Making English The Official Language In The United States - Case Study Example

Yuan Jiang WRT102 Dr. Dabovic 06/24 Making English the official language in the United s I am an international from China, and have been studying here for over two years. Still, language barriers exist in my life. When I am reading and writing, it is difficult and I need to spend extra time. I see the importance of improving my English. However, I surprisingly found that we can take the learner permit exam in Chinese; we can choose our preferred language for our bank accounts; and we can have Chinese operators when connecting to most big companies’ customer service. This means if you just want to make a life in America, not being able to speak English is fine. Consequently, people in the United States are divided into hundreds of different groups, each with its own language and culture. For example, I found that people who live in Flushing and do not speak English do not go to other places, even Manhattan. Still, many individuals embrace a multiplicity of languages within the United States on the grounds that it limits discrimination and creates a more diverse society. In recent years, whether English is the official language or not has become an issue. The United States has no codified official language, even though English is almost commonly used as the language of government, commerce, culture, and daily communications. This demonstrates that it is necessary to make English the official language in the United States. S.I Hayakawa, author, educator, Republican U.S senator from California from 1977 to 1983, and a strong supporter of the U.S English movement mentions, “It is with language that we have drawn up the understandings and agreements…that make a society possible…we must have one official language and one only, so that we can unite as a nation” (Enslow 15). Hayakawa points out the necessary of making English as official language, “make a society possible” and “we can unite as a nation”. However, opponents claim that the United States doesn’t need to make English as official language because it will not benefit people here and will affect the diversity of the United States. If English becomes the official language, governments and schools will take measures to get all people in America to use English at school, work, and in public places. It will be more effective for new arrivals or immigrants to have a big improvement on English and succeed in the classroom and the workplace. Declaring English as the official language is very necessary for the government and the citizens of the U.S. This proposal is beneficial and essential for the United States. English is the most widespread language in the United States, and it is the most common language used by the U.S. federal government. By now, 28 of 50 state governments have given legal and official status to the English language (Charles). The widespread use of English in the United States traces its history back to the 17th century, with the first wave English-speaking settlers in North America. It’s indicated that, “The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century and from the 1880s to 1920” ("United States Immigration before 1965"). Through such migration in the 18th and 19th centuries, English became the most commonly used language in the American population. In 1923, Nebraska was the first state to give English the official status of language. The legislation noted that "The English language is hereby declared to be the official language of this State, and all official proceedings, records and publications shall be in such language, and the common school branches shall be taught in said language in public, private, denominational and parochial schools" (Charles). Yet, there are at least 22 states that have not made English their official language. Since the United States became an independent country, there has been the English Only Movement or Official English Movement. This movement has sought to promote legislation, and establish English as the official language in the United States. It aims at the implementation of constitutional amendments to make English the official language at the national and state level. Meanwhile, the "English Only movement” also restricted the use of other languages. Supporters and opponents of the Official English movement have had passionate debates about this issue. Supporters believe that bilingual education in public schools should be limited or even eliminated and multilingual ballots should be abolished. They do not think the government should spend taxes on translating road signs and government documents for people who do not speak English, but live in the United States. However, opponents of this proposal believe that non-English speakers in the United States should maintain their native language and culture while they learn English. In addition, they also believe that people born here should understand some languages and cultures from other countries. S.I Hayakawa, author, educator, Republican U.S senator from California from 1977 to 1983, and a strong supporter of the U.S English movement mentions, “It is with language that we have drawn up the understandings and agreements…that make a society possible…we must have one official language and one only, so that we can unite as a nation” (Enslow, p. 15). Hayakawa points out the necessity of making English the official language; or in his words, “make a society possible” and “we can unite as a nation”. Ultimately, then if in English is instituted as an official language it could make the United States truly united. There are many reasons English should be made the official language. It is an ancient idea that people speaking different languages will not be able to live together in harmony (Enslow, 15). People who speak different languages have difficulty communicating with each other. How do they trade, live together, and unify as a nation? The United States government should obtain instructive warnings from its neighbor, Canada, where a severe constitutional crisis over the issue of language happened in 1995, because of the policy of official multilingualism. Mauro E. Mujica, the chairman of the board and CEO of US ENGLISH since January of 1993, believes that the American assimilation process, often called the melting pot, is clearly not working. Declaring English to be our official language would bring back the incentive to learn it (Mauro). As far as Mujica’s perspective, making English the official language is an essential proposal of American assimilation process, which helps unite Americans. From the political perspective, making English as official language will help to unite Americans. There are more than 325 languages in the United Sates (U.S. English, Inc.). It is very important to provide common means of communications, as many people come from different backgrounds and hold different political views. British speak English. From colonial time, people in the United States spoke English. Furthermore, the Declaration of Independence and the US constitution were written in English. According to a May 2010 Rasmussen Reports survey, 87 percent of Americans believe English should be our official language (ProEnglish). Why then is English not the official language of the United States? Making English as the official language represents the general trend of development and the common aspiration of people in the United States. The United States, a nation of immigrants, has always welcomed visitors. Its immigrants, with different cultures and backgrounds from all over the globe, speak different languages. More and more people from other countries come to America for studying, working, and realizing their American dream. Immigrants are all over the nation, however, newspapers, school textbooks, school websites, street signs, the songs on the radio, and job applications are nearly all in English. Life without English proficiency in the United States is a life of low-paying and low-skilled jobs. As a result of learning English, the Census shows that immigrants’ income rises about 30%. One poor result showed that in May of 2003, about 20 percent of the students at Miami Senior High School, where 88 percent of the students speak English as a second language, failed the annual Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) exam required for graduation (Mauro). The final reason for making English the official language is to save government spending. Some statistics help us realize the importance of official English. Los Angeles County spent $3.3 million, 15 percent of the entire election budget, to print election ballots in seven languages and hire multilingual poll workers for the March 2002 primary (Charles). The county also spends $265 per day for each of 420 full-time court interpreters. San Francisco spends $350,000 per each language that documents must be translated into under its bilingual government ordinance (Charles). Financial officials in Washington, D.C., estimate that a proposed language access would cost $7.74 million to implement (Mauro). This evidence above clearly shows that multiple languages are very costly and the U.S. government does not have the responsibility to pay that much for multilingualism. Hiring bilingual teachers and buying special materials for the students usually costs a lot. The U.S. government could save large amounts of money once this proposal is approved. Making English official is very important and an extremely urgent subject, as the shift will allow for a more functional United States. Though the United States will obtain many benefits from English as the official language, every coin has two sides. Joe Bernal, a Hispanic American, is now a school administrator in San Antonio. He believes Americans who do not speak English as their native language should be encouraged to keep their own language while learning English. English speakers, on the other hand, should learn foreign languages (Enslow 13). As everyone knows, the United States is a democracy and the land of free. Languages present people’s ethnicity and national origin. This considers that English as the official language would affect the diversity of culture. The general recognition in these regards is that by promoting an English only atmosphere, stereotypes will be perpetuated. It’s noted that, “Many people will assume that all Spanish-speaking Americans are illegal immigrants who shouldnt be here…the push for English-only just reinforces attitudes like that” (Riley). In this sense, making English the official language would further establish negative stereotypes and poor cultural practices. Ultimately, this argument considers that making English official may discriminate against non-English speakers and violate their rights. Another argument against English as the official language is that large amounts of people believe making English official is not practical. The current language policy of the United States is working fine, so the argument contends there is no need to create an official language. It’s argued that “Many do not view it as practical for the United States to declare an official language when there is a demand for languages other than English” (Mitchell). The US and many of its constituent states seem to have muddled along so far without any official national language (Lang). There are over 30 states that have already made English as the official language, each state can choose their way according to their situation. There will be disadvantages to making English official in every state. As mentioned, most people speak English most of the time in the United States; people don’t realize the fact that they are speaking English. Thus, nothing will change for most of people in America. While the above-mentioned arguments seem valid, upon further examination people with those perspectives do not really understand the essence of official English. The first argument that English reduces diversity and creates stereotypes is a propositional fallacy, as its assumptions do not establish the later conclusion. Making English official language does not mean non-English speakers cannot speak their native languages at all in the United States. It is about the standard of language. Countries like China, Japan, Korea, and some European countries have their official languages, but the governments still encourage their people to learn English or other kinds of languages, history and culture (Lang). Since immigrants from different countries bring their cultures to America, the diversity of cultures will not be affected just because of official language. On the contrary, as more and more immigrants come to America, English has become under threat. Furthermore, making English official has nothing to do with discrimination. This is not about race. People from every race come to the US and learn to understand the American dialect of English. The argument that making English the official language is impractical is a formal fallacy as its assumptions are incorrect. Since over 30 states make English official and it works fine, other parts of the United States also can apply to this legislation. Catering to multilingualism is impractical because it is very expensive. Indeed, English is the first language of most people in the United States. They still need to communicate and deal with other people whose mother tongue is not English -- for example, in doing business. In this process, even with translators aside, misunderstanding happens all the time. In these regards, the argument that making English the official language is impractical fails to recognize the incredible gains in efficiency and inter-governmental communication that would be gained through this policy change. Nothing in the world is absolutely certain. Making English official surely has its disadvantages; however, most evidence shows that it is more beneficial than maintaining the current policy. Official English does not mean, “English only”. As evidenced in our legislation, official English would not affect the diversity of languages spoken in the home, foreign languages learned in classrooms, mottoes, Native American languages and the like. Making English the official language of the United States refers solely to the language of the government, not of the people, private business, classrooms, etc. (Official English). Official English just restricts the Federal government. My first English class was taken in middle school when I was about thirteen. Now, kids start to learn English together with their mother tongue mandarin. It is a big change and a great improvement. My parents do not speak English, but they often tell me the importance of speaking proficient English, which is one of the keys to success. Making English official should not be controversial anymore. As far as I see, from Chinese friends who have already graduated and found a job here, people who speak proficient English get better jobs and higher incomes. The fact can be more obvious if we make a comparison. Assume three people want to find jobs in a Chinese restaurant. The person who cannot speak English at all can only be a dishwasher with monthly payment between 1000 to 2000 dollars. The people who can speak some English, has no trouble communicating with customers and taking orders, can be a waiter or waitress of the restaurant with monthly payment between 2000 to 3000 dollars. The one with proficient English can obtain a position of manager whose monthly payment is usually over 3000 dollars. If the government of the United States continues providing bilingual education and multilingual services for immigrants, non-English speakers who speak the same languages will generate groups and continue to isolate themselves from mainstream society. However, making English as the official language can stimulate immigrants to learn English and empower them. All immigrants of the U.S should have the responsibility to learn English, and immigrants will definitely benefit from the elevation of English to official status. In order to make English the official language, the U.S. government should require all naturalization processes be conducted in English. At the same time, the U.S. government should help to establish as many ESL (English as Second Language) schools as possible. The U.S government also has to unify all functions and proceedings in English; this includes laws, regulations, programs and orders. In this way, all people in the United States are pushed to learn English. English speakers and non-English speakers will be connected closer, and have better communication, and better understanding of American history and culture. Ultimately, making English the official language will be a significant step for the United States. Works Cited Charles V. Dale and Mark Gurevitz. "Legal Analysis of Proposals to Make English the Official Language of the United States". Congressional Research Service. 1995, Washington, D.C. “Constitutional Topic: Official Language.” U.S. Constitution Online. Web. 28 Jun 2012. http://www. usconstitution.net/consttop_lang.html Lang, Paul. The English Language Debate. New Jersey: Enslow, 1995. Print. “Languages Spoken in the United States”. U.S English, Inc. Web. 28 Jun 2012. http://www.us-english.org/userdata/file/LanguagesSpokenintheUS.pdf Mauro E. Mujica. “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Language”. Worldandi. Web. 28 Jun 2012. http://www.worldandi.com/newhome/public/2003/december/cipub2.asp Mitchell, Jennifer. "For All Practical Purposes." Should English by the Official Language. N.p., 2011. Web. 28 Jun 2012. Riley, Harry. "Should English be the Official Language of the United States." yahooshould. N, 2010. Web. 28 Jun 2012. . "Ten Reasons to Make English the Official Language of the United States." ProEnglish http://www.proenglish.org/data/backgrounders/167-ten-reasons-to-make-english-the- official-language-of-the-united-states.html. Wed. 28th June 12th. Read More