Should English Be the Official Language of the Us

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

On August 1 of last year [1996] the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that would make English the official language of the United States. I honestly believe this is best practice at least for the United States. If everyone speaks English then there is no language barrier within the country. Everyone can go to the store or ask for anything without a problem. This might help the economy as well because some people who speak another language find it harder to buy anything in an all English-speaking store. I know this from personal experiences since I work in a convenient store.

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

English, 1995). The federal government also spends millions of dollars funding the Immigration and Naturalization Services’ which is currently required to translate the citizenship test into multiple languages. In all, U.S. taxpayers shell out $13 billion a year funding a multi-lingual government (U.S. English, 1995).

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.

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?

Since the early 1800’s, our nation has been trying to adopt English as a universal language among our citizens. Louisiana, in 1807, was the first state to begin this movement in its constitution as a condition to admittance to the Union. After the Mexican-American War in 1848, there were several tens of thousands Spanish speaking civilians that moved into our country, and this didn’t include the other non-English speaking people who lived among us. While we remain to be a free country, we are a people who needs to be on the same page. Laws and education need to remain consistent throughout.

Would you stay in America? What would you choose? The English language should not be the official language of the U.S. simply due to the fact that we are a country made up of many different cultures and ethnicities. If the language spoken was to be changed to one that many may not know or understand that would make some decide to either stay in America or to leave. For example some of the possibilities that could happen if such action was to take place would be that it could change the culture, traditions, and in ones way of life, also the way our country is viewed would change, and also may cause many problems in society all together in America.

The article “English Only” Laws divide and Demean by Warren Blumenfeld states the author’s view against enacting a law making English the official language of the federal government. Mr. Blumenfeld’s premise in "English Only" is that the law is unnecessary and divisive in the United States. He is seeking a call to action in his home state of Iowa against the “English -only” law because he believes that it will negatively impact the beliefs that our nation is founded upon, rather than celebrate and promote our uniqueness as a nation of people from different cultures seeking the freedom to be individuals. He is an opponent of this law since he believes it has the potential to create prejudice and discrimination toward our citizens because

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.

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

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.

In order to be successful in America you need to know a bit of English. Immigrants should not be mandated to learn English, but learning English would help them to succeed. Most Americans want the immigrants to learn English, but are not willing to help them. If Americans help the immigrants, not only will they be able to succeed, but their children will also succeed. People are always complaining when immigrants speak their native tongues. Immigrant children get assimilated through the school system, but their parents do not have the same opportunity to assimilate. This leaves the children to be translator for their parents. In order to help immigrants to succeed, the United States needs to not only assimilate the children, but also help the adults who have a harder time learning a new language. Through helping the immigrants learn English, Americans are ensuring that not only will the immigrants prosper, but the United States as well because she will have workers who are better skilled and are able to understand each other. According to the 2000 Census, fluent English-speaking immigrants earn nearly double that of non-English speaking workers and have substantially lower unemployment rates. (GCIR) This census shows that if the immigrants learn English then they can proper. If Americans help the immigrants learn English