Editor:
Dave Uphoff
Last week I discovered that you don't have to talk to an overseas operator or help desk consultant to becoming frustrated with poor use of the English language. It happens right here in our own country. While visiting Judy's son and daughter-in-law in Indianapolis this weekend, I had to ask a clerk to repeat a question three times in a department store before I could understand what she was asking. Also, while waiting for a table in a restaurant, the girl with a Spanish access had to repeat herself 3 times before we understood where we were supposed to sit. In both of these situations, the person was speaking with a Spanish accent and was probably an immigrant who had not yet perfected their English. Hopefully, they will overcome this hurdle. However, our third experience really got me when we decided to pull up to a Hardee's drive-through in Bloomington to place an order as the lines at the MacDonald's drive through were very long. Judy and I were unable to understand the order clerk over the PA system through which we were ordering. The girl was speaking in some type of ebonic lingo that left me with no idea what the cost of our order was or if she even understood what we had ordered. This person was not an immigrant but an American born citizen, yet I could not understand her. In frustration, I just drove off and stopped in El Paso at a Subway restaurant. I suddenly knew why there were more cars waiting at McDonald's than at Hardees. I understand that there are different dialects in our country such as the southern accent, or the Brooklyn accent but I am able understand those who speak with these accents. I don't know if the decline in the use of the English language is due to a failure of our education system, or a sign of a lowering of the qualifications for employment or a need to identify ones self with a particular group by speaking their dialect. It seems like speaking well is no longer considerd a pre-requisite for elevating ones self. I have read articles written by Spanish speaking people about why they should retain and speak Spanish while becoming an American citizen. Everyone knows that most blacks in the inner cities have their own street dialect. And, yes, the Cajuns in Lousiana still speak a combination of French and English. However, if the way you speak English prevents you from being an effective communicator, there is a problem. A common language is what binds a culture. While most of us have ancestors who spoke another language other than English, when they came to America they adopted the English language which gradually replaced their native language. Those who fail to learn and use English well, even if they are natural born citizens, are placing themselves at a disadvantage in getting ahead in a career.
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While it is commendable to learn another language besides English to enhance your knowledge and opportunities, it still is necessary to speak English well. Sticking with your native language because of your ethnic pride or adopting a dialect of English that separates you from the mainstream only hinders your opportunities and results in a fragmented culture. People came to America years ago because of opportunities and the chance for freedom. Some willingly gave up their customs of dress and language in order to assimilate into the American culture so as to enhance their opportunities of getting ahead. A nation cannot survive if its citizens refuse to assimilate into a common culture. That does not mean that its citizens cannot continue to keep their traditions of cooking, worshiping, and celebrating for that is what makes America interesting and great. However, to be an American you must live like an American or else you will be ostracized just like you would in any other society. That means a common language and a common love and respect for America. To be an American means to place America first in your priorities. And that includes religion. I am of the Protestant faith but I do not place my religion above my country. Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims alike must place their country ahead of their religion. If not, then we will not have a united country. In the same way that we do not want the Islamic mullahs running the country of Iran or Afghanistan, we do not want religious dogma to control America. Right wing religious conservatives are just as destablizing to our country as are left wing liberals who want the government to control everything. In America you can choose to buy a Ford or Chevrolet, be a Christian or a Muslim but you cannot choose which country you prefer. If you do not give the country that gives you freedom, shelter, and employment a higher importance than your native country, then your presence will weaken our country rather than strengthen it. While America may be a melting pot, its future will be dependent on the ability of its people to successfully assimilate into the America culture through the use of a common language and by a common love for their country.
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