Designating English as the Official Language of the United States - Research Paper Example

? Designating English as the Official Language of the United s Introduction Americans have long been known to be native speakers of the English language, matched in most cases only by the Australians and the English themselves – also known as the people with whom the language originated. One could even argue that the Americans in general have the best command of the language, and that, given how the accents possessed by both Australians and Englishmen alike tend to confuse people on what they are saying, American English is the clearest rendition of the English language. More than with the English people, the English language has come to be regarded as synonymous with the American people. There is, in fact, some truth to this. Given how well-regarded the American people are for their general fluency in the English language, it is not altogether surprising that some have begun to consider it as being the USA’s national language. In fact, Feder (2007) has noted how at least 28 American states have come to consider the English language as their official language, while a survey by the US Census Bureau (2007) shows how over 225.5 million American citizens actually regard it as their only language. Another, earlier report from this same source (2000) pegged this number as 231.7 million. Specifically, 86% had been shown to claim the English language as their mother tongue, while 96% attested that they spoke English very well. The remaining 14% whose first language is not the English language serve as proof that while American English is the predominant language in the United States, it is far from being the only spoken language there. At the same time, though, the overwhelming majority of fluent English speakers residing in America all but dictated that that particular language would be considered the de facto national language of the United States of America. That being the case, this particular study aims to delve further into the details surrounding and underlying this decision – and, where possible, the thoughts, opinions and reactions of certain people involved. American English: A Comprehensive Background The website LearnenglishPk (2009) explains the origins of American English as dating back to the British colonization in the 17th century. Thanks in part to British trade and colonization, the English language spread not only to America, but also to other parts of the world. The huge British population at the time also helped; by 1921, the then-British Empire was slated to have at least 470 million people – easily a quarter of the entire global population. Since then, both variants of the English language have diverged, evolving and developing on their own. Today, American and British English are said to differ on points including, but not limited to, spelling, grammar, punctuation and expressions. Crystal (1997) has noted that over 66% of all English speakers living worldwide reside in the United States. This being the case, it should no longer be surprising that, as mentioned above, the American variant of the English language has come to be considered as the USA’s de facto national language. That is, while the federal government itself has not issued any directives as to the USA’s national language, 28 out of all 50 states have already adopted American English as their respective official languages. American English is known for possessing greater homogeneity than the variant spoken in England (Lass, 1990), and is mostly rhotic in nature. Certain letters are pronounced and enunciated differently between the two languages, and there are even sounds that are exclusive to one of them. All in all, certain words have begun to be spoken and pronounced differently depending on whether American English or the Queen’s English is being used. Spelling has also been known to deviate between the two variants. Among the most triumphant examples of these are certain words which may or may not be spelled certain letters such as mold/mould, honor/honour, realize/realise, and others. Additionally, this particular variant of the English language is also known for having borrowed words from other languages. This already applies to the English in general – many of our most frequently used words actually originated from the Greeks and Romans – but American English takes this trend to a whole new level. For instance, Skeat (1982) tells of how certain words for unfamiliar flora, fauna and topography came from the Native Americans – such as ‘raccoon’, ‘opossum’ and ‘moose’. Other words would be contributed by the French, the Dutch, the Spanish, and other cultures; the words ‘prairie’, ‘kill’, ‘rodeo’, ‘canyon’ and others are only examples of these. Even more interesting is that there are certain words which, while originating from 16th-century Middle English, only survived in American English but not in the variant spoken in England. For instance, Harper (2010) tells of how the word ‘fall’ was the result of contracting the Middle English expressions ‘fall of the leaf’ and ‘fall of the year’. It is used interchangeably with the word ‘autumn’ – the word British citizens are more likely to use. The word ‘gotten’ – the past participial form of the word ‘get’ – is yet another so-called Americanism, a word used more widely in the States than in Britain (Kortmann et al, 2004). On an interesting note, there are words and/or expressions used in both American and British English that may not mean the same thing. As noted by David Barton (1996) of Durham University, the biggest difference between America and England is, ironically enough, that which they have in common: the English language. Such are the differences between American and British English that, at the time, it was highly recommended for a resident of either country to expose himself to as much the other country’s variant of English as possible, through television, radio and other forms of media, in order to better prepare for what awaited him on the other side. His article goes on to mention Noah Webster, who in the 18th century predicted – correctly – that American English was bound to evolve through the introduction of newer words, courtesy of the people and ideas pervading there. Additionally, though less accurately, he also speculated that the passage of time would eventually cause the two English variants to diverge to the point that American English would eventually become a completely different and unrecognizable language. Nonetheless, while both forms of English are still recognizable enough to be understood by residents of both countries, the differences that do exist are still rather jarring to one not used to them. For instance, American linguists are said to have a curious affinity for euphemisms, or otherwise seemingly-innocuous words and phrases that actually refer to something much more ominous. For instance, friendly fire – defined as gunfire coming from one’s own comrades – can hardly be described as friendly. Another example can be seen in the compound ‘collateral damage’, which is an arguably mild way of describing what happens when one gets caught in and sustains injuries or damage from an incident he is not even involved in. On a more relevant note, the seemingly harmless words ‘downsizing’ and ‘layoffs’ both refer to what happens when a company decides to fire many of its employees, most of whom are probably adequate or even competent at their jobs, all at once in the name of cutting costs. In a slightly more subtle example, there exist certain words that may differ in meaning between American and British English. For instance, whereas ‘mad’ in the US is often taken to mean ‘angry’, the same word in British English is more often synonymous with ‘insane’, ‘deranged’ or ‘unstable’. Where the British will call friends and even acquaintances ‘love’, the same word as used by Americans tends to be reserved for significant others. An argument is sometimes referred to by the British as a ‘row’; ‘pants’ are more often known as ‘trousers’; and of course, American football is not necessarily the same as British football. This is a particularly crucial point, considering how the variations in meaning may end up making what should have been a perfectly innocent and innocuous phrase come across as something like an innuendo, awkward at best and offensive at worst. For instance, the word ‘mean’ as used in American English is often taken to mean ‘ill-tempered’, but in British English it is synonymous with ‘stingy’. More awkward still is the word ‘rubber’. Aside from rubber itself, it can refer either to what Americans would more familiarly know as pencil erasers, or to condoms when used by an Englishman. It would therefore be highly embarrassing, for example, for an American foreign exchange student in an England to ask to borrow his (female) seatmate’s rubber, and get slapped hard instead. Needless to say, exchange students and immigrants alike would do well to learn the nuances of the particular variant of English used in a particular country, lest they get into awkward, unpleasant or even undesirable situations. All in all, though English is indeed worthy to be called a global language, American English still has certain unique points that set it apart from the variations spoken in other countries – which, likewise, will have their own differences. For the most part, however, it is American English that the world is most familiar with, and it is American English that most other countries tend to base their respective variants of the English language upon. Other languages in the United States Spanish is a distant second at 34.5 million, while other languages trail further behind. Certain territories have in fact enacted laws providing for the use of certain other languages, such as what the state of Louisiana has done for the English and French languages (Dicker, 2003). As a matter of fact, the States is among the countries with the largest Spanish-speaking population – a distinction that can be attributed largely to the many Latino immigrants who have decided to settle there. In fact, some denominations, such as the fresh, new immigrants, exclusively speak Spanish, though their offspring will most likely be fluent English speakers as well. Yet another survey by the US Census Bureau (2003) has noted how most Americans tend to have German ancestry, and how German is another of the most commonly used languages in the United States. Other European languages, such as Italian, Polish and Greek, trail not far behind. These languages were once prominent among American immigrants, but have largely fallen into disuse as the original immigrants began to die out at an alarming rate. Previously obscure languages such as Filipino and Vietnamese have also become more common in recent years, due to a massive influx of immigrants from said countries. Other Asian languages, such as Japanese, Chinese and Korean, have likewise become more prevalent as more and more people from these countries have begun to migrate to the States. In summary, while the United States has always been known for the English language – specifically American English – the fact is that it is far from being the only language spoken by Americans. Just as one is equally likely to come across a Negro, Asian, Gaul or Slav as he is a Caucasian, it is just as probable that one will encounter people speaking all kinds of languages as well. While English may be the most prominent among the spoken and written languages in America, it would be downright inevitable to learn at least one other language if only from exposure. Conclusion As already stated above, the notion of Americans speaking nothing but English is one that has long been dispelled, and should be if this is not already the case. The many foreigners now residing in the United States has already served to cast doubt on the image of the stereotypical American as one who eats hotdogs and apple pie and speaks English exclusively. And considering how this trend is not likely to change anytime soon, so too are the languages used in America expected to diversify in the near future. That said, though, it cannot be denied that English proficiency is the norm among Americans. Given how, as already stated above, over 2/3 of the world’s English-speaking population reside in the United States, it should be unsurprising that the English language has long been considered the nation’s unofficial national language. Though the federal government does not seem inclined to officially declare it as such, it seems to be a moot point by now; the fact of the matter is that, considering how the overwhelming majority of American citizens are native English speakers, English may as well be their national language already. References Barton, D. (1996) Potentially confusing and embarrassing differences between American and British English. The Internet TESL Journal, 2(5). Crystal, D. (1997). English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Harper, D. (2010) Online Etymology Dictionary. Retreived on April 24, 2011 from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fall Dicker, S. J. (2003). Languages in America: A pluralist view. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 216, 220–25. Differences Between British and American English (2009) LearnenglishPk. Retreived on April 24, 2011 from http://www.learnenglishpk.com/british-and-american-english-differences.htm Feder, J. (2007). English as the Official Language of the United States—Legal Background and Analysis of Legislation in the 110th Congress. Congressional Research Service. Kortmann, B., Schneider, E.W. and de Gruyter, W. (2004) A handbook of varieties of English. Skeat, W. W. (1982) Principles of English etymology: The native element. Clarendon Press. University of Minnesota. Language use and english-speaking ability (2000). U.S. Census Brueau, Lass, R. (1990) Early mainland residues in Southern Hiberno-English. Irish University Review, 20(1). 137-148. U.S. Census Bureau (2000) Census 2000: Language spoken at home and ability to speak english by nativity for the population 5 years and over by state. US Census Bureau. U.S. Census Bureau (2007). American community survey: Language spoken at home by ability to speak english for the population 5 years and over. US Census Bureau. Read More