English-Only America - Pro and Con
As everyone agrees, English has been America’s common language since its foundation. In recent years, however, English is in danger of losing its status as a national language. As you would see in metropolises and cities in Border States, use of non-English languages among immigrants has been increasingly common. Some immigrants stick to their native language in everyday life and can’t speak English well even after several years of immigration. Because the lack of common language causes a lot of problems, some argue that the use of other languages should be legally restrained. But other people oppose it by saying that restraint will put non-English speaking people under pressure and the lack of bilingual supports will jeopardize their lives in cases of emergency. One of the problems is that neither the Constitution nor laws states English as the official language. As a reaction, Proposition 63, which would legally put priority on English above other languages, was proposed in California. There have also been some movements in Congress toward constitutional amendment to make English a national language.
Avila and Rooney express their opinions about this issue from the opposite sides and in different strategies. In his article “The Case for Bilingual Ballots” on San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle, Avila argues that we should continue and strengthen the bilingual support to non-English speaking immigrants. On the other hand, in his article, “Liberty and Language for All” on the newspaper, Rooney argues that we should make English an official language and stop bilingual support for immigrants in public. As reading the two articles several times, I felt an apparent ...
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...people, Rooney is a famous personality on nation-wide television whose opinion can have an influence on entire States. This difference appears in their style of texts. In his text, Rooney is overconfident in his authority and arrogant to the people different from him. On the other hand, Avila is sincere and modest in his way to persuade the readers; he tried to provide self-decision making materials to vote for or against Proposition 63. When persuading readers, especially in such a specific issue of making English official language, it’s more persuasive to argue with concrete facts like Avila did than just to impose one’s opinion.
Works Cited
Avila, Joaquin G. “The Case for Bilingual Ballots.” Robinson 345-46.
Robinson, William S., ed. English 100 Custom Reader. New York, Heinle & Heinle,1998.
Rooney, Andy. “Liberty and Language for All.” Robinson 346-37.
Even though opposition party of English-only movement assert that it has close connections to restrictionist, anti-immigration organizations, which suggests that the English-only movement has a wider, more far-reaching, and more negative agenda than simply advocating an official English language policy, English should be the official language of United States, because in 1990 US census reported that 97.1 % of the US population speak English. In addition, English will allow people to communicate with each other, discuss their points of view, and encourage trust, while reducing racial hostility and discrimination. Another example is that 87% of American voters want English to become the official language, because it keeps everyone learning the same language. People can still learn other languages if they want, and it will also encourage immigrants to develop the English ability necessary in this country for economic and democratic
It both shows the author’s knowledge of the Spanish language as well as providing evidence to the fact that English is not the author’s only language. “Spanish seemed the language of home” demonstrates the way the
Firstly, in the author’s childhood, he felt ashamed of his parents poor English. To support this experience, Rodriguez shows his embarrassment by saying, “I tried not to hear anymore… I
One of his main points and I believe to be one of the central reasons behind him writing the book, is to state his harsh yet rightful opinion on bilingualists. Rodriguez states, "The bilingualists insist that a student should be reminded of his difference from others in mass society, his heritage. But they equate mere separateness with individuality" (27). Because he has personally been through that situation, he wants people to understand and support his opinion and possibly persuade them to have a certain opinion on bilingualists.
The discussion of making English the nation’s official language has sparked an ongoing debate among many individuals for several decades. As of now, the United States does not have an official language due to the diverse population. Many individuals believe that by establishing an official language, the United States is being culturally insensitive, that diversity is the key to forming America’s identity. However, establishing English as the official language would promote unity among not only American citizens but also the nation.
...nclusion, “public language” becomes a key to unlock the door to opportunities for Richard Rodriguez. As Ramsdell points out, Rodriguez does not believe that English and Spanish could exist both as private and public languages, as she says, “Spanish and English exist as opposite poles”(Ramsdell). I would say that I agree with Ramsdell because language defines that who we are. The way one speaks also defines where he comes from and what is their cultural background. But the way Richard Rodriguez adopts the English language, is inconceivable in current multi-culturist society. America is a country of immigrants, people coming from all over the world. Most of the time immigrants assimilate in American culture without ruining their family values. But how easy this process will be, depends partly on the attitude of the community and on the approach of each individual.
From the time the Pilgrims landed in this great nation at Plymouth Rock, immigrants have been culturally diverse and have spoken many languages. When the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, they did not know how to communicate with the natives. Through intense study the natives learned the Pilgrims’ language. Even with the common language they were still a melting pot of different culture. Some would say that America has gotten over the language/ cultural barriers and now almost everyone speaks the common language of English, but there are still many immigrants who do not know English. Bilingual education is put into public schools for this reason, so that immigrant children can be assimilated to English gradually. The national language should be English instead of the official language because America has prided herself in being very diverse. If we take away the diversity, then we take away the core values that America has always had since her founding.
middle of paper ... ... Our government already works in an English-speaking capacity, and of all the languages we have put forward for our country in the past, English makes the most sense overall. While providing the necessary instruction and help for non-English speaking citizens and/or immigrants, we will still be preserving the cultural heritage of early America. Works Cited Perea, Juan.
Bilingualism, a very controversial topic to debate in today’s United States. People generally define bilingualism as the ability of using two languages that individuals have. However, this is not the reason why that bilingualism becomes such a debatable issue. In this case, bilingualism is defined as the government’s use of languages other than English for public services in order to support the immigrants’ lives in the United States. People who support bilingualism want the government to continue having this kind policies. They think that bilingualism helps immigrants to assimilate into the American culture and moreover, it will unify everyone who are on this land. Although bilingualism provides some kind of benefits toward immigrants, they cannot solve the problems in the deep root. Bilingualism should not be continued in the U.S. Why? It reduces the immigrants’ incentive to learn English, threatens national unity, and costs so much.
In the beginning of the article, Richard started out by mentioning how his public language which is Spanish will not get him nowhere in life, however by learning a public language which is English will help more in life and make stuff way easier for him. He mentioned being scared and hard for him to learn a public society language. When I came to America 11 years ago, it was hard for me to learn a second language and I doubted myself all the time, however I had family members, teachers and friends pushing me to learn and telling me to not give up even
Inhofe, James M. and Cecilia Munoz. "Should English be declared America’s national language? A nation of immigrants considers the pros and cons of giving English official status." New York Times Upfront 23 Oct. 2006: 3. Bnet. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
Under the guise of protecting these sacred freedoms some agencies of the government – police forces, tax entities, and licensing agencies—have persecuted non-English speaking immigrants, particularly when the language barrier is appointed. Americans have rights and power. Under these guises of protecting these rights and the current power of Americans, some agencies persecute non-English speaking people. For examples, the NYPD as CNN reported, arrested woman taxi driver of in New York City for allegedly for not speaking English and ticketed for not having a valid English driver’s license. Another example, fox news report, our school environment have abuse racially children for not speaking English, because of the English only movement forcing children to learn English only as their prime language. Whether this illegal, discriminatory treatment of non-English speaking immigrants derives for racism or natives, these abuses will grow dramatically if the English only laws are entitled. These...
Rodriguez would, for example, use words such as “unsettling” “cloistered” and “alienation,” to describe the beginning of his assimilation in the public English speaking world. While he would use “calm” “enchantingly” “consoling” and “intimacy” to describe Spanish. As Rodriguez is being pushed to assimilate and English is heard everywhere including his home he becomes “increasingly angry” only from being obliged from his parents and trying to participate in class he begins to feel a sense of belonging in public. Rodriguez’s diction was evident and continuous in his essay which abetted the audience to understand that the author wanted the audience to be addressed formally and be known that he wants to be taken seriously and able to connect to his background and why he made his
In 1997, 80% of Americans favored the death penalty. A recent national poll found that, that number has significantly dropped to an all time low of 63%percent. In addition, those favoring the death penalty dropped to fifty percent when those polled were asked to assume that the alternative to the death penalty was life in prison with no chance of parole. And, the amount of death sentences imposed in the United States during the recent years has dropped to the lowest level since capital punishment was reinstated. Hence, it would seem that our society’s attitude toward capital punishment is changing as well. What was once ordinary is now abnormal, and what was once essentially unquestioned is now questioned.The debate over the legitimacy or morality of the death penalty may be almost as old as the death penalty itself and, in the view of the increasing trend towards its complete abolition, perhaps as outdated. Capital punishment is horribly flawed, ineffective at deterring crime, completely unethical, outrageously expensive, and has no place in a civilized society.
English becoming the official Language of the United States is not just a controversial topic, it is necessary to keep America alive. American history and tradition is falling, and the ground on which she was founded is slowly fading. Americans must wake up to the importance of preserving the history of their culture. America is considered to be the greatest country in the world by even some who are not Americans. The “American Dream” is something people fantasize over all around the world. In order to keep the desire to be American, one must truly understand what it takes to be American. English is essential in living the American life. English should be the official language of the United States to give the people what they want, to recognize the historic role, and to limit controversy.