Should English be declared the official language of the United States - Research Paper Example

Even a great majority of the immigrants who have settled in different states learn the language in order to make it principal means of communication. However, despite all these figures, the truth is that English has never been declared as the official language of the U.S. There may be around 30 states out of the 50 that the country is composed of that have given official status to the language but at the federal level, no such legislation has been made. The irony here is that English is declared as an official language in countries where it is not the native tongue or not even used in ordinary conversations.

Countries as far-flung as the interior regions of Africa such as Botswana and Swaziland and the small Pacific island-states such as Fiji and Samoa have made the language their own medium for official transactions. This may prove that English is the world’s most spoken language. However, this also highlights the irony in the fact that U.S., whose cultural influence is the major factor for the spread of English as a language, has never made it official. Thesis Statement The reason why English should be declared as the official language though is based not solely on the fact that it is spoken by the most number of people in the country.

It is a fact that people, even newly-arrived immigrants are conscious of the necessity to learn the language as soon as possible, knowing that business and government transactions employ it. The more important point is that language is not just a medium of communication; it is also a symbol of nationhood and of unity as a people. A country without a common language that is declared as official would certainly be wanting in terms of identity. Since English is the most commonly spoken by Americans and even by people who wish to become American citizens, it may as well be declared official.

Pros and Cons of Making English the Official Language The proposal that English be made as the country’s official language is actually not new. In fact, arguments in favor and against this proposal have been around ever since the early days of the republic. Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers, had proposed that the use of other languages should be limited other than English. It was in the latter part of the 1700s that the John Quincy Adams made concrete steps towards legislation in favor of its official status.

He actually recommended that the congress create a resolution that would establish an institution that would study and improve the language’s usage in line with its being official. However, this was countered with the argument that making English official is anathema to democracy and to individual liberty, two basic principles enshrined in the Constitution. A century after the Adams’ failed attempt, President Theodore Roosevelt once again pushed for the legislation of English as an official language.

Roosevelt whipped patriotic fervor in asserting his point. He said that “we have but one flag” and therefore “we must also learn one language, and that language is English.” (Hogg and Denison 417) Despite the appeal to patriotism though, Roosevelt also failed to make English as an official language. Legislators and certain sectors, particularly those groups advocating the rights of immigrants, have successfully blocked such attempts for about two centuries already. Their most solid defense is the country’s evidently uncompromising stance as regards individual liberty.

According to them, making