Official Language

Should English be the "official" language of Maryland? That's the question being considered by the General Assembly this session in what has become an annual ritual in Annapolis. Efforts by U.S. English, the lobbying group pushing the measure, to make English the "official" language of state and local PTC government in Maryland have gotten nowhere in the past. But this year a bill to put the question to voters on a referendum in November made it out of committee onto the House of Delegates floor.

On Thursday, Carroll County Commissioner Haven Shoemaker, who has quite possibly the most ironic first name since Roscoe P. Coltrane named his Basset Hound "Flash" (Dukes of Carroll?), said, "Throughout our history, we have had waves of immigrants coming to this country and they have all assimilated to use a common language, and I think that's why we've become the world's leading superpower. " ("Carroll names English its official language," Jan. 25.) Let's be honest. "Official language" is really a euphemism for keeping Carroll County as homogeneous as possible.

As an immigrant who supports the unifying role of the English language, I am deeply offended at the way in which The Baltimore Sun presented a recent news story detailing what was twice referred to as "racist" legislation to make English the official language of certain county governments in Maryland ("Maryland counties seek to make English official language," Marcy 11). The piece had strong antagonistic undertones that served only to perpetuate false beliefs about the Official English movement.

The Board of County Commissioners has rescheduled its public hearing on the proposal to designate English as the official language of Carroll County to Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. in the County Office Building, 225 North Center St., Westminster. The hearing had been scheduled for late October, but was postponed because of Hurricane Sandy. This ordinance, if passed, would recognize English as the language in which all official county business will be conducted. After the hearing, the commissioners may make amendments to the proposed ordinance based on the comments received.

The Carroll County commissioners who want to make English the official language of the county forget that German was spoken in the county as much as English during its first hundred years or so ("Carroll commissioners might make English official language," Sept. 26). Also, after the Native American languages, Spanish was the first language in the continental U.S. I don't like the racist posturing. MaryAnn H. Gregory, Westminster

County Councilman Jerry Walker plans to introduce a bill at Monday night's council meeting that would declare English the official language of Anne Arundel County. The Gambrills Republican said the bill is the first in a series he plans to press that will attempt to stem illegal immigration locally. The bill, co-sponsored by Walker's three Republican colleagues, would require that all official county documents, communications and agreements be in English. "I wanted to make a statement of some kind to let folks know we're not a sanctuary county," said Walker.

A Carroll County commissioner has drafted legislation that would make English the county's official language — and if it passes, Carroll would become the third Maryland locality to enact such legislation this year, following Frederick and Queen Anne's counties. Commissioner Haven Shoemaker, who represents the Hampstead area, said he will ask his colleagues to introduce the proposal at the board's session Thursday. If they are amenable, a public hearing would be scheduled before a vote.

On Thursday, Carroll County Commissioner Haven Shoemaker, who has quite possibly the most ironic first name since Roscoe P. Coltrane named his Basset Hound "Flash" (Dukes of Carroll?), said, "Throughout our history, we have had waves of immigrants coming to this country and they have all assimilated to use a common language, and I think that's why we've become the world's leading superpower. " ("Carroll names English its official language," Jan. 25.) Let's be honest. "Official language" is really a euphemism for keeping Carroll County as homogeneous as possible.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole called yesterday for an end to most bilingual education and denounced new proposed standards for teaching history as he sought to cast his presidential bid as a defense of the nation's cultural heritage against divisive assaults by Washington and "intellectual elites."Attacking what he called the "embarrassed-to-be-American crowd," the leading candidate for the GOP presidential nomination told the 77th national convention of the American Legion that "if we are to return this country to greatness, we must do more than restore America's defenses."

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole's decision to jump on the bandwagon to make English the nation's official language underscores the political mischievousness in this seemingly common-sense notion.What could be harmful in requiring all Americans to learn and use the misidentified "native tongue" of their country? Dole's argument that "with all the divisive forces tearing at our country, we need the glue of language to hold us together" seems the soul of reason.But the idea that the nation somehow lacks sufficient "glue" from other sources, including commitment to its loftiest ideals and its history of ethnic assimilation, smacks of a discouraging retrenchment from the old "melting pot" image of America.

The Board of County Commissioners will hold its public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 30, regarding the proposal to designate English as the official language of Carroll County. The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. at the New Windsor Community Building, Community Meeting Room, 1100 Green Valley Road, New Windsor. This ordinance, if passed, would recognize English as the language in which all official county business will be conducted. The ordinance, as proposed, can be read HERE Commissioner Haven Shoemaker, who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement that it would "ensure that all official county business is conducted in English, which will save the county money, simplify county communications and provide incentives to learn English to those living in Carroll County.

Amid the quaint brick storefronts of Westminster's Main Street, Lily's Mexican Market sells Virgin of Guadalupe statues, sacks of dried beans and paddle-shaped cactus leaves. A mile away, the aisles of Las Palmeras grocery store are stocked with Salvadoran cheeses and pastries. A nearby Catholic church draws more than 200 people to a Spanish Mass each Sunday. Mexican and Central American immigrants have flocked to Carroll County over the past decade, drawn by pastures and orchards that remind them of the rural villages in which they were raised.

The Carroll County commissioners who want to make English the official language of the county forget that German was spoken in the county as much as English during its first hundred years or so ("Carroll commissioners might make English official language," Sept. 26). Also, after the Native American languages, Spanish was the first language in the continental U.S. I don't like the racist posturing. MaryAnn H. Gregory, Westminster

The Carroll County commissioners introduced a proposal Thursday to make English the county's official language and will schedule an evening public hearing to give all residents the opportunity to speak. "We need good public input on this issue," Commissioner Doug Howard said at the board's weekly session. "Everyone should be heard. " Howard said he wants interpreters available at the hearing for those who need them. The bill, as written, would authorize the five-member, all-Republican board to "take all steps necessary to ensure that the role of English as the common language of Carroll is preserved and enhanced.

The commissioners of Carroll County, Maryland, are solemnly considering a measure to make English the official language of their county , following the examples of Frederick County and Queen Anne's County.  Perhaps the best that can be said of the measure is that it will do little or no harm, having little practical effect. Federal and state regulations will remain unaffected, and likely most business practices too. The shelves of Carroll County shops will continue to carry products with bilingual English/Spanish labeling, English/French when they come from Canada.  It is a measure that addresses an evil that does not exist.

A Carroll County commissioner has drafted legislation that would make English the county's official language — and if it passes, Carroll would become the third Maryland locality to enact such legislation this year, following Frederick and Queen Anne's counties. Commissioner Haven Shoemaker, who represents the Hampstead area, said he will ask his colleagues to introduce the proposal at the board's session Thursday. If they are amenable, a public hearing would be scheduled before a vote.

WASHINGTON -- The House opened debate yesterday on several measures that would make English the nation's official language, an initiative that promises to face a bumpy road in Congress.All the proposals stress the need for an official national language as a "common bond" or "glue" to "hold the nation together" and assert that a "multilingual government" perpetuates a socially divisive society.The bill with the most co-sponsors, introduced by Rep. Bill Emerson, a Missouri Republican, and Sen. Richard C. Shelby, an Alabama Republican, would not affect federal bilingual education programs, as some other bills would.

Janet Byron Anderson (@janetbyronander) tweeted this morning, "Tell someone you're a linguist and they say, 'Oops! Better watch my language'. Please don't watch it. We value your syllables. " English majors and copy editors, when they are incautious enough to identify themselves in public, get the same half-embarrassed, half-defiant response. Really, you should talk as you like. That's your right. Sweet land of liberty. No effort to establish an English Academy has ever gotten anywhere, and all such efforts amount to nothing more than magnets for cranks.

As an immigrant who supports the unifying role of the English language, I am deeply offended at the way in which The Baltimore Sun presented a recent news story detailing what was twice referred to as "racist" legislation to make English the official language of certain county governments in Maryland ("Maryland counties seek to make English official language," Marcy 11). The piece had strong antagonistic undertones that served only to perpetuate false beliefs about the Official English movement.