Should English Be Our Official Language?

In the United States, there are 303 languages other than English that are spoken at home, these categories include; Native American languages, African languages, Chinese, other Asian languages, Pacific Island languages, and Indic languages. According to the US Census, in 2007 the number of people five and older who spoke a language other than English at home doubled in the last three decades. English was inherited from British colonization and is spoken by the majority of the population. It serves as the language in which government businesses is carried out. According to the US Census Bureau, 80% of Americans spoke only English at home in 2007. Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the United States. Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by almost 37 million people five or older. Spanish is taught in various regions as a second language. Numerous neighborhoods have only Spanish language signs and Spanish speaking people. Chinese is the third most common language spoken in the United States. Over two million Americans speak some variety of Chinese. Tagalog is the fourth most spoken language in the United States. Over 1. 5 million Americans speak it. French is the fifth most common language spoken here. About 1. 4 million Americans over the age of five were reported speaking the language at home in 2007. Arguments Supporting Making English Our Official Language There are numerous arguments supporting the adoption of English as the official language of the United States. One argument is to recognize that the United States has been an English-speaking country since it was created. Our constitution and fundamental documents are all in English. Some states have adopted legislation granting official status to English. As of April 2011, 28 states had established English as the official language. This leads to another supporting argument, to unite the states that have already made English their official language. Eighty-five percent of the UN’s nations have official languages, so we should conform to the rest of the world. An overwhelming majority of US citizens already speaks English. For a major part of them English is a mother tongue. So, if there is to be one official language, English is clearly the most natural and logical choice. In addition, 28 U. S. states have already enacted laws making English their official language. According to those who are in favor of making English our official language, it would unite Americans. In the United States national disasters and terrorist attacks happen, and they seem to be happening more often. If an immigrant does not know English and an accident happens, they might not be able to communicate with police or firefighters. According to those who favor making English our official language, it would help with the citizens safety. Arguments Against Making English Our Official Language Along with the supporting arguments, there are also opposing arguments for making English the official language. Making English the official language overlooks the importance of an individual’s native language and culture. There are countries that have many official languages and they are doing well. For examples, Switzerland has four official languages and all four languages have equal status. The children are skilled in the language that is spoken in their area. United States is known as being a diverse country that house immigrants from around the world. According to those who are against making English our official language, it may show a sign of disrespect to those people who are immigrants. According to those against making English our official language, it would violate some civil rights. For example, the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment states that laws cannot discriminate against certain groups based on specific characteristics, such as race, gender, or national origin. Immigrants’ right to vote would also be violated. Studies have shown that many citizens who speak limited English use the bilingual ballots and would not vote if there were not mandated translations. Author’s View After researching this topic, it’s hard for me to pick a side, but I would have to say I’m against making English the official language. I see the United States as different than any other country. We are very diverse and unique, and making English the official language would take away from that uniqueness. No one is exactly the same, everyone is unique in their own way and I think the same deals with countries. People come to the United States because we are so diverse and we accept everyone. I think by making English the official language we would become like every other country that have an official language. The children who live here have amazing opportunities to learn different languages in school because we are so diverse. It’s important for children and teens to learn the different cultures that the United States has. I believe that not making English the official language is the best choice for the United States. References http://www.advancingequality.org/files/fact_sheet_english_only_legislation.pdf http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/language/ http://dbp.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_English_as_US_official_language http://www.proenglish.org/data/backgrounders.html?id=167:ten-reasons-to-make-english-the-official-language-of-the-united-states&catid=48