Speaking of local ordinances….

Today’s NYTimes has a report by Steven Friess, telling of another local English-only ordinance — this one in Pahrump, NV.  “Pahrump…is not the only community to pass anti-immigration or English-only measures in recent months. Similar laws have been adopted in Taneytown, Md.; Farmers Branch, Tex.; and Hazelton, Pa. In November, Arizona voters made English that state’s official language.”  More on the ordinance is here. One apparent effect of the legislation has been to excite hostility against immigrants, whether documented or undocumented.

English is an economically valuable tool — as well as a social advantage — for anyone living in the the United States.  But in a country as curiously monolingual as our own, it probably makes sense to promote linguistic diversity and encourage all children to learn more than one language instead of inciting cultural clashes by clamping down on the imagined offense of not speaking English.

-jmc