Bilingualism In America

261 Words1 Page

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

Show More
Related

  • How To Tame A Wild Tongue Summary

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • English Should be the National Language

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • Bilingualism Should Not Be Continued

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Public And Private Language Summary

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Views on Bilingual Education in the US

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 educate 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.

    Read More

  • English: The Official Language of the United States

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Mexican-American Bilingualism

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are 318.86 million people living in the Unites States. According to BBC news, out of the 318.86 million 54 million are Hispanics. There are 56 million Hispanics of which Mexican- Americans are the biggest group. What does it mean to be Mexican- American in modern day America? Everyone views Mexican-Americans differently. As well, everyone might describe this differently. I will give some examples. A 46 year old whose father was German and mother was Mexican. A 20- year old medical student, whose parents are Mexican Immigrants, but since he was born here he is an American citizen. An 18-year old girl who was brought here at the age of 2 but has no papers. A 1st generation cousin and a 2nd generation cousin fighting to see who is more

    Read More

  • Bilingualism In The Early Years

    225 Words  | 1 Pages

    Byers-Heinlein, K., & Lew-Williams, C. (2013). Bilingualism in the Early Years: What the Science Says. Editorial Staff, 95.

    Read More

  • The Official Language of the United Nations

    1267 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Bilingualism for the individual is fine, but not for a country”, claims S.I Hayakawa in his article “Bilingualism in America”, published in USA Today in 1989. A language is a systematic means of communication. It is used to express ourselves and communicate with others. More than 300 languages are spoken in the United States but English is one of the common bonds among the Americans of all backgrounds. English is the language of freedom, commerce and opportunity around the world. English is the official language of 51 nations and 27 states in the United States of America. Most scholars believe that English is the common language in the United States of America. This is true in fact but not in law. The founders of the United States of America were aware of the importance of the language of nation building. A nation’s language was thought to be the essence of national culture. There were movements to make English as the official language but failed in their attempt. Making English as the official language promotes unity among the people, serves as a means of communication for immigrants, helps in business, and cut government spending on bilingualism.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Bilingualism In The United States

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    The world is changing every day. Society is evolving along with the world. The countries of the world are interacting with each other. In a world that is evolving, the people of the world must go with the flow or get left in the dust. The difference between getting left in the dust and going with the flow of society is bilingualism. “Over 50% of countries in the world are officially bilingual or multilingual”(Bilingual Countries). In those countries that have adopted other languages, there are people who are still monolingual. There are benefits and drawbacks of both, but at the end of the day being bilingual is better than being monolingual.

    Read More

  • Bilingual Education In Latin America

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    Over 30 million indigenous people live in Latin America today, representing more than 400 distinct ethnolinguistic groups (Hamel, “Indigenous Education” 271). Yet, despite the large amount of activism by indigenous groups and the proliferation of international instruments protecting indigenous rights in recent decades, the development of bilingual education systems and indigenous language rights has largely varied between Latin American countries. This inconsistency can be seen through the case studies of: Bolivia and Guatemala, in which indigenous populations are the numerical majority; Ecuador and Mexico, in which significant indigenous populations exist and have noteworthy social and political weight; and Paraguay where a robust bilingual education program has been developed despite indigenous populations accounting for a small percentage of the overall population and having limited social and political weight (Hamel, “Indigenous Education” 273).

    Read More

  • Bilingualism In Schools

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    Picture a world where everyone speaks the same language. People from completely opposite sides of the world can understand each other. Classes and public educations are all taught with the same language. A movie produced in China can be watched and understood by monolingual Americans. This what the world would be like if bilingual students were no longer given the opportunity to learn another language. This is what the world would look like if no one wanted or tried to learn another language, and the only solution was to standardize the dialect around the world. This world would be a world without growth. A world without culture, a world lacking patriotism and love of languages. This would be a world without bilinguals. It is important that students are given the opportunity to learn another language and become bilingual. Bilingual students do better in school, have a higher attendance rate, and are overall mentally healthier for a longer amount of time.

    Read More

  • Challenges Of Bilingual Education

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bilingual education has been used in many ways and different countries. In the US, however, it can be more specific and complex. It is the way their native languages are used by English language learners for instruction. There are many views concerning bilingualism. This paper outlines different views people have on this type of program. From personal views, pros and cons, the positive or negative outcomes, and the overall different perspectives people have in bilingual education.

    Read More

  • Bilingualism Case Study

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bilingualism is an occurrence whereby an individual has the fluency in or use of two languages. As Mackey (1962) states that a wider definition of bilingual is one who uses two or more languages to communicate. It is a product of multicultural residences as an individual learn and acquire a language other than own native language. In the Malaysia’s English as a Second Language (ESL) primary classroom context, the concept of bilingualism among the young learners is the use of two distinct languages specifically Malay and English languages in teaching. One of the solid reason to inculcate bilingualism in the Malaysia education is to instill an integration and equality among multicultural members in the community. There are few factors that could affect bilingualism among the young learners likely age, motivation, environment as well as the role of the first

    Read More

  • Making English the Official Language Argumentative Persuasive Essays

    1327 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Bilingualism In America

Open Document