A ton of talk in Raleigh this week centered around language as Rep. Kelly Hastings, R-Cherryville, sponsored House Bill 475, an act to amend the North Carolina Constitution to make English the official language. If approved by the General Assembly, the measure would go before voters in the November 2012 election.

Hastings apparently was not satisfied with the state statute, approved by lawmakers in 1987, that declared English the official language of North Carolina. He maintains it’s about respect and protecting the language and rejects claims of discrimination.

“After studying the Constitution, I feel like honoring the English language would be important,” Hastings told NBC-17. “The English language has been behind a lot of the prosperity in North Carolina.”

Maybe Hastings was inspired by Greg Simons at the Reedy Creek Family Diner in Lexington. After an “uncomfortable” situation with some customers who did not speak English, Simons put up a sign in the front window of his establishment declaring, “No Speak English, No Service.” The sign concluded with “We only speak and understand American.”

Simons, who apparently struggles with English himself, received complaints and removed the sign.

All of this communication commotion comes on the heels of the 2010 U.S. census – released earlier this month – which found that North Carolina’s Hispanic population doubled in the past 10 years. In the 100 counties in North Carolina, 63 have at least 5 percent of the population who identified themselves as Hispanic. The trend is expected to continue into the 2020 census.

We fully agree with Anglophiles who believe they should not be forced to learn Spanish. It is understood that a majority of the United States communicates in English.

We also maintain that residents who do not speak English, regardless of their native tongue, should make an attempt to learn basic English. You don’t have to become the next William Shakespeare, but you should know enough to communicate in society.

Lastly, we are firm believers in the concept that education is a good thing, and one should never stop learning. What harm is there in taking a class in basic, conversational Spanish? You can never have too many tools in the toolbox, and it may add to your resume at your next job interview.

Beaufort County Community College offers English classes and Spanish classes. Some are free, while others have a nominal fee.

In the practical world in which we live, we don’t need an amended North Carolina Constitution to tell us that we all have disparate backgrounds. The more tools we have to communicate with one another, the better.