Essay on Should English Be Official?

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

Professor of English and linguistics at the University of Illinois of Urbana-Champaign and published writer, Denis Baron proposes in his essay, “Don’t Make English Official - Ban It Instead,” to not allow the English language to be spoken in the United States of America. His idea sprung from Congress considering passing a law to make English the official language of the United States. Baron’s purpose for writing the article was to put forth his opinion about the debate on if English should become the official language. He adopts a caustic tone while giving all perspectives and examples in order to expose the absurd arguments of others to his wide range audience.

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.

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.

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

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.

He then lists claims from the supporters of establishing a national language and points made by the opponents.  Supporters say that English keeps America united and translations from English to any other language are very expensive.  People who oppose the nationalization of English argue that the majority of Americans speak English, despite any legislation regarding which language to speak, and that English is proving to be much easier to learn than in the past. Baron states his idea for a better plan: banning the language completely.  He addresses that this proposal is radical, but begins to support his point with specific reasons why this solution is logical. He starts his reasoning with the fact that during the American Revolution many wanted to ban English as a rebellion against England and replace English with any language.  Baron even points out that in history, “a common language can often be the cause of strife or misunderstanding”(Baron, 6).  He also asks about which version of English would be chosen as the official language, and then mentions that English has become a “conglomeration” of numerous other existing languages(Baron, 9). The author considers that English is a world language, and many world languages die off.  After Baron verifies his proposal,  he concludes by adding that banning something often

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?

There are millions of people traveling between the U.S. and other countries each year, each person bringing and taking our culture and theirs with them. If we were to make English the official language to be spoken, it would cause many people to feel unwanted or in other words unwelcome and cause them to not +want to stay or visit with us. So if we were to tell them that they needed to change and learn a new language that is like taking away who they are and where they are from. Many people argue that, if they choose to come to this country, they should choose to learn its language. Anywhere you go the people from that country expect anyone to learn that countries language due to respect on coming. "If I were going to Mexico" they say, "I would expect to learn Spanish." This argument ignores two important aspects about immigration

Thus making English the official language will save money that can be used to better

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

I will be writing an essay about “If the United States should have English as the official language.” I am interested about this topic because surprisingly the U.S doesn’t have an official language. Many people believe that it is because almost everyone speaks it and every place requires it. When in fact it is not the official language and the U.S doesn’t even have one. I will be writing this paper as a debate of why we should and shouldn’t have an official language even though I will be more leaning to the side of having an official language.

Who can argue against the fact that a successful government must be unified in, if nothing else, its communications? However, the debate over the official language spread deep. Remembering the previous paragraph, foreigners will be here no matter what. They are the majority in some communities. This means that there is a whole population of consumers speaking and understanding only a language other than English.

The article lists four reasons why English is important the first reason is that even