payers spend extra money on non english speaking people? then we have to print our dmv books in their language, when all the traffic signs are in english. we was lots of money printing these books for them to read in their language, think about how many trees went into making those books, how much money is wasted every year on state funded services that print pamphlets in other languages.

You can thank the US government for that.
If anything, this thread just goes to show you can live here fairly comfortable without having to learn the English language.
About the ppl who don't speak English, it's just a matter of ppl taking advantage of what they can.
Yeah, ppl 'ought' to be responsible for themselves, but reality indicates otherwise.

[wangan_cruiser]

Like I said prior, I've been to the DMV before and seen someone using a headset and cassette in addition to the test.

Not to mention there are corrupt people in the DMV. Something went on for him to get his license.

He's still around driving to this day. Oh. And he has a mail order bride. Cute little filipina who he whistles for like a dog to call her near.


any pics ? LMAO

[HyperTek]

Maybe instead of the auto bail out, the government should ahve funded some affordible or free english classes open for anyone. At least it would help alot.

but than again im sure its because of alot of piece of shit employeers who would rather their employees not know about labor laws/unions/benefits etc.

[kingkilburn]

Last I checked the English came over here and started forcing their language on others.

If anything, the real official language would be Spanish. As for not speaking any English, I remember last time I went to the DMV this one person got a test in Spanish as well as a tape and headsets to listen to the questions. I found that interesting.

Wrong and wrong. Before the English came here the few Europeans that lived here spoke french and Dutch for the most part. When the English came they increased the total population by at least 5 times. They didn't force their language on any one but if you wanted to do business or talk with your neighbor it was in your best interest to learn the language. Plenty of the English colonists spoke Dutch or German as well seeing as many of them immigrated there before coming to the new world.

Spanish was only the major language in Florida and Mexico. All the rest of the Spanish colonies were very very sparsely populated by the Spanish and most people spoke aboriginal tongues. As soon as the Georgia, Carolina, and New Orleans colonies were founded the Floridians learned English as well.



Cliff's notes: Spanish was never the dominant language of America, Not even Texas or California.

[Mangudai]

And English is one of the easiest languages to learn.


That is false.

[mademedoit]

Some people are just too stupid to learn....examplehttp://img03.picoodle.com/img/img03/8/5/6/f_mexican1m_90acf3d.jpghttp://www.osamalovesobama.com/content/binary/ObamaSpeakEnglish.JPG

[mademedoit]

Can't just make fun of one race..http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JZJf0uHkiE8/SeQYZntvxeI/AAAAAAAABdI/ROqlnERzSdc/s400/learn_english.jpg

[articdragon192]

I'm Chinese, & I will always speak Chinese with another Chinese person when possible.
Doesn't matter where or which country I'm in.
If anything, it is odd (to me at least) when 2nd or later generations forget their cultural roots and original language.

This. Learn to assimilate. Don't forget your roots.

[ranger240]

best part of this discussion is that, this being an english speaking forum totally filters out arguments from people of low english proficiency.

[Gnnr]

come to a country where english is the language then speak it. And i with hypertex i vote him cop of the year, more cops should step up and do this.

Yeah, like when the English settlers came to America where the official language of the Native Americans was not English, and then they committed acts of genocide against them, took their land and also purposely spread diseases.....English whoooo! :goyou:

Wasn't a huge part of America part of Mexico...hmm.....

[kingkilburn]

That's war. Get the fuck over it. The only conquered people that ever got concessions are the Native Americans and I think they've gotten plenty at this point.

Do you hear the English belly ache about how the French came and made them speak a different language? No, because they held on to their own culture. It's not any one else's job to do it for them or to get made at the victors if they don't. The same goes for the Indians.

[WISH ONE]

I'm an immigrant
I came here and learned English in 6 months and was fluent within the year
nothing like being teased in a language you don't understand to motivate you to learn.

I've had this argument with my dad on various occasions aswell
he's been here 20+ years and barely knows the language and has no interest to learn
I have a few relatives that are like this also
drives me f***ing nuts
learn the language, have a little respect for the country that's affording you a livelihood
your native country wasn't able to

on a similar note: if you were born here and can't speak/write a cohesive sentence, you're an idiot

+1
I learned to speak english at the age of 7. I knew a small amount of english prior because in Mexico it is a requirement that you learn english, at least it is in most private schools(maybe all schools). I am thankful that I know both languages and it is extremely helpful especially here in socal where a large portion of the population is hispanic.
My mom is Mexican and she speaks english and my father is white and he speaks perfect spanish.

I agree people need to adapt, and not just the spanish speakers.
The way I see it if you are going to live here and expect to only speak one language wether it'd be spanish, english, japanese etc. prepapare to be left behind.

[theicecreamdan]

Last I checked the English came over here and started forcing their language on others.

If anything, the real official language would be Spanish. As for not speaking any English, I remember last time I went to the DMV this one person got a test in Spanish as well as a tape and headsets to listen to the questions. I found that interesting.

Well actually, I'm pretty sure the Spanish language came with the spanish conquistadores, depending on where in the united states you are there are lots of native american languages which would be the "official" language. People should learn to communicate.

If you expect everybody to speak english just for the sake of being able to communicate then you should learn a few languages yourself because that will make communication more effective. People want everybody to speak perfect english because people are lazy.

I'm not saying people shouldn't know english, they should. I'm saying people get really worked up about it, and there's very little reason to.

[Gnnr]

xkcd > you

http://innocentgirl.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/national_language.jpg (http://www.xkcd.com/84/)

[kingkilburn]

I like I said when you lose the war you lose the land. The Europeans didn't come here to share the land, they took it over.

[ronmcdon]

I like I said when you lose the war you lose the land. The Europeans didn't come here to share the land, they took it over.

lol, no doubt.
When the Europeans came over,
I don't think their intentions were to spread the joys politicall correctedness (or whatever you call it).
It wouldn't have been any different if it were the Zulus or the Mongols.

[upsdude]

too much pandering and coddling of ppl who can't speak the language..especially here in california. You're considered a racist if you think immigrants should learn english. you can't even say "illigal immigrant" anymore-it's undocumented worker. political correctness and double standards have made (california) unbearable. Why bother learning english, when everything's spoonfed to you in spanish/chinese/insert language here. as long as the govt. enables this kind of behavior it's not going to go away.

[VNG704]

There is no official language in the USA. Therein lies the problem.

I do agree that immigrants should make an effort to learn English.
Bolded for the ones that don't know but seem to think english is the US's official language. Underlined because I also agree.

Basic english, being the language most spoken and understood here, should be learned before any immigrants getting citizenship ...imo.

^^"...English is the easiest language to learn..." -it's actually one of the hardest so if you can learn english you can learn any.

[SuicidnS13]

Everyone who was ticketed had to pay that fine, on top of what you had to pay for you other violations.

fucking duh.

Anyway if learning english was necessary everyone would have done it. It obviously isn't necessary. It's the smart thing to do, but so is going to college or investing your money instead of buying rimz or a boat.

Someone else not speaking english has never hurt me in any way.

Just wait till you are rear-ended by one. The person will be driving their sisters car, have no DL or papers and ends up getting deported. So in the end you get screwed in every way possible. Underinsured policies are sky rocketing right now due to claims of this particular situation.

Its about time some states are finally acting out.

[kingkilburn]

English has a very simple syntax. It is very easy to learn. Because of all the rules and exceptions to those rules it's hard to master.

[SUPERSTAR]

Que Que ?

[Gnnr]

Its about Freedom.

Whoever is here has the freedom to learn and not learn what they choose. You have the right not to like it.

I can't believe some of you are actually suggesting that people be forced to learn the English, even if they don't drive.

WTF!?

Who is going to enforce that?

You guys actually want more government?

[brndck]

Its about Freedom.

Whoever is here has the freedom to learn and not learn what they choose. You have the right not to like it.

I can't believe some of you are actually suggesting that people be forced to learn the English, even if they don't drive.

WTF!?

Who is going to enforce that?

You guys actually want more government?

personally i DO NOT support govt FORCING anyone to learn english. what i DO support is the govt NOT making concessions and coddling people who are unwilling to make an effort to assimilate. If you are going to drive, you need to be able to read/comprehend the language in which driving directions/signs are written. driving is a privelege, not a right.

[upsdude]

in this case yes. i'd like the govt to do it's job, and secure our borders so that we don't have a flood of illegals in this country. Other countries do it. hell, mexico enforces it's border with guatemala so why are we so wrong to want to do it.

But that also means going after the employers who hire these people for the cheap labor. meaning fines, jail time, whatever it takes.

[brndck]

Que Que ?

i vote we deport ernie...
:keke::keke::keke::keke::keke:

[SUPERSTAR]

i vote we deport ernie...
:keke::keke::keke::keke::keke:

No, don't do that. :cops: I lob de policemens.

This thread makes me laugh every time I read the posts on here. :bigok:

[ronmcdon]

Its about Freedom.

Whoever is here has the freedom to learn and not learn what they choose. You have the right not to like it.

I can't believe some of you are actually suggesting that people be forced to learn the English, even if they don't drive.

WTF!?

Who is going to enforce that?

You guys actually want more government?

Well you discourage them by not printing every other document in languages other than English.
It gives them added incentive to learn.
It would actually be less government,
as we don't have to use the resources to print & interpret documents in multiple languages.
(we already don't do that with road signs, so it's just being consistent)

Realistically, that's not a position every political group endorsess.
It is a democracy after all, and votes are valuable.

With some of the 'Spanish' speakers, you might have another problem.
It's questionable whether or not they have learned Spanish well to begin with.
(this is not about 'race', but about education in one's first language)
How do you go about teaching someone a 2nd language, if they barely mastered their 1st?
I think this is partially the reason why it's so difficult for some non-english speaking ppl to learn english.

This could also be the case for other languages.
Speaking for myself, Chinese is my 1st language but I'm illiterate.
I can speak Cantonese, but can barely read or write the language.
I was fortunate enough to learn English at an earlier age, otherwise I know I'd be screwed.

[!Zar!]

Just wait till you are rear-ended by one. The person will be driving their sisters car, have no DL or papers and ends up getting deported. So in the end you get screwed in every way possible. Underinsured policies are sky rocketing right now due to claims of this particular situation.

Its about time some states are finally acting out.

Not knowing English and not having the legal documents to be on the road are two different things.

And with that said, last I checked San Jose, Ca had the highest amount of uninsured drivers; been quite some time since I checked.

[SlideWell]

its scary to think about non-english speaking people out there driving on the roads. if you get stopped by a police officer, and dont understand the reasoning for your stop because you no speaka english, then do you have to have an interpreter or a fully bi-lingual cop come out and lay the smack down on you in spanish, gimme a break, main language is english here, bitches need to learn it.

[WISH ONE]

I jus barely learning english yesterday eh....

[drift_limo]

i learned spanish from the corn man.

i love mayonnaise with corn and round chip things with hot suace and lemon. mmmmmmmmm...

Thats whats up!!! that shit is good!



THATS FUCKING RIGHT!

hell my dad has been here 30 + years and he embraced the language...took classes and reads english books and newspaper...

my mother ont he other hand....not so much...

same boat here .. but dad didnt got to school or non off that shit. Has his own business. with his broken english . but at least he trys. Now the company is mine..

Que Que ?

quiere queso??? fauntain drink? Y you know say soda stupid!