What’s behind the English Only movement?
Some people are trying to make English the “official” language of countries where there’s already a lot of English going on. Is this necessary? What are the pros and cons?
Daniel, Ben, and Kylie talk it over on this episode of Talk the Talk.
Listen to this episode
You can listen to all the episodes of Talk the Talk by pasting this URL into your podlistener.
http://danielmidgley.com/talkthetalk/talk_classic.xmlPromo
Cutting Room Floor
A discussion of scary racists leads to a discussion of neck tattoos. What’s Daniel’s choice of tattoo, if he had to get one? A shout-out to Sammy, who binge-listened to every episode.
Do atheists eat babies? And how should one be prepared? Ben is aghast. But Daniel has some ways of explaining their speech adaptations, while Ben points out that they can understand far more than they can say.
Did Theodore Roosevelt ride a moose? How do you say the name of the author of Fight Club? How do you say Moscow? These and many other questions!
Patreon supporters
We’re very grateful for the support from our burgeoning community of patrons, including Christopher F., David W., Zoe, Whitney, Matt, and Christy. You’re helping us to keep the talk happening!
We’re Because Language now, and you can become a Patreon supporter!
Depending on your level, you can get bonus episodes, mailouts, shoutouts, come to live episodes, and of course have membership in our Discord community.
Show notes
Toddlers Learn Words Poorly in Noisy Environments
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/toddlers-learn-words-poorly-in-noisy-environments/
Background noise may hinder toddlers’ ability to learn words
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-07/sfri-bnm071816.php
A new corpus of ‘slips of the ear’ in English
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-02/uotb-anc021717.php
The English Consistent Confusion Corpus
http://spandh.dcs.shef.ac.uk/ECCC/
Does TV Watching Really Hurt Vocabulary Development?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/keep-it-in-mind/201311/does-tv-watching-really-hurt-vocabulary-development
Can Toddlers Learn Vocabulary from Television? An Experimental Approach (PDF)
http://vrij-natuurlijk.nl/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/tv_study.pdf
Congress.gov: H.R.997
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/997/text?r=4
Oregon lawmakers push to repeal sanctuary state designation, make English official language
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/02/oregon_lawmakers_push_to_repea.html
English-only and official English movements
http://immigrationtounitedstates.org/481-english-only-and-official-english-movements.html
Should English Be the Law?
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1997/04/should-english-be-the-law/376825/
Speak English or Go Home: The Anti- Immigrant Discourse of the American ‘English Only’ Movement (PDF)
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/journals/cadaad/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Volume-7_Lawton.pdf
Language as Oppression: The English Only Movement in the United States
http://sdonline.org/33/language-as-oppression-the-english-only-movement-in-the-united-states/
Immigration Restriction Act
https://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/websites-mini/journeys-australia/1900s20s/immigration-restriction-act/
A Look at English-Only Laws Across the US
http://stories.avvo.com/rights/immigration/a-look-at-english-only-laws-across-the-us.html
Debate: English as US official language
http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_English_as_US_official_language#Background_and_context
English as an Official Language in the U.S.: Pros and Cons
https://officialenglishpolicy.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/english-as-an-official-language-in-the-u-s-pros-and-cons/
The Impact of English-Only Instructional Policies on English Learners
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/impact-english-only-instructional-policies-english-learners#h-the-english-only-movement
English only spoken here
http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2010/07/xenophobic_language_laws
English Only Town Of Homer, Illinois Has Little Knowledge Of English
https://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/english-only-town-of-homer-illinois-has-little-knowledge-of-english/
Student Suspended for Speaking Native American Language
https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/student-suspended-for-speaking-native-american-language/
Chicago-area teacher who punished students for speaking Spanish resigns in disgrace
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/08/chicago-area-teacher-who-punished-students-for-speaking-spanish-resigns-in-disgrace/
‘Speak in English’ Bus driver fired after pouring water on spanish-speaking student
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/707226/bus-driver-sacked-abuse-spanish-speaking-student
Hispanics upset by teacher’s discipline
http://www.azbilingualed.org/AABE%20Site/AABE–News%202004/hispanics_upset_by_teacher.htm
2071.0 – Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census, 2012–2013
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013
Can my employer say that only English is allowed to be spoken in our workplace?
https://www.hrc.co.nz/enquiries-and-complaints/faqs/english-language-only-workplace/
You don’t need English to be an Australian citizen
https://blogs.crikey.com.au/fullysic/2015/06/03/you-dont-need-english-to-be-an-australian-citizen/
Who You Calling ‘Snowflake’?
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2016/12/04/who-you-calling-snowflake/
Snowflake, SJW, cuck: a guide to alt-right ideas and slang
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/snowflake-sjw-cuck-guide-alt-right-ideas-slang-1605911
Historical reminder: snowflakes beat the Nazis. pic.twitter.com/xXisqKbKec
— Laurie Richards (@L_K_Richards) January 18, 2017
Fight Club Author Slams ‘Modern Left’: “I Coined ‘Snowflake’ And I Stand By It”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-24/fight-clubs-chuck-palahniuk-slams-modern-left-i-coined-snowflake-and-i-stand-it
Calvin and Hobbes: Snowflake
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/02/07
One of the hidden shames of being called a “snowflake” is the quiet knowledge of just how many slurs the Inuit have for you
— Glenn Wool (@GlennWool) 10 February 2017
Franco and Linguistic Fascism
http://www.thelinguafile.com/2012/12/franco-and-linguistic-fascism.html
Image credit: https://jmobraindump.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/slide_241322_1290487_free.jpg
Transcript
We’re working our way back through the archives. If you think we should prioritise a transcript of this episode, let us know!
