Diversity In American Language

Language is considered a vital tool in the construction of someone’s identity and an expression of culture. English is the most widely spoken language in the world. The number of people who speak it as a second language is increasing dramatically. In the last couple of decades immigrants have chosen to make the United States their home, but some proceeded with caution by slowly adapting to the English language and culture. Others don’t want to learn and adapt to the English culture simply because they believe it will separate them from their own cultures and traditions. Therefore, the question struggling to be answered is, should English be the official language in the United States?

Language has clearly become a powerful force in many countries where different communities actually want to split apart on the sole basis on the language they speak. An article about Spain’s language diversity explains how people feel so passionate about their native languages that the country had to create autonomous regions for each of the major languages, and people are still fighting to have their language become the dominant dialect (Berdichevsky 276). This is also seen repeatedly in America’s history where immigrants to the country struggle to keep their languages alive. These immigrants realize the important role that language plays in keeping a community together, and many immigrants from the same country will choose to live by each other in America and are resentful when they are forced to learn English. My own great-grandparents chose to live in an Italian neighborhood in Ohio when they first came from Italy so that their culture would not be lost. This allowed my grandma to learn Italian as well as English, and even though she was going to an English school she was still taught the morals of her culture because she was able to talk with the older Italian people who did not speak English. My grandma says that this has helped her throughout life because even though she lives in America she says, “I respect my Italian heritage,” and that it has helped “build my confidence” (12 April 2003).

The English language is considered one of the global languages. It is spoken in many countries and is well-known everywhere. But do you ever wonder how many obstacles people face when they speak English as a second language? Or when they speak with an accent or use black vernacular language? In United States (US) people glorify Standard American English (SAE), and it used as a tool to discriminate and oppress. In the Article “8 Harmful Example of Standard American English Privilege”, Hernandez (2015) states that:

By welcoming the diverse languages and religions of the world, America is considered a melting pot of both cultural and ethnic identities. In the essay about bilingualism “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldúa she writes, “So, if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity - I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself” (172). Anzaldúa believes that her ethnicity and language are what make her who she is. Therefore, by insulting her language, she is insulted as well. Her identity is “twin skin” with how she speaks. Linguistic identity is the ability for a person to speak freely in any language and ultimately their identity is shown through shared language. The things that define a person are their actions, their behavior, the way they walk, and the way they talk. A person’s culture has a heavy influence on their identity throughout their lives. To disrespect an important part of their culture, their language, is to disrespect the person on an extremely interpersonal level. The person would be, therefore, discouraged from speaking their native language. Anzaldúa shows that her language constitutes who she is; it binds her to the existence of her identity therefore a person’s language defines his/her identity.

The United States of America can be regarded as one of the most diverse and progressive countries in the world with people from all corners of the world contributing to the changing culture of the melting pot that is America. Despite this, our government inadequately represents our diverse population, specifically in Congress, with many officials being Christian, older, non-Hispanic white males dominating government.

Supporters of U.S. English argue we must all speak one language to understand one another and share both culture and country. But Dennis Baron argues that "their intention to legislate official English often masks racism and certainly fails to appreciate cultural difference" (Baron, 1991, p. 8). English-only legislation really intends to exclude anyone who is not like

I was thirteen years old when my mother and I migrated to America. All I could think about was the way in which our lives were going to change and the fact that I would no longer have to worry about my education. I am an immigrant that used to think that the American dream was “something” that everyone could achieve by being persistent and hard working. Of all the nations around the world, the United States of America is the nation that has always been portrayed as the dreamland where all dreams “come true”. Millions of people all around the world, including myself, see America as our only opportunity for a better life; perhaps we perceive this nation in such way because of the nation’s imposing power and presence. We Americans and immigrants

Prompt #7: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Most people nowadays has the ability to speak bilingual or even trilingual; it may be an invaluable and prized skill to have, but what’s better is if you teach others to speak the language and help spread the language. For me, English is my second language and Korean is my first language. I once saw on the newspaper that there has been a decrease in a number of volunteers and they are desperately in need of volunteers for Korean school all around Irvine and Los Angeles. Since I was confident in both Korean and English, I have decided to help other Korean Americans learn Korean. Consequently, I have been volunteering since my freshman year so far. Often my students

As language diversity in our country steadily increases, there is a clinical need for bilingual speech-language pathologists. Being bilingual and coming from a multicultural background I can personally relate to the struggles these populations face. Currently, misdiagnosis among bilinguals and culturally diverse populations diminish the quality of life experienced by this group. This can be attributed to inadequate diagnostic assessments. It is my firm belief that the amount of research needs to increase regarding diagnostic assessments in order to better serve these populations.

The United States of America has no history; it is a new state. Though it does have a few indigenous inhabitants, the overwhelming majority of its inhabitants are immigrants. There is no history of a common culture or a common language developed over hundreds or thousands of years in the United States; however, the various backgrounds of the United States have combined to form a new American culture. Immigration continues, and with this immigration a conflict occurs between the common language of the United States and the languages of the new immigrants. In order to form a more perfect union is it is necessary that all residents of the United States of America, both citizens and

The article titled “Cultural and Linguistic Diversity and the Special Education Workforce: A Critical Overview” by Naomi C. Tyler, Zina Yzquierdo, Norma Lopez-Reyna, and Susan Sanders Flippin for The Journal of Special Education, addresses the great need for more diversity among teachers in the field of special education. The article begins with historical background. According to the article, “only 14% of special education classroom teachers are from historically underrepresented groups compared to approximately 38% of the students in their classrooms” (Tyler, Yzquierdo, Lopez-Reyna, & Sanders Flippin, 2004). Obviously, this is a problem because of the troubling fact that “students from [Culturally and Linguistically Diverse] CLD backgrounds

Every day, the English language continues to expand worldwide as it has become a universal language, meaning that different cultures around the world are speaking English. English is used differently by each culture and has developed a selection of dialects. The United States, specifically, serves as a prime example of the different ways English is spoken due to its diversity. America’s diversity is because it is a country with a high population of immigrants from all over the world. Specifically, the United States is home to many immigrants coming from Latin American countries. When Latino/a immigrants come to this country they get busy learning how to speak English so that they can study, become successful, and communicate easily with

The United States is commonly know as a melting pot of nations, in which people from around the world have emigrated to form a homogeneous yet varied culture. Although we come from different ethnic groups, we are usually bound together through our common English language. This becomes an issue, however, when immigrants are not familiar with English and American culture, and instead attempt to keep their own heritage alive. They are often torn between identities through language, the one they speak at home which they are familiar with, and the one they must adhere to in public. This often leads to struggle and conflict on both sides, dealing with different cultures and how people react when assimilation occurs. Because of this, living in the United States often requires us to completely accept only one identity, even though hints of the other may spill over at times.

“The term culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) is commonly used to describe people who have a cultural heritage different from that of the majority of people from the dominant Anglo-Australian culture.” (childsafety 2010)

United States is a nation accommodating multi-ethnic groups of almost 500000 Americans. Since 1960s, America has received an increasing number of newcomers and immigrants from all over the world. However, language communication has somehow become a latent problem, whether in economical, political, or social aspects. Although English has been the common language of America for over two hundred years, it has never become the official language. Therefore, question like "Does America need an official language?" has been raised and argued in recent decades. Both sides hold very strong arguments on this controversial issue. In the articles "English Should Be Official" by Bradley S. O' Leary and "Language Cements