Today, my group for project two met to brainstorm interview questions. While we were talking, Gloria told me about the United States' English Only policy, which I looked into more carefully. I found that more than half of the states have declared English as their official language, while Congress has been debating making this a federal law for more than one hundred years. Also, all official documents must be published in English first.
In some ways, I see the usefulness of this policy. A majority of people in the U.S. speak at least some English, and standardizing language across official documents is efficient. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if government documents were written in different languages, and then later needed to be combined or analyzed together.
In other ways, I see harm in this declaration. It is meant to unite us, but I believe it does just the opposite. English is not everyone's first language, and not all Americans are as competent in English as others; it is as simple as that. By declaring an official language, it gives people a mindset that others are not fully accepted unless they speak it. It evokes the question: If English is the official language of the U.S., is a U.S. citizen fully American if he doesn't speak it?
I believe the answer is a definite "yes." English does not equate American. Our country is an immigrant nation, and we must view it as such. I believe that official documents should be English Only, but also translated into commonly spoken U.S. languages. I do not think English should be declared an official language of the U.S., unless we are also willing to declare Spanish, Chinese, French, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and other commonly spoken languages official. We must remember that our nation is diverse, representing people from all over, and our official language (or lack thereof) should reflect that.
"English-Only Movement." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Top Languages Other than English Spoken in 1980 and Changes in Relative Rank, 1990-2010. N.p.: n.p., 2013. United States Census Bureau. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
In some ways, I see the usefulness of this policy. A majority of people in the U.S. speak at least some English, and standardizing language across official documents is efficient. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if government documents were written in different languages, and then later needed to be combined or analyzed together.
In other ways, I see harm in this declaration. It is meant to unite us, but I believe it does just the opposite. English is not everyone's first language, and not all Americans are as competent in English as others; it is as simple as that. By declaring an official language, it gives people a mindset that others are not fully accepted unless they speak it. It evokes the question: If English is the official language of the U.S., is a U.S. citizen fully American if he doesn't speak it?
I believe the answer is a definite "yes." English does not equate American. Our country is an immigrant nation, and we must view it as such. I believe that official documents should be English Only, but also translated into commonly spoken U.S. languages. I do not think English should be declared an official language of the U.S., unless we are also willing to declare Spanish, Chinese, French, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and other commonly spoken languages official. We must remember that our nation is diverse, representing people from all over, and our official language (or lack thereof) should reflect that.
"English-Only Movement." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Top Languages Other than English Spoken in 1980 and Changes in Relative Rank, 1990-2010. N.p.: n.p., 2013. United States Census Bureau. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.