The English Language : The Importance Of Learning English

(447). Dissolving fear in the post 9/11 era is, perhaps, the country?s most pressing need. The inability to help out a fellow American in a time when help is needed brings fear to many Americans. Examples of instances when help would be needed could be an attack on a building or a group of people on a street minding their own business. Communicating in the same language, so the group of people trying to help out can understand each other relieves stress in the minds of frantic compatriots of the situation. English as the official legal language will unite all citizens and will prove communication in a single language really is a unifying factor. To get through the troubled times, communication has eased the fears and heartache, but the separation of languages within cities still keep some of the startled citizens from a feeling of complete comfort since the attacks on the Twin Towers. The dissolved distrust and fear due to unifying everyone with the English language carries a message to the rest of the world that our country is made of an array of backgrounds brought together by a common language, which is not afraid. Immigrants coming to our cities today along with families that past on their heritage for generations need to come to a consensus on a very important concept to our American society: communication in a single language will promote a message that the country is striving forward

This situation is relative to real life instances of immigration, as those moving to America with the hopes of improving their own lives and the lives of their family members are, in some cases, unfamiliar with the English language. Therefore, they must somehow learn the ways of the new people surrounding them in order to be accepted in this environment and also be able to communicate with others so they can attempt to obtain jobs to support themselves and family. Understanding the same language clearly plays an important role in assimilating to new surroundings.

“Immigration” a controversial issue that argues two sides, the perspective of Americans and the reality of an immigrant. As a daughter of parents who migrated to the Unites States from El Salvador, I personally believe that immigrants are the correct side from what the Americans see or believe; however, just like anything else there will be two different sides; the good immigrants and the bad immigrants. For example, first, the US has immigrants with different types of crimes committed. Then, we have the issue of jobs with immigrants. Third, an additional issue is the cost of having immigrants that has many questions regarding the benefit. Last but not least, foreign language has been an accommodated at the United States and has been under

It is important for immigrants to learn to speak and write in English while keeping their native tongue. Without knowing how to speak the common language here, it is impossible to blend

Although the Constitution does not legislate that English is the national language of the United States, “it has always been taken for granted that English is the national language” (King 317). After all, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the national anthem, the Emancipation Proclamation and many other historically significant American documents all were written in English. In order for one to truly understand what it means to be an American, they must be able to read and comprehend these documents in the language that they were originally written

“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.

The document, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test, has many important ideologies to help immigrants gain U.S citizenship. The concept that is the most valuable for immigrants to understand in order to become productive law- abiding citizens of the United States is the Constitution and how it works. How the government operates, taking part of the political process, who makes the laws, and your rights as a citizen is all covered under the Constitution.

The purpose of the naturalization process is to give the opportunity for other people to become citizen of a country. The country sees if the person who wants to be a

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

English has never been the official language of the U.S. and as a result the U.S. becomes divided by those who speak English and those who don’t. 31 states have already adopted the law of English as the official language and more states are also trying to do the same (Grovum). The majority of the states have agreed to this law meaning most people in the states know English or are learning it immediately if they are immigrants coming in. Immigrants in other states don’t necessarily have to learn the language so many end up not learning it keeping the nation divided. Although these states have made the law official some states just see it as symbolic and do not

It seems unfair that immigrants should have to be fluent in English before stepping foot passed the border because our Constitution does say America

Another important requirement is that applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language. The only people who are exempt from that are those who have been residing permanently in the U.S. for over 15 years and are 55 years of age or older, have been residing 20 years and 50 years of age or older, or have a physical or mental disability which impairs them from learning English. An applicant must also demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the history and the form of government of the United States. To demonstrate this knowledge and understanding the applicant must take a U.S. History test which consists of approximately 25

There have been millions of people that are immigrants who try to become a citizen, in the United States. As far as they can become citizens, is as far of American history knowledge they have. The Naturalization Civics Test makes a person become a citizen a bit more easy. The Naturalization Civics Test is important, because even if you get 6 answers correct on the test, you still have a fifty percent chance to pass. The question was intended to be harder and more difficult to answer but became easier, if you study your history it’s an easy pass.

There are emotional and legal concerns surrounding whether immigrants should learn to speak English. Domenico Maceri (2009), an award-winning author and foreign language instructor at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria California, states “I never met an immigrant in the United States who needed laws to be reminded that English is necessary to succeed” (par. 9).

The language barrier is one of the biggest problems people face when they move to another country. Many immigrants who come from other countries are met with many linguistic challenges that not only impede their control of daily life tasks but also their ability to survive. I believe that it is important for immigrants to speak a national language. If they are unable to speak a national language, they will be unable to function to the fullest and therefore become isolated and disempowered from the community.