Essay On Official Language

In many situations, the language spoken in a specific region influences the identity of the people who live there. Because of the power a common language has with governing a society it is a very disputed topic. In some cases, countries even fought wars in order to maintain or overrule a society with a different language. Like how the Roman empire used Latin, the language of the people, in order to execute orders. Or like how after the Norman Conquest, the French ruling class in England adopted the language of the peasants to have more authority over them. But in the case of the United States this exertion of power is vague since there remains to be no official language. This vague area of power is what encourages many to support the formation
By having an official language implies that all official government documentations would be represented in one language. On the surface, this matter seems like it would not have a detrimental effect to Americans who are expected to know how to speak, read, and write English. Yet, for immigrants in the process of becoming American citizens, this would delay their ability to be represented in government affairs. According to National Education Association 's publication of Official English/English Only: More Than Meets the Eye, said that the result from only having English present “is an attempt to disenfranchise minority citizens” and instead “promotes divisiveness and hostility toward those whose first language is not English”. By not having documents translated to their language, this can demonstrate that they are not welcomed and, thus, unimportant. Not native english speakers would have a greater difficulty trying to assimilate into an English-only society if they were unable to understand the written/spoken content of their everyday lives. In addition, if English becomes the national language it would not speed up the process of learning English because there are other factors contributing to this delay. The government should take into consideration that it is very difficult for an immigrant to be expected to master a language that
In a nation that is so diverse, the notion of, essentially, disregarding all other languages for English can come across as radical. English has the ability to unite the masses for communicative purposes but it does not always shape their full identity. Although most individuals who live in America consider themselves Americans, this does not mean they disregard their cultural and linguistic background. So by enforcing a single identity and, in the same respect, a language in a melting pot society, this would contradict the notion of being free. This being said, the fourteenth amendment anticipates that “every person has the opportunity to be heard and tried before any deprivation of life, liberty or property”. But in order to do so the Equal Protection clause states that, “laws cannot discriminate against certain groups based on specific characteristics, such as race, gender, or national origin”. If English did become the official language this Amendment would be violated. As a result, immigrants would not be provided with bilingual support and would not be able to fully comprehend or assert their rights. In addition, the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination of “race, color, or national origin," in "any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” This also implies that