English Only Movement

The government implementing English as the official legal language of America is imperative because a conformity of communication within our borders is needed to unify the vast diversity. Our mighty country was founded on providing all citizens with equality including inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The United States is a progressive nation that welcomes people from far and wide to come and savor the God-given freedoms enjoyed by all. With all of the diversity from the countless immigrants coming in to our port cities, looking for a more prosperous future, a necessary tie is needed to bring the people of the nation together. Interaction with others

The army and federal court system already operate in English for practical reasons, and by having an official language, the workings of the government would be more streamlined. Such a bill would mostly apply to government policy and federal documentation, and would make it clear that unless the government decides to provide it, no one is entitled to government services or documents in any language other than English; if there is a communication issue with laws or regulations in more than one language, English would take precedence. In a recent national survey, nearly two-thirds of Americans assumed that English was already the official language set by the United States Constitution, according to the Associated Press, 1987. (James Crawford 1) The lobbyists ‘U.S. English’ believe "It is a shared language that has allowed us to rise above our differences and come together as citizens of one nation... there was no resistance to the notion that learning English was the price of immigration." (James Crawford 1) In November of 1986, California voted on Proposition 63, a referendum to make English the official language of the state: three-quarters of the electorate were needed to pass, and it is not surprising that it did pass. Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Virginia had already passed

The debate on whether the United States should make English the official language has been raging within the borders of the country for decades. Several bills have been presented to Congress over the years, but have stagnated due to the opposition on either side. Though there would certainly be drawbacks to introducing English as the official language of the United States, there would also be immeasurable benefit. Not only would an official language streamline government processes and reduce government spending, it would also aid the United States by unifying its’ people.

The fifteenth chapter of Susan Tamasi and Lamont Antieau’s Language and Linguistic Diversity in the US is titled “Official English.” This particular chapter briefly looks into the history of linguistic laws in the United States followed by an examination of whether or not the United States should have English as its official language. Tamasi and Antieau provide multiple convincing arguments for each side of this issue, which consists of those for English as the sole language of government and those against such a measure. Overall, however, there are many underlying beliefs and nonlinguistic concepts—like national identity and history, politics, and economics—related to language and its usage in America. First of all, Tamasi and Antieau debunk

Although the founding fathers decided to leave the idea of establishing a national language out of the Constitution, there have been several movements to establish English as the national language since then. Even though none of these movements could garnish enough support to make this into a reality, they have been influential in that English is the official language in 31 states. In recent years, five additional states have considered legislation that would mandate English as well (Schwarz 2014). Since many individual states have sided on the issue, it poses the question of if the national government should follow the trend as well. A strong argument can be made that the United States should make English as the official language because it would promote unity and patriotism among Americans, be economically beneficial for the nation while rightfully placing the responsibility to learn English on the non-English speaking immigrants.

“No Habla English”. “21 million people living in the United States cannot speak English. Citizens are not just speaking Spanish, but Chinese and Russian are rising fast.” (U.S. Bureau of Census, 2009) To force a citizen to speak a new language is discrimination. Non-English speaking citizens and immigrants that are without good English skills will fall academically, in the judicial system and when receiving proper medical care.

The people should have their rights and freedom regardless of the knowledge of the English language or American laws, like the petition that was sent to the House of Representatives by Freemen of Louisiana written that “…we learned from you to resist, by lawful means, every attempt to encroach on our rights and liberties...” which shows that they are learning about how the United States achieve their independence and gave their people the rights they deserve. They are doing what the people of the United States did, which was the demand to have the right to be represented and have basic human rights, the people of Louisiana does not want to start a Revolution to get their rights, but they will fight for them until they get them. The people of Louisiana want human rights that they deserve, no matter what kind of beliefs, language, or laws that they got used to when France was in control, they can learn the laws and language as time goes on to be admitted to the Union and get their full rights as citizens of the United States. The inhabitants of Louisiana are just there to enjoy their rights and freedom in their new owned country. They do not want anything else but equal rights and treatments like any other state in the Union because at the end they are all part of

Immigration, legal or not, has been a problem for the United States for a long time. In the U.S., promoters of bilingualism have supported the use of other languages for public services, including government documents, hospitals services, voting ballots, and bilingual education. In their essays “A Nation Divided by One Language” and “Viva Bilingualism”, James Crawford and James Fallows claim that it is not necessary to declare English the official language of the U.S. On the other hand, in their essays “English Should Be the Only Language” and “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Language”, S. I. Hayakawa and Mauro E. Mujica argue that English should be made the official language. They contend that

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?

In the article “English Only Laws Divide and Demean” Warren Blumenfeld explains the negative aspects of the English only law. The English only law, which is currently based in thirty-one states, mandates English as the primary language. This means that all government operations may only be done in English, including all public documents and records. Blumenfeld states that the law marginalizes and demeans non-native speakers. Blumenfeld supports this argument by including a testament from a friend of his, who grew up in San Antonia, Texas. Blumenfeld tells story of his friend who was forced to attend Spanish detention for having spoken Spanish in the children’s playground. According to the writer this instance negatively affected his friend’s

Though America does not have an official language, English is the most spoken language. First, English is the language of the forefathers; those who are the foundation and reason our country is still in existence today. Whenever the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution were written, the Englishmen wrote them in English. Nonetheless, English has been spoken for many, many centuries. To add to that, the English language is what ties the country back to it’s roots. Secondly, knowing the English language does not just stop at ordering food at a restaurant, it is the language that countries use to trade with one another. Immigrants who know English do not have as much trouble ordering food or trying to sell items to other people. English is the native language of the United States; therefore, learning the language should be a requirement.

The debate of instituting English as the official language in the United States is a debate that has been going on for centuries. Many people believe that English should be the official language because we are American, and Americans speak English. However, many of those people fail to realize that we all come from different heritages and corners of the world. Language should be an art of expression, one where people of all heritages and backgrounds can speak in the language that they have learned. Implementing English as the official language in the United States would be to essentially ignore and disrespect all of the heritages, nationalities, and religions that make the United States a unique place to live. The United States is

There are emotional and legal concerns surrounding whether immigrants should learn to speak English. Domenico Maceri (2009), an award-winning author and foreign language instructor at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria California, states “I never met an immigrant in the United States who needed laws to be reminded that English is necessary to succeed” (par. 9).

Anyone wanting to make a profit in these communities is forced to acknowledge the fact that the language of that community must be accepted. It is just like the rules of supply and demand. There’s a tremendous market in many U.S. areas that speaks mainly Spanish, Korean, etc. Particularly, in the southwest, the main foreign language is Spanish. The single largest foreign-language population in the U.S. is Latin Americans, both native born and not. (Sassen p16) It was not until December of 1996 that the Supreme Court agreed to hear Arizonans for Official English v. Arizona. This was on the issue of whether or not government services must be in English.(Clark p56) Now, considering how long the debate has been at hand, wasn’t 1996 a little late in the game?

The other day I heard an intriguing story, one that I 've heard of vaguely before, yet paid little attention to. However, in recent times, I 've been hearing this same story more often, and ones similar to it, and because of this I had to do some investigating of my own. You see, a certain large computer company which shall remain anonymous, along with many other large companies, have rerecorded their automated voice systems in an intriguing way: "Press '1 ' for Spanish; Press '2 ' for English." More so than any other time, Spanish has been creeping into America. Yes, Spanish has always been present, and I do not have a problem with that. My great-grandfather immigrated to America from Mexico. He had to learn English. When he tried to get a job, he was told learn English and not to come back till he did. That is the way it was for a long time. However, in the last few years, there almost seems to be a "they-have-a-right-to-speak-Spanish-we-just-have-to-accomdate-them" attitude going on. Que? In America, we speak English. No matter where you stand on this issue, you cannot argue with that. We speak English! If you want to become a US citizen, you must learn to speak English. It is a requirement. If a person comes here from Japan, they will have to learn English. Look around, no one is offering Japanese language options and accepting Yen for pizzas. So why is it that we work so hard to accommodate the Spanish language? In California, there are now entire sections that