James FallowsViva Bilingualism

Compared to other Countries, America stands less developed in bilingual abilities due to language requirements taught within our school systems curriculum. Being bilingual is an important skill to have in America, with multiple different prominent languages spoken within our country other than English, we are constantly surrounded by language. The problem that our country is dealing with now, is that we started with the idea that anyone that moved to America should adapt to our languages, instead of us Americans, taking the initiative to learn a new languages. In a report by Hyon Shin and Robert Kominski, showed the number of citizens in America that spoke a language other than English. The “data on speakers of languages other than English

“Our culture, our traditions, our languages are the foundations upon which we build our identity.” - Unknown. Bilingualism has many different interpretations and definitions and can cause problems in the community or unite it. The concept of bilingualism represents several different ideas, two writers, Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez share in their essays their personal stories about being immersed into the English culture and learning the language. They share their views of what bilingualism means to them personally and make arguments about the importance of the concept. The two essayists bring awareness to the major role bilingualism plays in the communities today and highlight the effects of disagreements between cultural groups.

The need for bilingual education is not directly related to the need for the student to have a more pleasant learning experience, but based more on the increasing need for these individuals to learn about their heritage, how they can present themselves to others in different scenarios, and being knowledgeable in both languages at a dual equivalence. The key

In America, there is a predominant growth in multiple ethnicities and cultural backgrounds; leading to the usage of multiple languages in the American culture. There is a growing need for many people to learn and utilize multiple languages within the workplace and within one 's own personal life. The importance of bilingualism and the knowledge of multiple languages is ever increasing, and therefore becoming more important for the younger generations. The push for knowing multiple languages and becoming bilingual has many potential negative and positive effects.

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

A common joke says “What do you call someone who speaks two languages?” in which the person being asked the question would usually respond with “bilingual.” It goes on to ask about those who speak three or four languages, but then there is a kicker. “What does one call someone who only speaks one language?” to which the punch line is “an American.” According to the 2006 General Social Survey, only 25 percent of American adults are fluent in a foreign language, while only 7 percent cite the source of this education to formal schooling (Devlin 1). Large amounts of evidence point to the benefits of being multilingual. Although the United States has a few laws that help immigrants assimilate through dual language programs, there is little to be

Raff also speaks of high failure rates of Hispanics but he fails to account for any success 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

Although bilingual education has some merit, avoiding the implementation of the more popular language of a community is detrimental to the incorporation of mostly you people in society and hinders their ability to develop a keen sense of identity. For example, "language gets learned as it gets used (7).” In other words, one masters the language as he speaks it. Speaking and language skills tend to sharpen if they are used regularly. Rodriguez argues that learning both languages and using them rather than leaving one begins to lead to a better sense of identity and freedom. But according to Rodriguez it makes one become insecure, growing up

Bilinguals in America experience unfair treatment and are looked at differently if English is not their native language. The subject of bilingualism is not a topic many are educated on. Uneducated English speakers use their dominance and popularity of their language to treat Spanish speakers like their language and culture does not belong in our country. Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez speak of bilingualism in their well published essays, and they write about the struggles that American citizens face when they are bilingual in Spanish and English. This essay will clearly show each writer’s definition and arguments on bilingualism and my argument on the topic.

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 “Why No Official Tongue?” by Shirley Brice Heath I found many surprising and agreeable ideas involving the debate on whether or not the United States should have a national language. I personally believe that it is unnecessary for the United States to have an officially declared national language because most immigrants have a need and natural inclination to learn English in order to achieve success in America. This article provides historical proof from the colonial era that multilingualism does not threaten the English language.

Baron starts with one of the most controversial legislations that the Congress has considered, making English the official language of the United States. In order to unite the nation and save money from translating documents to other languages. Shortly after the author shows the that today over ninety-seven percent of the people in the US speak English without the need of such legislation, and how many of the immigrants today are learning English at a fast rate. Reminding the reader of the current movement of “encouraging everyone” to be bilingual will bring great benefits in the future.

“If Only We All Spoke Two Languages” is an segment written by Ariel Dorfman that discusses the benefits of the United States becoming a bilingual and or a multilingual society. The piece was written in March 2004 and first appeared in the novel “Everything’s an Argument with Readings”. In the portion author Ariel Dorfman criticized Americans for being monolingual. The author illustrates how learning a second language “builds a bridge” to the English language. Dorfman continues to give statements of how advantages being multi or bilingual can be stating that it offers people “economic and political edge” and assists them in “understand someone else's culture.” The author concludes that if Americans do not follow through with procedures to increase

Why should people nowadays see languages as a big prize? A person speaks more languages have more opportunities are skewed to him because he benefits the profit comparing to a person who speaks only one standard language. It is time for globalization and its effects on children for speaking other languages as a must. In two articles “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” by Richard Rodriguez and “Whose Voice Is It Anyway?” by Victor Villanueva, the two authors both expressed their opinions on native language and how the assimilation impacts a child. However, Rodriguez believed that the assimilation was beneficial for him as he had grown up in the English-speaking world and he disliked bilingual education which created many controversy.