Why I do not speak German on Columbus Day...

[Ben Franklin]

Somehow, the American colonies became an English-speaking majority, right ?

[Timothy Leary]

Somehow, the American colonies became an English-speaking majority, right ?
huh?

[studyhound]

Somehow, the American colonies became an English-speaking majority, right ?
Yes because they were settled by a majority of English speaking Europeans.

[Ebor]

Somehow, the American colonies became an English-speaking majority, right ?

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

[Ben Franklin]

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

I was hoping someone would have guessed this by now, but it must be too obscure a footnote in American history:


Karl Arndt gives a full report, completely documented, in "Monatshefte fuer den deutschen Unterricht", v. 68 (1976), pp. 129-150. He describes various movements in the early states towards an official use of German, which all came to naught. The old story that, except for one vote, German would have become the official language of the U.S., apparently comes from the fact that except for one vote, German would have become an official language (beside English) in Pennsylvania.

Here is the link: German In America (http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/dtinusa.htm)

[Piebald]

Snopes.com: False


This most famous of language legends began when a group of German-Americans from Augusta, Virginia, petitioned Congress, and in response to their petition a House committee recommended publishing three thousand sets of laws in German and distributing them to the states (with copies of statutes printed in English as well). The House debated this proposal on 13 January 1795 without reaching a decision, and a vote to adjourn and consider the recommendation at a later date was defeated by one vote, 42 to 41. There was no vote on an actual bill, merely a vote on whether or not to adjourn. Because the motion to adjourn did not pass, the matter was dropped. It was from this roll call on adjournment that the "German missed becoming the official language of the USA by one vote" legend sprang.


Source: http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/german.htm

Edited to Add: But the page you linked to says as much :huh:

I'm too tired, goodnight!

[Ben Franklin]

Edited to Add: But the page you linked to says as much :huh:

Oh, you know how are some professors... They just have to be different...!

:rofl:

[Ebor]

Sorry to bump an old topic but is there any document that says English is the official languge of America?