scooterbug44
SoWal Expert
Candidate for Alabama governor Tim James is running ads proclaiming that if he is elected, Alabama will no longer give driver's license exams in any language but English.
"This is Alabama. We speak English," he says in the ad while questioning why the exam is currently given in a dozen different languages. "If you want to live here, learn it. We're only giving that test in English if I'm governor."
Drivers license exams are currently offered in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese."
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpps/ne...a-we-speak-english-dpgoha-20100428-fc_7281262
While I certainly believe anyone who comes to the US as a long term visitor or resident needs to learn English and use it in daily life (just as I think anyone who goes anywhere for an extended period of time should learn that place's language), I find this a very extreme and unnecessary issue.
The grammatical nuances of the written exam are hard for people who have only ever spoken English. Since one must pass an actual driving test to get a license, I find no safety issue with taking the written exam in a different language - especially since most important traffic signs are graphic. If safety is the real concern, why is he not banning texting and retesting elderly drivers instead of focusing on this language issue?
"This is Alabama. We speak English," he says in the ad while questioning why the exam is currently given in a dozen different languages. "If you want to live here, learn it. We're only giving that test in English if I'm governor."
Drivers license exams are currently offered in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese."
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpps/ne...a-we-speak-english-dpgoha-20100428-fc_7281262
While I certainly believe anyone who comes to the US as a long term visitor or resident needs to learn English and use it in daily life (just as I think anyone who goes anywhere for an extended period of time should learn that place's language), I find this a very extreme and unnecessary issue.
The grammatical nuances of the written exam are hard for people who have only ever spoken English. Since one must pass an actual driving test to get a license, I find no safety issue with taking the written exam in a different language - especially since most important traffic signs are graphic. If safety is the real concern, why is he not banning texting and retesting elderly drivers instead of focusing on this language issue?
It's true
Half the people I grew up with talk like Dale from King of the Hill.
