The English-Only Debate - Report Example

English-Only Debate Introduction: English-only debate or English-only movement is a political movement which revolves around the fact that English should be granted as a status of “Official language” that can be used in government documentation and other operations in the United States. English-only debate has raised many questions in the minds of majority of immigrants with diverse cultural backgrounds and different languages. English-Only Debate as a Political Issue: This debate can be termed as a political issue in the history of U.S politics. English is a global language which is widely used around the world. United States holds a great number of native English speakers even due to the huge influx of non-English speakers from different parts of the world the supremacy of English is not harmed or destabilized by this bilingualism. These non-English speakers hold a good command over the language. This is one of the main reasons that due to the increasing number of immigrants in the country, the fluency in English language is growing day by day (Katerina Wiley). On the other hand, it is important to understand the background of English-only movement, which gained its momentum in early 1990s and with the passage of time it has received support as well as opposition from different groups. The English-only debate starts from the time when America was known for its racial and dominance on the map of the world. However, groups who supported this debate or the movement never termed themselves as racist but they strongly believed the idea that they should stand united under one flag with one language as the dominant one in the country (Katerina Wiley). This group also demands that the implementation of English as the only official language will offer more justice and unification of different cultures under the flag of America. However, another group opposes the idea and terms it as an attempt to sabotage their freedom of liberty and expression. But groups that support English-only movement deny this opposition. According to this group, immigrants can only achieve their American dream on this land of opportunity through this language which is imperative for them to learn. These supporters also deny this thought that this movement is biased and racist. They state that English as an official language would improve and benefit the status of non-English immigrants. English-Only Debate as a Social Issue: This English-only debate will influence the lives of immigrants and their children. It is a common thought that this debate may stir controversies and may hurt the feelings of non-English citizens. The American society is clearly divided into groups; one group that supports the implementation of English as the only official language and the other group that believe that English should not be declared as an official language. The latter group believes that English-only movement is aimed to create differences among different races. This group also supports the idea that the implementation of English as the only language in the country would hinder the learning and academic process of their children (Gibson). They believe that understanding a different language without any prior knowledge may leave its adverse affects on the understanding of their course material, children may find difficulty in learning a new language and it would be equally difficult for them to develop a bond with the native speakers. However, the English-only supports group advocate the implementation of English as the only language as a necessary step which can bridge the differences between the native and non-native English speakers. It is important for the government and the political parties to understand that implementation of English as a primary language in academic institutions may hinder the process of learning, social development and integration among different groups which may result into a severe problem. Therefore, it is highly important for the officials to review their policies in order to give equal rights to the immigrants and their families to learn and develop themselves socially without damaging the diversity in languages in American society. English-Only Debate as an Economic Issue: This movement can also create economic issues as America will become less attractive for the investors and tourists from other countries. It will be hard for them to follow the written business policies and other documents written in English. Diversity in America makes it a country which is more appealing and attractive to the people from the other parts of the world. Minimum investment or interest in visiting America would result in slow economic growth. Also, it is important for the government to understand that majority of immigrants come to America for better working opportunities but declaring English as the official language would make this country less attractive for them. Similarities between these issues: America is the only country with a large number of immigrants residing in the country from different cultures, speaking different languages and engaged in different occupations. Implementation of English as the official language will not only hurt their feelings but it will also create a huge distance among different groups. Mainstream states such as New York, California, Texas etc. are the centre hubs where millions of immigrants live in small communities. These immigrants will find it hard to sustain their lives on the land which grants freedom of speech and expression to every single soul without any racial discrimination and division on the basis of religion, cast and color. There are different groups that advocate the proposal and such groups believe that this step would unite and harmonize different communities under one flag and one language. Conclusion: America is the only country which holds a larger number of immigrants from different cultures. Those immigrants have travelled all the way to America in search of better opportunities and living conditions. People from different cultural backgrounds see this land as a land which offers freedom to every individual. However, in United States these immigrants have remained together under the use of a single language which is widely spoken by everyone not only in America but all around the world. Therefore, English-only movement is widely supported by the group of politicians that believe on the unification of different communities under one flag and one language. But on the other hand, immigrants find this policy as less attractive and consider it as an attempt to create racial discrimination against them. They believe that English should have been made the official language of the United States when it was less developed country to provoke the concept and ideology of being a American citizen. However, government should adopt a balanced approach to resolve this issue without harming the interest of any community or without the adoption of a discriminative behavior against anyone. Works Cited: Gibson, M. A. Promoting academic success among immigrant students: Is acculturation the issue? Educational Policy, 12 (6), 615-633. (1998) Wiley, K. English Only-An Issue Worth Debating? (2012) [Available Online] http://blogs.longwood.edu/spain2011/2012/04/18/english-only-an-issue-worth-debating/ accessed on April 24th 2012 Read More