Policy in the United States towards foreign languages has long been a complicated process. The nation was founded by polyglot immigrants and welcomed, to varying degrees, many subsequent waves of immigrants speaking languages familiar and foreign. Most immigrants learned English and despite efforts to maintain their mother tongue, the “permissiveness and apathy” of American society towards second languages allowed the gradual erosion of many mother tongues. English, although the common language in schools, the courts, government, and the business community in the United States, is not the official language of our country. This fact juxtaposes paradoxically with the necessity of speaking English for success in our society, and the dying out of many languages native to immigrants after the third generation. Since no official policy at the federal level governs the official language of the United States, nor the teaching of foreign languages until after the Second World War, language education in the U.S. remained a patchwork of local policies. …show more content…
The two are linked, as the decrease in students studying foreign languages can be directly tied to the xenophobia during World War II that, in some cases, outlawed the teaching of foreign languages. William Riley Parker directly links the two, citing that the decrease in students studying foreign language was a result of the phobia of Germans that swept the nation during the 1940s. Thus to fully understand the literature on foreign language policy, the various skeins of history: foreign language education policy, immigrant language maintenance, and English-only policy, must be
“Standard English was imposed on children of immigrant parents, then the children were separated from native English speakers, then the children were labeled “inferior” and “ignorant” (Hughes 70) because they could not speak Standard English. In addition to feeling inferior about their second language skills, these students also felt inadequate in regard to speaking their own mother tongues” (qtd in Kanae)
Fass places most emphasis on the role of immigration and industrialization in the development of the aspirations, tensions and paradoxes of American education. In many ways, the problem of the immigrant at the turn of the 20th century gave birth to the ecclesiastical and liberal objectives of education. Before the development of the industrial age, an individual’s employment provided an important socializing experience. Industrialization greatly expanded employment opportunities, but the work was often brute manual labor with little educational value. Fass summarizes the reformist opinion of the time to be that “industrial labor failed to fit an older framework of socialization and did not serve as a force for social cohesion”(18)....
John Taylor Gatto, who was a teacher at the public school for twenty-six years, and the writer of the essay “Against School” that first appeared in Harper’s magazine in 2001, censures and blames the American public school’s educational system in his argumentative essay with various convincible supporting ideas. Gatto argues that the demands of public education system’s schooling are essential problems in “Against School”. Gatto shows some positive examples of the educating without forced schooling and shows models of the ‘success without forced modern schooling’. Indeed, the writer insists that historically forced schooling is not related to intellectual and financial success in American history. James Bryant Conant, who was the twenty-third
Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...
Gutek, G. L. (1995). A history of the western educational experience. Prospect Heights, Ill: Waveland Press.
The efforts of Noah Webster, William McGuffey, and Horace Mann paved the way for modern education in America. Before their accomplishments American schools were disorganized, ineffective, and not even truly American. These Americans took that dysfunctional school system and made an organized, effective, truly American system that produced many successful citizens and made America a better, more educated country. The rapid development of education enjoyed by Americans in the early 1800’s was due in large part to these three men, and without them America would not be what it is today.
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.
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.
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.
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...
If a country doesn’t have an official language is usually due to distinct historical or cultural reasons. As I began reading articles on this topic, I was amazed that the great country I live in doesn’t have an official language. I begin to wonder why this is the case. Many countries have an official language in which all the official business, daily activities and other formal activities are conducted. There are even thirty (30) states that have succeeded through their own statutes to declare English as an official language of their particular state (www.us-english.org).
In parts of Canada, where there are two languages, children are taught both languages. If we had an official language, we would be responsible for insuring that everyone gets a chance to learn the language. As seen in the statutes of Section 3-3-31 of the Mississippi code, “.the purpose (of the statutes) was not to discourage foreign language instruction nor, for that matter, bilingual education, although the presumption was that such programs be “transitional” and designed to move non-English speakers into classes taught in English as soon as possible.” (Juan 79).... ...
Gintis, Herbert. "Chapter 1 Beyond the Educational Frontier: The Great American Dream Freeze." Schooling in Capitalist America: Educational Reform and the Contradictions of Economic Life. By Samuel Bowles. New York: Basic, 1976. N. pag. Print.
The majority of Americans believe English is the official language of the United States. However, The United States has no official language at all. This mistake is commonly based upon English being the most popular language spoken in North America. Making English official has recently become a popular topic, and more people every day join a curiosity of why it is not the official language. 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.
Foreign language skills could have a positive impact on race relations in America. The number of minorities in America is rapidly increasing. In fact, "minority" groups will soon form a collective "majority" of the citizens in America. Considering the facts that many minority groups speak English as a second language and America has no official language, compulsory foreign language classes are viable options. Of course, opponents of mandatory foreign language courses will say that immigrants and naturalized citizens should learn and speak the "de facto" official language of the United States--English. It is a valid point, but misses the bigger picture. People who speak English as a second language are already bilingual, while American-born students typically are not. Language is the most fundamental aspect of a culture. Students who learn the not-so-foreign language of the predominant minority group in their region of the country will gain at least some insight into the different culture of their neighbors and perhaps have a better understanding of them at the personal level. If we take these bits of insight and understanding and couple them with compassion, fertile ground for multicultural harmony in America will be sown. While foreign language skills can improve domestic affairs, the same can be said of foreign affairs.