¿Que Ingles?

A friend of mine, whom I think very highly of, posted a story about having found a store in her area (Arizona) where the majority of the signage were in Spanish rather than English. From what I can tell, she took offense from the fact that Spanish was the predominant language of the establishment. To me, if the primary clientele speaks Spanish, Spanish makes sense. But there's a part of me that thinks that all signage should be in the primary language of the country it resides in also... I posted a response on FaceBook and realized I'd like to re-post it and see if anyone out there has a thought on it.

Reposted from Facebook reply:

I think life would be better for all if we were all multilingual -- regardless of what other language it is. I don't think it's outrageous to ask people to learn a second language. Canadians learn French and English (most do, at least) and they are more able to communicate with others outside their borders. Learning another language is a window in to other cultures and helps to stop being so insular and close-minded about people who are "different" than we are. It's a short step between "English only" and other forms of elitism and bigotry (not implying anything to any particular person -- just an observation).

That said, English is the primary (if not official) language of the United States, and it should be the de factor language for any form of communication, just as it is in Canada. Learning it should be required for citizenship and for other services. As Mary pointed out -- the citizenship test wasn't available in German, French, Creole, Vietnamese, Latin, or dozens of other worthy (and widely used) languages -- why are we showing preference to Spanish? Because there are more people who come in from Spanish-speaking countries? Or because the people who do are unwilling to learn our primary language? That's a more difficult question to answer.

As a challenge to those who say "Just Learn English" -- as an adult, try to pick up a new language. You'll find it's not as easy as one would like it to be. I've been trying to learn Spanish and French for the last 5 years and am still struggling. I am reasonably certain that I sound like a backwards hillbilly when I try to speak French. English is arguably one of the most difficult non-Kanji languages to learn, with it's complex structure and an exception to nearly every rule. I've noticed I'm much more patient after I realized that I couldn't do what I was asking them to do. As the saying goes, before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes -- at least then, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes. :-)