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York Highway Department to Begin Posting Multilingual Signs

Parking warnings could open door to additional signage, affect English acquisition

January 15, 2010

The York, Pa. Highway Department will soon post signs in Spanish within the city, raising questions on how this will affect English language learning rates among the area’s growing limited English speaking population. As reported by WHTM, the City of York plans to add a dozen snow emergency signs in Spanish to inform residents that their cars will be towed if parked there during or in the wake of a heavy snowstorm.

“The desire of individuals to carry out a certain activity is easily dimmed by the prospect of being able to survive in a world that adapts to them,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “People who drive gas guzzlers become less inclined to buy more fuel efficient models if gas prices begin to decline. Smokers are less likely to quit when businesses continue to accommodate smoking. And immigrants are far less likely to pursue English acquisition if they see that everything is being provided to them in their native language.”

The signs, the English version of which are familiar to those who live in colder winter towns, read, “Ruta de emergencia de nieve: no se estacione durante emergencia; vehiculos seran remolcados.” The original signs will be placed along a single street where private businesses already place Spanish advertising. However, if “successful,” the highway department superintendent says that the agency will consider adding more foreign language signs.

Legislation to make English the official language aims to keep state and local agencies from making multilingual signage the norm. While proposed bills allow for signage that protects public health and safety, such as “Bridge Out” or “Don’t Eat Fish Caught in this River,” most disallow the posting of permanently erected highway signage in languages other than English. Though the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to make English the official language of the state in 2006, and a bill is currently pending in the legislature, the Keystone State is not one of the 30 states to enact an official English law.

“Though erecting a few signs in Spanish may seem trivial, our experience with government multilingualism is often that the first step is just the beginning of a very slippery slope,” continued Mujica. “The practice soon spreads to other areas, and beyond that, speakers of other languages clamor for signs in their native tongues. We all know what happens when you give a mouse a cookie. Unfortunately in the case of multilingual road signs, the entire community gets milked.”


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