Should United States Make English The Official National Language?

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

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.

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.

“Language is power. If you cannot understand or be understood you have no power. You are at the mercy of everyone.” – (Rudat, 1994, Stow, Dodd 356) Should Americans be required to learn Spanish as a second language? The construction of our nation stands on documents written in English, however English is not our official language nor has it ever been. America is a “melting pot” in which English is the most prominent language, followed closely by Spanish. Requiring Americans to learn Spanish is a great controversy; I strongly believe that it should be a requirement, because it improves academic achievements, career success, and cultural and social understanding. The controversy has great counter arguments such as the double standard Americans are held to, and further division of the country. Regarding the counterarguments, I still firmly believe that it should be a requirement because the integration of a second language in our schools is more beneficial to our country’s success as a whole.

Usually, when a country does not have an official language it’s because of historical or cultural issues. After doing some research I was shocked to learn America does not have an official language, although, there are some states that have English as their official language. To be exact, there are thirty one states with an official language (The National Leading English Language Advocate). For instance, as stated in the article "States where English is the official language”, the Washington Post, Missouri has a law that states "The general assembly recognizes that English is the most common language used in Missouri and recognizes that fluency in English is necessary for full integration into our common American culture." Other states such as Tennessee, have even further guidelines that

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.

In the “Don’t Make English Official-Ban It Instead” originally published in the Washington Post, Dennis Baron analyzes the fact that making English the official language of the United States will not stop people from speaking other languages.The author proves his point through the proposal of banding English. In this short review, I will discuss not just what was written, but how the examples, and analysis help make the author’s point. I will conclude by telling what questions I had at the end, as a reader, and where or what I would research to answer those questions.

Those who speak English have a higher chance of obtaining a job. Due to their background many employers will discriminate against them but by law they are not allowed to unless their accent gets in the way of business and profit. Having a foreigner on a oral communication position can interfere in many different ways, the customer may not understand what the person is speaking to them creating less business and therefore the employer may do whatever they please with the employee. Some businesses create an “English-only” rule, making every employee to only speak English while on the job. The employer cannot fire the employee who speaks another language while on the job if the employee is not informed of it (“Employment Rights Of”). Various jobs will allow immigrants to speak English just in case someone

In the united state the most spoken language in English so why not make English official language. I get it that America was formed by immigrants who came across the world who did speak English,but they learned to speak it along the way, because the were already english speakers there understand them better they taught them english. Speaking about this America should make English its official, because of a few reasons.

I really enjoyed reading your post. I chose that the United States should have an official language, so it was nice to see reasons why someone feels that we should not. Over half of the countries around the world have a language that is considered their official language (“Official American,” 2005). You brought up a few good points to why it would not make sense to have an official language here in America. You pointed out that we already exist with so many spoken languages here, so it would not make sense if we changed it now. You also said that this is one of the reasons why America is considered the mixing pot.

People think that immigrants coming to America should learn to communicate in English instead of their native language. Immigrants should speak English to get rid of racial comments. Everyone speaking one language is communicating to the fullest. Talking to one another in a language we are not familiar with is won’t help communicate with others. People who think that immigrants should learn to speak English may just be mad because they can’t eavesdrop on their conversation.

The debate on whether the United States should adopt English as the official language is a complex matter that has stirred controversy among political figures and American citizens. Though the United States does not have an official language, bills are constantly being introduced to the U.S Congress Houses to establish English as America’s official language. However, Congress has yet to come to a consensus which elucidates the complicated nature of the single language policy debate. Opposers of the English Language Unity Act argue that it is unconstitutional because it violates the first amendment. According to these opposers, constituting English as the official language of the country will create difficulty in the lives of millions of

The United States should have a language policy that English should be the official language of the nation. There are multiple reasons that this should happen and one of the reasons is economic. One of the argument of this issue is that the U.S. is spending a significant amount of money on the translating of official documents into many languages and to provide an interpreter for the official proceedings. So having an official language would mean that the U.S. wouldn 't have to spend so much money on providing those types of services, that way we can use the resources to spend on other issues that the nation needs to focus on. This is a convincing argument for having English as the official language of the U.S. Not only that but, many people who want English to be the official language see that a common language that will hold our country and culture together.

America does not have an official language and it does not need one. In his article “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Language,” Mauro Mujica provides the pros and cons to having an official language. The problem with having an official language is greater than the savings that would result from requiring official documents to be only in one language. Establishing English as the official language presents a moral issue that contradicts American beliefs and values. An English-only culture conflicts with the notion of a “free country” based on the guarantee of “freedom of speech,” the value of diversity rooted in the idea that America is an nation of immigrants, and would in the end divide rather than bring together the nation.