Letter: English-only proponents out of touch

Tuesday, July 24, 2001 | 9:35 a.m.

To letter writer Theresa A. Mataga and the others who seem to think speaking Spanish is almost criminal, I say "pull your heads out of the sand."

Spanish is one of the major languages in the world, spoken by a very large segment of the population. If these folks don't want to say "hola," they also may want to drop Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and other words from their vocabulary.

We live in a large metropolitan area, with people from lots of cultures living and visiting our city. To think English is the only language to be spoken is sheer folly. If you work in any casinos or other service industries of our city, another language can be invaluable. It is very helpful to be able to understand what others need, if their language doesn't happen to be English.

Do these folks learn another language if they visit another country? I bet not! They expect the "help" to speak English.

I bet these "English only" people also think English is our official language. It is not. We have no official language. It is a big plus to be bilingual. In our multi-cultural society you are at a disadvantage to speak only English.

To Ms. Mataga, just wave at your neighbors. No matter what language they speak, they understand that friendly gesture.

PATRICIA KEASLING