Multilingualism or English Only - Essay Example

Multilingualism is defined as the description of the possibilities of one person to function in different linguistic environments. However, the term “multilingualism” is widely applied to describe the relations between the communities in the limits of separate states or regions as well as on the level of international relations. In the given case this term is used to describe the ethnically and culturally heterogenous societies, which include different languages as well as traditions of tolerance and acceptance of other cultures and peoples.

Here we meet the term “language diversity” that is defined as “‘range of variations exhibited by human languages” (Gorter et al 3). In the United States we can see many languages, which have different degree of spread and different status. The population of the USA now amounts to 300 thousand people not including the great number of illegal immigrants. America remains the most attractive country to move to for many immigrants, and the government of the United States can’t struggle with it.

However, the great number of immigrants represents a threat for culture and language. The English language is still dominating as brought by colonizers centuries ago. In 2000 it was native for 82% of population. However, the situation is changing every day as the country does not have an official language. The majority of states recognized English as official, but some preferred Hawaiian, Spanish and French. The significant number of immigrants preserves their native languages and tries to spread them as much as it is possible.

Despite of the strong support of the English language by the government, the number of those, who consider English to be their native language, decreases. The number of people, who speak other languages (Chinese, Russian, Spanish), increases accordingly. 3-4% of population does not know