English Should Not Be Universally Spoken

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

In the article “Should English Be the Law?” the author Robert D. King tell us about several civilizations that were influenced by all different types of language. The point is there are countries out there that don’t want a singular language. Some countries such as India in their constitution nineteen different languages are recognized. But then other countries like America a bill was passed in 1996 making English the national language. Truth is every country is different some want a national language and some don’t I feel no one should be forced. The government should just do as the people request.

English as the official language of the United States could benefit the U.S. Government and America as a whole. America has long since been a multicultural nation and has been an English speaking nation since it was founded. The constitutional and federal documents are all in English, which furthers the American people, believing English should be our official language. The majority of states already have English as their official language, for English has always provided a much needed cohesion to our diverse citizens since it was founded.

Having different languages in a country, they say, would isolate those foreign-speakers from the rest of the country. Plus, since a knowledge of English—albeit a limited knowledge—is required for American citizenship, they argue that these immigrants might as well learn English proficiently. Economically, having one official language would be cost effective. Translators for both spoken and written language can be expensive, especially for good translators since an poor translation can lead to miscommunication and all kinds of unfavorable problems. English-speaking immigrants would also promote America’s economy because they would be able to secure better jobs. Lastly, the promoters of Official English argue that life would basically be unchanged since English is already the most-spoken language in the US. It would only affect the government and its documents, but it would not lead to a decline in usage of foreign languages nor would it require people to speak English only. Yet, others still argue that Official English is

English should be enforced as the national language of America as it would promote unity among all citizens. Language can act as a form of disunity because many non-English speaking immigrants feel isolated in the United States as it is challenging for them to effectively communicate with others. These citizens struggle to complete even the simplest task that requires some form of communication

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).

Across the United States the amount of people who speak English as a second language or do not speak it at all keeps growing. This means some people could have neighbors that they cannot even ask for a cup or sugar from. There are even sections of the U.S. where immigrants have their own communities and they mostly do not speak English with each other. It is crazy how in a country whose foundation is English has portions of the population where it’s not spoken at all. A foreigner goes to a foreign country and expects to meet people that know the native language. It should be the same for the United States. Although not having English as the official language make coming into the U.S. easier for immigrants, English should be the official language of the United States.

Over the past years people from all over the world have come to America bringing their own languages and cultures. The United States is thinking into passing a law that makes English as the official language. The United States should not make the English as the main language as it will affect people coming over that just want to work and look for opportunities. With this law, all the people migrating to the United States will have to pay for tutoring to understand and comprehend the English language. A reason why the United States should not focus on making the English language official is because over 20 percent of people living in the United States don't know the English language or don't know how to talk it very well.

People need to realize that all languages are equal and everyone has a right to speak their language of comfort. Two essayists, Martín Espada and Richard Rodriguez, believe this as well. Both Espada and Rodriguez express their opinions on this in different ways but each come across as the same belief. Each approach standing up for it differently and I agree more with Rodriguez. I believe that other languages and cultures should accept as equal to English.

There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not English should be identified as the official language of America. To this day, that debate continues, and I believe that it always will. The reason (in my opinion) that English will never the official language of America is because the European settlers who landed in America did not found this country, they did not create this country and most of all, the language that they brought to this country was indeed foreign.

Many people in the United States have a sense of comfort with their own culture and language to the point where they will not abandon those things in order to pick up a new language and lifestyle. In the article named, “Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public,” written by Myriam Marquez, she explains how her family continues to use the Spanish in public in the United States, even though they have lived in the United States for over 40 years. Marquez explains, “For me and most of the bilingual people I know, it’s a matter of respect for our parents and comfort in our cultural roots” (542). People are simply not going to change who they are and where they come from just so they can conform to the normal population of the United States. For the most part, people who come the United States are happy that the country has not implemented a national language law because the people who come here can

My position is that these countries should be permitted to continue with their culture practice in a controlled environment. For instance (ICCPR) article clearly states “Cultural rights, as guaranteed in Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), are crucial for the maintenance of social identities, and are invoked primarily when governments take steps that threaten to

Throughout history, the unfortunate consequences that have arisen when the U.S. has attempted to enforce language policies will cause one to reconsider their opinions on controlling minority languages. For instance, during the time of America’s Founding Fathers language was diverse and society exulted themselves on knowing more than one language (Crawford, 1989). Many members of society were bilingual and even trilingual regardless of their social station. In fact, being monolingual was considered abnormal (Crawford, 1989). Government documents were accommodating of other languages and were provided in popular languages of the time, such as French, German, and of course, English (Crawford, 1989). A suggestion to Continental Congress by John Adams to create an “American academy for refining, improving, and ascertaining the English language,” (Adams, 1780) was rejected. The Founding Fathers never promoted or guarded English in the Constitution and I believe they thought that the government had no right to tell the population how to speak (Crawford, 1989).

Language is universal. People voice their ideas, emotions, and thoughts across to the world through language. Multitudes of people across the country speak a varierty of languages. However, a foreigner is reduced to their native language, and sometimes has difficulties mainstreaming English into their dialect. A native language is a foreigner's blueprint for the world to hear. Native language gives homage to a foreigner's culture and home life. Native tongues open doors for education and job opprutunities. A native tongue is translated in books and plastered on signs across the communites. Imagine if language decreased to just English, and no another language existed. People would mirror each other, and have no idea of diversity. So where

Promoting English to be the national language helps to empower the immigrant by incorporating them to the American system of education and making them to develop the American ideology to fit in America society well. I have to say America may have been founded by people who spoke many different langues but those coming to America or those that existed before English became a dominant language need to learn English to survive. Affluence in the English language makes it easy to get a good job and become more productive members of the society.