Now They Speak My Language

Nobody loves the English language more than I do.

It is rich, it is strong, it is deep, and it is pure.

At casa Chawkins, we speak English exclusively.

At work, I write most of my columns in English. When I wrack my brain for le mot juste, there is no substitute for good old-fashioned English, so I head for a dictionary pronto.

Even so, I am glad that the city of Fillmore last week decided to reconsider its designation of English as its certified, A-No. 1, primo mother tongue.

Fillmore made national headlines in 1985 when it became the first U.S. city to choose an official language. It was a dumb idea then, and over the years it hasn’t gotten any smarter.

Speaking in a rich, strong, deep, pure, distinctively American voice, the City Council can end this 14-year blight with one well-chosen word: “Sayonara!”

Or, if they want: “Adios!”

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In 1985, it took an awful lot of chutzpah for Fillmore’s all-white council to even consider the English-language resolution. After all, half the town was--and is--Latino. Making English the “official language” was bound to strike them as insulting.

On the other hand, some Anglo parents were upset that their children had been placed in bilingual classes. Tapping into a general frustration over lax enforcement of immigration laws, they wanted the city to “send a message” to Sacramento and Washington--in clearly enunciated, unadulterated English.

Here’s the single sentence that generated a decade and a half’s worth of bitterness:

“The City Council of Fillmore hereby resolves that the English language is the official language of the city of Fillmore.”

Why should this be repealed?

Let me count the whys.

For one thing, it’s clumsy. As a statement embracing the English language, it also does a fair job of mangling it. At 20 words, it’s as fat as an overstuffed burrito. Any second-rate editor can trim it to a svelte 13: “The Fillmore City Council hereby resolves that English is the city’s official language.”

In general, allowing government officials to make pronouncements on language is a bad business. Many of them speak something that resembles English, but is really just a dull, distant cousin, laden with heavy terms like agendize, prioritize, whateverize.

I’d sooner have Typhoid Mary picking my entrees than these folks picking my official language.

Then too, there’s the problem of place names. Official languages could wreak havoc on them. If Santa Paula had an official language, would it have to be renamed St. Paula? What about all those long, quaintly Spanish street names in Camarillo and the east county? Would Calle Pensamiento really have to be called Pansy Street?

For a time, official languages were the solution du jour.

The year after Fillmore’s resolution, Californians overwhelmingly voted for English as the state’s official language. To my knowledge, neither measure has changed public life one bit, except to needlessly ratchet up hostility on all sides. It’s fine for government to declare an official bird, an official tree, an official song--but designating a language only serves to alienate those who don’t speak it or don’t speak it well.

Yes, immigrants should learn English as quickly as they can if they intend to succeed in this country. And no, I don’t know how to fix the bilingual mess in the schools. If I did, I’d become a consultant and make tons of money (beaucoup dinero) by agendizing the schools’ programmatic prioritization parameters.

All I know is that Fillmore can once again make national headlines. It can invoke a fine English tradition and give the 1985 resolution the old heave-ho. It needs no official language--only the heartfelt and hard-to-come-by phrasings of common sense.

Steve Chawkins can be reached at 653-7561 or by e-mail at steve.chawkins@latimes.com.