“Emblematic of the period, Theodore Roosevelt asserted in 1919: ‘We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns out people as Americans and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding- house’ ” (Daniels, 8). The question that has been around for hundreds of years: “Should English be declared the official language of the United States?” is still a controversy - refighting the same old sociolinguistic issue of the 1970s. The increased concern with different languages was obviously related to the World War but also to the major shift in the quantity of immigrants to America. For centuries, the United States of America has been considered the ultimate country where dreams are made and a place where everyone wants to migrate to for better living standards. It is argued that dialectally diverse nations need a standard language to permit mutual understanding and in a global society, for instance, it is the whole world that can benefit from a national language. French as well as Latin once took on this role as an international medium of communication and in this era, as well as the future years, English is and should be the global voice. Three episodes are worth examining in order to highlight the importance of America adopting English as the official language. How do immigrants affect the United States? What does it mean to make English the official language? And what are the advantages of making English the answer to unity? Although English and immigrants from all over the world are different means of reasoning, these issues reveal that they could be used for similar purposes in justifying this research. The debate regarding immigrants has been around for over one ... ... middle of paper ... ...998): Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Daniels, Harvey. Not Only English: Affirming America’s Multilingual Heritage. Illinois: Urbana, 1990. Print. “Immigration.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 2011. Print. Mujica, Mauro. “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Language.” World and I. 2003. Web. 15 April 2012 Nicolino, Nicole M. "?Por que no podemos leer en la biblioteca?: questioning the application of official English legislation to public libraries." Journal of Gender, Race and Justice. (2007): 1. Web. Pelofsky, Jeremy. “ Number Of Illegal Immigrants In The U.S. Is Stable.” Reuters. N.p. 24 March 2012. Web. 31 March 2012. “Real Solutions For The Economy: Stop Illegal Immigration.” John Birch Society. Savvy panda, n.d. Web. 11 April 12, 2012. Vall, Sandra Del. Language Rights And The Laws In The United States. NY: Tonowanda, 2003. Print.
Bilingualism should be celebrated and encouraged, rather than stamped out. Anzaldúa recalls that a teacher told her, “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong” (2947). The irony in her teacher’s statement is that Mexicans and Native Americans inhabited North America long before it was colonized; so, technically speaking, Anzaldúa belonged in America more than her teacher did.
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.
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.
In the essay “Bilingualism in America: English Should Be the Official Language” (1989) by Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa, he claims that if America wants to be a truly unified country, then there English needs to be set as the official language and wants every person including immigrants to speak it on a normal base. Hayakawa supports his claim by appealing to pathos in the description of how children who are not taught English from an early age will always be behind their peers, he discusses how countries such as Belgium and India have several official languages and how it is “a chaotic mess”, and explains how bilingual programs in California do more harm than good because they start the child off in their native language and never allow them to fully
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.
Preston, Julia. "Number of Illegal Immigrants in U.S. May Be on Rise Again, Estimates Say." The New York Times 24 September 2013: A16.
James Fallows, a proponents of having bilingualism in the U.S. Fallows claim that there is no need to declare English as the official language in the U.S. “because it already is that” (263). Fallows argues that English is already the most powerful language in this world, and obviously the immigrants knew that fact. Therefore, bilingual services will not reduce the incentive of immigrants to learn English. However, his argument is not fully correct. From 2000 to 2010, over 9 million immigrants came to America (Camarota). Because of this huge population of immigrants, most of the immigrants merely formed communities within their own ethnic or linguistic groups. In their communities, they can live well by speaking their native languages. Furthermore, when they are facing public problems, they have...
In the article, “Public and Private Language”, Richard Rodriguez argues that bilingual education delays learning a “public language” and developing a public identity”. I can relate to Richard’s story because my family and me moved to America when I was young and we also had the same struggle learning a new language. I agreed with Rodriguez when he expressed that he didn’t feel like a true American until he mastered the English language because English is the first and main language in America.
For more than 300 years, immigrants from every corner of the globe have settled in America, creating the most diverse and heterogeneous nation on Earth. Though immigrants have given much to the country, their process of changing from their homeland to the new land has never been easy. To immigrate does not only mean to come and live in a country after leaving your own country, but it also means to deal with many new and unfamiliar situations, social backgrounds, cultures, and mainly with the acquisition and master of a new language. This often causes mixed emotions, frustration, awkward feelings, and other conflicts. In Richard Rodriguez’s essay “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, the author describes the social, cultural and linguistic difficulties encountered in America as he attempts to assimilate to the American culture. Richard Rodriguez by committing himself to speaking English, he lost his cultural ties, family background and ethnic heritage.
As the number of states that make English their official language grows to thirty-one, the issue of enacting legislation to make English the official language has grown. In 1996, the House of Representatives passed a law to make English the official language but was stopped in the senate. Now emerging are conservative, pro-English groups like English Only who are swaying public opinion to make English an official language. Now over 20 years later the support for English as the official language has increased among American voters to an overwhelming 87% (English as an Official Language in the U.S.: Pros and Cons). However, are voters making the right choice, is making English the official language a good idea? English should not be the official
Gutierrez-Jones, Carl. "Legislating Languages:The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez and the English Language Amendment." New York, NY: University of Minnesota Press.
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.
Pac, Teresa. "The English-Only Movement in the US and the World in the Twenty-First Century." Perspectives on Global Development and Technology 11.1 (2012): 192-210.
It has been adopted by different sectors making it one of the most used languages in the globe. This has been attributed to its effective nature, easy learning and rich history. However, conservative groups exist who argues that there should be global language since it may cause the emergence of superior cultures. Nevertheless, it is evident that different cultures ranging from the early polish immigrants, the African American community, the advertising and media will greatly benefit from the globalization of the English language. This will prove in the end that English is indeed a global
Even though there are advantages as well as disadvantages, the need for international language for communication, politics, economics and security is necessary and English is the best “language candidate” for that function. English is a language spread all over the world and it is used by millions and millions of speakers. According to my opinion, people should use English as a tool to communicate with all cultures but every country must keep their culture and language is a great part of it. In conclusion, language defines identity of a country and everyone should keep their language and explore others.