Hello all! A quick post, with some good news, taken from this article:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – [Nashville] Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed a measure Monday that would have made English the official language of Nashville, saying it was unconstitutional, unnecessary and mean-spirited.

“This ordinance does not reflect who we are in Nashville,” Purcell said.

The measure passed 23-14 last week by the Metro Council required all government documents to be in English, except when multilingual communications are required by federal rules or are needed “to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare.’

Opponents and supporters of the ordinance agreed it was largely a symbolic slap at illegal immigration that had no significant effect.

Purcell said his legal staff had advised him the bill violated the U.S. and state constitutions and would be costly to defend.

I can understand requesting people to know English for a service job, or if safety demands it. However, requiring a certain language background simply to vote, drive, or interact with the state is a rather roundabout way of saying that you don’t want non-English speakers in your state/town/country. It’s about damned time people recognized it for what it is, and it’s good to see the mayor judiciously smack down this particular batch of thinly veiled racism.

Link Spotlight

I’ve just posted another link to the sidebar, which will now display all links, rather than just the newest ones, and I wanted to give it some extra recognition. If you haven’t seen it, check out this video on the nature of form, content, and meaning on the internet. It’s really powerful, and quite interesting. More information can be found on the Kansas State University Center for Digital Ethonography Blog.

Tagged with Conventional Linguistics, Language Usage, Sociolinguistics | Leave a Comment

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