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Should English Become the United States’ Official Language
English as an official and international language
Should English Become the United States’ Official Language
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It's Time to Declare English the Official Language "In no way would having English as the official language intrude upon anyone's private life, business, or day-to-day living. Official English applies only to the conduct of government business." -S.I. Hayakawa America today is a melting pot of different societies. Everywhere, in every city and in every state, there are Germantowns, and Chinatowns, and Greektowns. America has certainly developed into one big multicultural society. With the many different cultures, come the many different languages as well. When a person imagines the language of the United States, naturally most believe that English is the national language. America, however, does not have an official language. According to the Center of Immigration Studies, more than 300 languages are currently spoken in the United States (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Immigration in the United States is a positive event that cannot be altered no matter what actions are taken against it. Immigration, in fact, has many positive influences upon this great nation. With the positive effects on this country also come the harmful effects. If America wants to continue to live harmoniously with the multitude of different cultures, the first step would be to make English the official language of the United States of America. Today, 1.9 billion people speak the English language; more than one-third of humanity (U.S. Bureau of the Census). English is also the national language of many countries- countries with a multiple of different cultures- including India and several populous countries in Africa. People in those countries use English to conduct common and o... ... middle of paper ... ...for our flag. It was not easy, but they did it; the beautiful thing was we were united. A World War I Veteran told me that when he came to this country from Poland, he did not speak a word of English, nor did his parents. He said he learned English and spoke it well enough to get by. “This is America,” he said, “and it is only right to honor its language.” When asked if he felt if his love and pride for his own country had faltered, he gave a stern “no.” English is the language of freedom, commerce and opportunity around the world. Declaring English the official language of the United States of America will honestly do no harm. In the end, only positive effects could come out of the measure because the day-to-day lives of a common citizen would rarely be altered. Declaring English the national language is the right and honorable thing to do. Now let's do it.
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.
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.
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.
In recent years, large numbers of immigrants have migrated into the USA from Mexico, Philippine, Vietnam, China, and other counties. As of 2009, immigrants comprised 12.5% (38.5 million) of the total U.S. population (Batalova and Aaron par. 7). In 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau found that 50.4% of children younger than the age of one were Hispanic, black, Asian American, or belonging to other minority groups (Morello and Ted par. 2), and more than 60 million people who are 5 years old and older spoke a language other than English at home (Camille 3). Faced with the cultural diversity brought by immigrants, many nativists worry that the United States will lose the English language as an important core of a common cultural unity. With the help of organizations such as U.S. English and ProEnglish, the English-only movement is experiencing its second resurgence since the 1980’s.
Language can bring people together but can also isolate. The United States is known as a melting pot, not only does that refer to culture but also the many different languages. We know of language barriers, but very seldom do we think of the language barriers within our borders. Even with the language barriers it solidifies the need for a national language, the United States of America should allow the freedom to express one’s culture while maintaining English as our national language, therefore offering common ground to its citizens.
The United States is made up of many different ethic groups. These groups vary from Latinos, Asian American, African American, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and etc. These ethnic groups come into America speaking many different languages. However, many people are still surprised to learn that the United States has no official language. Many assume that English is the official language of the United States. But despite efforts over the years, the United States has no official language. Because the United States has no official language, it is suffering with large costs. These large costs will lead us on a road to wasteful government expenses, language battles that fuel ethnic resentment, and in the long run serious ethnic and linguistic separatist movements. An official English legislation is the answer to the problem.
English Inc., claims that making English not an official language would cause a major problem. He makes these arguments using three points, and they are “The Retreat of English," The Costs of Multilingualism, and the Dis-United States. He believes that if we don’t make English as an official language, it would disappear soon and Costs of Multilingualism are very expensive. In addition, in his final points, he makes the point by indicating the reader that if we do not make English as an Official Language, it creates a Disunity among people. Even though his points were evident, the thesis of this essay is not that comprehensible, also, I think his arguments are quite valid, but he needs to realize that immigrants are the ones who are paying their tax money for Multilingualism education. Unlike Crawford’s arguments, his argument is unclear like his thesis. Furthermore, I think he fears that every day less, people speak English, and it is disappearing fast. However, he needs to realize that if the English were to become the United States’ official language, other languages could still be practiced, but the government would simply hold no obligation to provide services in other
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.
By making the national language English, it is totally disregarding this idea. “America has long been called a “Melting Pot,” a place where people come together to become one, while blending their cultures with others. Some even use the term “mosaic,” highlighting how each tile, or culture, is distinct but helps to make up the bigger picture.” Most everyone descend from immigrants in one way or another, and immigrants usually came to this country unable to speak English. Not all our ancestors were fluent, or could even speak, English.
According to the Article “One nation, one language?” written by Susan Headden, in 1994, 8.7 percent of Americans were born in other countries, the highest percentage since before World War II. So keeping in mind just about how many immigrants the United States roughly has, at least 85 percent speaks a native language instead of learning English. Since America has no ‘official language’, all migrants entering seem to mix in the midst of the billions of people from different backgrounds. If immigrants hoping to adopt the American way of life were required to speak English
United States of America can’t make english the official language simply for the fact that the language branches off of other languages. All through college and high school, students learn the roots from words and find that half of our root words consist of Latin, Greek, French etc. The language has hardly any words that are pure english. Most people also use their words to remind them of home. Take immigrants for example, some people use their language as a reminiscence of struggle.
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
English spreads widely in each countries, no matter the area of region or information transfer, English becomes an important position in global language. As the specification of a global language, it essentially refers to a language that learned and spoken internationally, so English can be the most out-standing. According to the number of English-speaking calculations, English is the official language used by most countries, English is the most widely used second language in the world, and the percentage of web pages with English content is estimated to be over 50% (Crystal, 2003). Meanwhile, the history and usefulness cause English to be a global language, and they mainly influence to spread English faster in China and to bring convenience
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.