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. Just as the Native Americans had to learn English from the Pilgrims, immigrant children need bilingual education to help them learn English. Everyone expects the immigrants to be able to speak English immediately, but that is rarely the case; they need time to learn our culture. In order for immigrants to succeed in this nation it is recommended that they learn English and every American should try to help them learn it. By immigrant children learning English through bilingual education they not only get keep their culture, but also learn the language to help them become successful in America. The Encyclopedia of Education says, “In most areas of the United States approximately 70 percent of the native-born currently are adopting English as their usual language” (Glenn). This ... ... middle of paper ... ...nal language instead of the official language. Works Cited 1. CIlheran, Patrick. "YouTube - Obama; Americans Learn Spanish! I'm Embarrassed." YouTube – Broadcast Yourself. 10 July 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . 2. GLENN, CHARLES L. "Immigrant Education." Encyclopedia of Education. Ed. James W. Guthrie. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 1097- 1106. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2011 3. "Language Acquisition | Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees – GCIR." Welcome | Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR. 2008. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. . 4. U.S. English Inc. "States with Official English Laws." U.S. English. 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. .
What is the official language or the United States? 90% of the people would answer English, but guess again. The United States doesn’t have an official language. The subject of English as the official language of the United States has been covered intensively by the world press over the past decade. Declaring it the official language of United States can make an improvement in many areas, and is very relevant for future generations. Even though English-only movement has close connections to restrictionist and anti-immigration organizations. Which suggests that the 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 making it the official language of the United States refers solely to the language of the government, not of the people, private business, classrooms, etc., and in 1990 US census reported that 97.1% of the US population speak English.
In this country, we live in a mix culture and a mix race. When we walk out in the street, the first thing we notice is people from different ethnicities. The United States has always been the country where we come to make our dreams come true. Yet we never forget the country we came from. The languages is one thing we do not forget about our country but we should also know the English language. In this country it is essential for a person to know 2 or more languages. Regardless of how many languages we know, we all have a language we prefer over the other.
When I immigrated to the United States I couldn’t speak any English, so the Department of Education staff sent me to a school which only for the immigrant student and taught student with bilingual education. I only needed to stay in this school for one year because they only introducing student the fundamental English skill and the American culture. After one year, I would transfer to the local high school to continue my high school education but there was no more bilingual education. I believe that bilingual education school is good way for the immigrants to break the language barriers. I still remember that the first school day in the United States I was very afraid and nervous because I didn’t know any English and the American culture. However, when I arrived to the school I found out that there were a lot of student who came from the same country as I was, and some of the instructors could speak Chinese too. I started to not afraid of school and feel excited about my new school life. After I studied in this school for one year, I transfer to a local high school which didn’t have bilingual education, but I didn’t afraid my new school life because I already know how to communicate with other students. A program of bilingual education is a very good program that help immigrants student break the language barriers. As Richard wrote “A major study analyzed more than three decades of research, combining 17 different studies, and found that bilingual education programs produce higher levels of student achievement in reading” (Schaefer, 2015, p.96). However, “Attacks on bilingualism in voting and education have taken several forms and have even broadened to question the appropriateness of U.S. residents using any language other than English” (Schaefer, 2015, p.96). There are a lot of people come to the United States from many countries, and a
Not to mention, speaking English is a part of American heritage. Society should adapt to American culture and values, which means all American citizens should speak the nation’s primary language: English. If people refuse to speak and/or learn English, those individuals are rejecting American culture. America has always been extremely accepting and welcoming to all people of different backgrounds, so people should accept and adopt America’s primary language as well(Ciamarra). By establishing a common language among all people, the nation will thrive and
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
English as the official language of the United States could benefit the U.S. Government and America as a whole. America has long been a multicultural nation and has been an English-speaking nation since it was founded. The constitutional and federal documents are all in English, which furthers the American people, believing English should be our official language. The majority of states already have English as their official language, for English has always provided much needed cohesion to our diverse citizens since it was founded. Being made of diverse people, and being able to continue to use your own language may seem preferable as we encourage individuality and do not want anyone to disappear into the soup.
The United States is made up of multiple cultures, race, and languages. Many people come from Mexico or Asian parts of the world, like China in search for a better life. One of the struggles many people have when coming from a different country is the language, in this case English. Everyone has a unique way of communicating. In the United States, after people learn English they realize they use different Englishes without knowing, in order to communicate, whether it be with parents, professors, or your own pets.
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.
America is often referred to as the “Great Melting Pot” where many people of various ethnicities, cultures, etc have made their home. However, the primary language spoken in America is English, and most Americans believe that speaking English should be a requirement. Foreign students, whose primary language is not English, are usually automatically placed into bilingual educational programs. Bilingual education programs are used to edify students in the English language while they slowly transition from their native tongue into the American educational system. Sometimes these automatic placements have a negative effect on the students: the foreign students often do not receive the same amount of exposure of learning in one uniform language as other American students do. Nevertheless, there are more positive factors involved in offering bilingual education than there are negative. For most students who are offered bilingual education, positive benefits include a smooth transition into a new environment, increased awareness of their surroundings, and being the overall better-educated student.
Right now, imagine a person in a future job. More than likely that person will encounter somebody speaking a language besides their native tongue. If someone would find themselves in that position, would they be prepared? There is a growing need for translators and other jobs that require a different language other than English. Demands for bilingual workers have doubled in the past five years, and employers say that job is now one of the highest requests by employers when applying for a job opportunity in the US. The Army, NYPD, and the State Department all can’t get enough workers with this important job skill (Kurtz). A second language should be mandatory in American schools because it makes employees more marketable, creates social interaction with different cultures, and increases cognitive skills.
Naturally, bilingualism needs to be taught from birth to be most effective, yet schools ignore this (Meisel).Moving right along, our current teaching methods take some amount of inspiration from ancient romans teaching greek in schools, ways that are extremely outdated (Porter). Much research is focused primarily on bilingual learners who have grown up bilingual, and exclude children who had only begun learning their second language in school (Meisel). Usually, the fears of the people directly involved in bilingual education are ignored by researchers of the subject (Meisel). In Byers-Heinlein’s article they state “A one-person-one-language approach is neither necessary nor sufficient for successful bilingual acquisition,” but later proclaims “In situations where each parent spends equal time with a child, one-parent-one-language can be a great way to ensure equal exposure” (Byers-Heinlein). Generally, the teachers who disagree with the current method of bilingual education are often afraid to speak out because they will be labeled racists, haters of foreign languages, and critics of immigrants (Porter). Moreover, despite the various differing opinions present in the communities of bilingual educators, debates on whether to keep it are not tolerated (Porter). Although, the difficulty with which current bilingual education would be changed would provide one of the few legitimate incentives for teachers to advocate their system; they don’t want to put in the effort to do so (Porter). As a matter of fact, ethnic education politics are one of the only reasons that the current methods are not already abandoned (Porter). Finally, “The case for the effectiveness of Transitional Bilingual Education is so weak that
Often, families back home cannot speak english and it is up to those who have immigrated to maintain their language to continue their relationships with their families. Too many children have lost touch with their extended families because they cannot understand one another and they are left with false affections towards each other simply because they are related. This has become a strong point of advocacy for bilingualism amongst people of color in the United States. Many parents have expressed concern on this subject as mentioned in the article "Latino Immigrant Parents ' Views Of Bilingual Education As A Vehicle For Heritage Preservation” by Pete Farruggio, who reports, “Many of the heritage parents explained the importance of Spanich fluency for conversing with relatives, often complaining that children’s limited Spanish skills hampered cross border family unity” (Farruggio). Evidently, this quote brings forth the issue that children lose focus on their native language and as a result lose that critical aspect of themselves. For this reason, bilingual education is needed to preserve diversity in the United States. Foreign language classes allow children to voluntarily devote more attention to their own languages while also developing their skills in English. Knowing both English and their native language grants people connections to their world around them, opening
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.
In the United States, education is primarily taught in only one language: English. There is a fear, or rather prejudice, from the American people that if a non-native English speaking student wants to continue learning in their native language, then that means they are rejecting any form of assimilation into our culture. And yet this opinion is from the minority, which is good because that means the majority of the people support bilingual education. However, despite the majorities’ opinion, bilingual education is seemingly a problem here, in the U.S., unlike other countries. Is there really a problem with helping non-native English speakers by giving them the aid they need to succeed in our schools? Or encouraging native English speaking students to engage into another language? We, as students and future leaders of America, can benefit from bilingual education and language immersion.
Even though bilingual education is expensive, costing 800 million dollars in 2011, it has raised test scores, increased the amount of money earned and increased the chances of getting a job and maintained the United States’ varied cultures (Peek). These 800 million dollars only represent 0.0002 percent of the education budget. People may not want to learn English with the fear of losing his or her culture, but bilingual education helps these people learn English and integrate into the United States (Bilingual Education). People say that bilingual education exa...