America is known for its very diverse population. This is why it is called the “melting pot” of the world. in a research article Census shows, “There are 323 different languages spoken in the United states today (Mujica 47). With so many languages being used in the nation, it causes that almost everything from instructions to documents be in multiple languages, so that it is comprehendible to everyone. The amount of money spent each year from being a bilingual country is an astronomical amount. The English Only association thinks that, “The U.S. Congress and individuals should adopt legislation making English the official language of the government so that the government business must be conducted in English, with the common-sense exceptions …show more content…
Immigrant students who go to school not knowing English hinder the ability for the America students to learn to their full potential. The nation should not have to worry about their children not getting the education they deserve because the teacher is having to take more time to explain to a student who will never comprehend it to the full extent because of the language barrier. If all students were required to learn English before entering the classroom it would solve the problem before hand. Most Mexican native parents agree that putting a child in a classroom not knowing enough English to properly understand the lesson actually hurts them in the end. Carmen Quinones states that, “My son is in the ninth grade…and has been in a bilingual education since he entered the school system… My son is confused between Spanish and English” (Amselle 1). If we made English, the official language there would be less confusion to the children that try to learn everything twice in two different languages at a young age. By allowing school to have bilingual-education programs it is costing the people of this country more than they can afford. Jorge Ameselle’s research show that these program funds, “Estimates of federal, state and local spending on native-language programs run form $5 billion to $12 billion” (Amselle 1). Why should we pay for these programs when our children do not benefit from it in anyway? The immigrants choose to come to America and if they do not want to learn English to help themselves out, they should have to deal with the
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.
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
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.
Language is part of the few benefits that immigrants bring with their culture. United States benefits from cultures of the many immigrants that migrate to the U.S. the variation of different languages brings great benefit to the U.
Even though opposition party of English-only movement assert that it has close connections to restrictionist, anti-immigration organizations, which suggests that the English-only 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 in 1990 US census reported that 97.1 % of the US population speak English. In addition, English will allow people to communicate with each other, discuss their points of view, and encourage trust, while reducing racial hostility and discrimination. Another example is that 87% of American voters want English to become the official language, because it keeps everyone learning the same language. People can still learn other languages if they want, and it will also encourage immigrants to develop the English ability necessary in this country for economic and democratic
The main problem is that a multilingual government is not cheap. Today, our government makes it easy for immigrants to function in their native language. They make it easier through bilingual education, multilingual ballots and driver’s license exams, and government-funded translators in schools and hospitals (Mujica). Not only are these services expensive for American taxpayers, but it also keeps immigrants linguistically isolated. According to the 1990 Census, 13.8 percent of U.S. residents spoke some non-English at home, while 2.9 percent did not speak English at all or not well (Mount). There was a 52 percent increase in those who could not speak English in 2000 (Mujica).
The main reason America should elect English as the official language is to conserve the nation’s budget. Every year, billions of dollars are spent on interpreters and other methods
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...
According to the 2011 census, over 20.8 percent of the United States population spoke another language other than English (www.us-english.org). Language barriers, cultural differences, and immigration have been a part of life in the United States for decades. Language is considered a vital tool in the construction of someone’s identity and an expression of culture. In the last 200 years immigrants have chosen to make the United States their home, but some proceeded with caution by slowly adapting to the English language and culture.
English as the official language of the United States could benefit the U.S. Government and America as a whole. America has long since 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 a much needed cohesion to our diverse citizens since it was founded.
The largest language spoken in the United States after English is Spanish, with more than 37 million speakers (Brunner). This makes the United States have the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, only behind Mexico and in front of Spain itself. This number has been growing in The United States at an exponential rate. “[Spanish] is also one of the fastest-growing, with the number of speakers up 233% since 1980” (Lopez, Gonzalez-Barrera). As this trend continues over the years the 17% of the population, which speaks Spanish in the United States may increase to a significant enough amount that it could rival that of English. Several years down the line, the most commonly spoken language could become Spanish. As the growth of Spanish increases in the United States, it seems illogical to make only English the official language. If there were to be an official language then Spanish and English should both become official, forcing businesses to put all their products in both English and Spanish.
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.
Out of all the American institutions that exist today, the educational system has one of the greatest impacts on the lives of people, especially for immigrants and their children who do not know how to speak English. The English language is a whole new, different perspective for people who come to America for the first time; their whole environment changes as well. The majority of the people who come to the United States are Hispanics, who are usually at the poverty level. Like everyone who come to America, they want to pursue a better quality of life, and in order to do that, you have to know how to speak the universal language, the English language. The myth of education here is that everyone can learn the same way through the English language—but that is not the case.
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 cultures of their neighbors and perhaps have a better understanding of them at the personal level.
In 2009, teachers of a New Jersey school banned foreign languages and stated, “any language other than English will not be tolerated" (Debaron 1). This situation was soon no longer allowed. While over ten percent of the total adolescent education systems contain emergent bilinguals, a whopping sixty percent of those students are educated in only English (Bale). Maria Estela Brisk, a Boston College Education professor, believes, “schools has wasted much energy in the search for a "perfect" model and the best way to learn English” when they could just focus on proving “quality education” to every student in the system (1). Teacher’s main priority should consist of effectively teaching their students to prepare them for the future, but currently there are a lack of certified bilingual education teachers. When students are taught more in different ways, they can educationally benefit their cognitive abilities, involving the brain with “mathematics, problem solving, logic and memory”, can be improved to create an overall better student. Even by learning another language at a earlier age can contribute to __________. Learning another language will be