The United States Monolingual Language

The United States is largely monolingual. In fact, only about 15-20 percent of Americans consider themselves bilingual, compared to 56 percent of Europeans surveyed in 2006 by the European Commission. This difference is problematic for a number of reasons, especially on the 40 Acres, where we like to think that “what starts here, changes the world.”

Arabic professor Mahmoud Al-Batal says that the inability to speak a foreign language makes it difficult for Americans to compete globally on a linguistic and cultural level. Some critics of the United States’ monolingual nature have focused on problems in university-level language courses that result in students failing to reach higher levels of proficiency in a foreign language.

Many of us have

The United States used to take a much friendlier view toward bilingualism. In the 19th century, immigrant communities maintained — and even published in — their native languages, and educational policies were generally tolerant of this linguistic diversity. However, ideologies began to change in the 1880s, with a huge influx of non-English-speaking immigrants and developing reactionary nationalist movements. Eventually, this change in ideology led to a movement of “Americanization,” which adopted a push for English as a linguistic identifier of the “American.” As World War I raged, English monolingualism became synonymous with support for the U.S. Eventually, legislation removed foreign language instruction from most elementary

We see this here on the 40 Acres: Students complain that foreign language classes are too hard and too time-consuming. This view, coupled with a wholly monolingual environment, pervades not only adults’ outlook on foreign language learning, but also that of children. Even children that are exposed to foreign languages in school are less likely to be motivated to learn them.

In the last decade, there has been a growth in the number of dual language programs in the United States. These programs, in general, are instructed in two languages with a goal of bilingualism and biliteracy. These programs are highly successful for young children because they involve immersion in a second language environment on a daily basis. However, these programs tend to be expensive and exclusive, meaning that not all parents will have access to them. Although there may be no quick fix for the poor motivation and lack of interest in foreign language courses on campus, we are the future leaders, legislators and teachers who can make a difference in the way language is taught in the United