...The English-Only Debate English as the national language has become one of the major issues facing citizens in the United States of America today. There have been many supporters in favor of English as the only recognized language spoken in America and there have also been many opponents. The debate has also driven many states to pass their own laws concerning the English language. There are many pros and cons to the debate, many states have passed their own laws regarding the education of English language learners, and I have my own views about the English-only debate. Supporters of the English-only movement feel very strongly about their views as English being the official language in America. While, opponents of the English-only movement feel just as strongly in their belief of America needing more than the English language. Supporters feel with English being the only language would unite us as a nation, clarifying that we are Americans. Supports also feel that making English the official language will give immigrants more opportunities to learn and speak the English language more fluently. Opponents of the debate feel that English-only would alienate immigrants that come to America by stifling communication within their daily life. Opponents also feel that school age children of immigrants will be at a disadvantage in school when learning academics if they cannot be taught in their native language. Also, a major issue within the debate is that non-English speaking...
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...English Should be the Official Language of the United States This is America and we primarily speak English, so English should be the official language of the United States. The movement to pass federal laws designating English as the Official Language of the United States has jumped to the forefront of political debate once again. As most debates have two distinct sides, so does this one. English only movements have surfaced many times in our country’s past but mainly at the local or State level (Brice, 2013). The argument has become more relevant recently due to well-funded lobbyist and immigration reform disputes. As with many controversial concerns in the political arena, this topic has become problematic. Activist are attempting to persuade political candidates, law makers, educators, social groups, individuals and the media by polluting the process with conjecture rather than critical analysis based in rational attestable information. In the interest of objectivity, we will use professional research and omit personal opinion while presenting arguments in support of this movement. We will equitably represent opposing views which demonstrate that there are legitimate concerns as to why the United States should not have English as the official language. To counter manipulative tactics and confusing statements, it is important to define the major terms associated with this topic: Official- A person who has a position of authority in a company, organization...
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...Running head: ENGLISH-ONLY DEBATE PAPER English-Only Debate Paper Anne-Cecile Grundy Grand Canyon University ESL 523N September 26, 2010 Abstract English language learners are a very heterogeneous and complex group of children, with diverse gifts, educational needs, backgrounds, languages, and goals. They are the fastest growing section of the student population in schools and offer challenges and opportunities to the American education. In this study, the writer will explore the arguments of both sides of the English-only issue, which started decades ago and is still very active today. Emphasis will be placed on the comparison and contrast of the positions presented by advocates and opponents of the English-only debate and will be supported with state’ voter-driven initiatives and laws relating to English language learners. English-Only Debate Paper In the eighteen century, education in the United States was provided in different languages: German, Dutch, French or Swedish. After World War I, when German was a proscribed language, the American population started to think about an education solely in English. However, until 1968, the language policies were left to the discretion of the school, church, city, or state. At this time, the federal government dictated how the non-English-speaking students should be taught, and therefore, started a very controversial debate in the public education sector (Porter, 1998). “In September 1995, Representative John T. Doolittle...
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...Should the United States have English as its official language? Patrice Hobbs Instructor: Tina Miller October 3, 2012 If you are anything like me, when asked, “what is the official language of the United States”’ you would answer with no hesitation’ “English”. Many people believe that there is an official language of the United States. The truth is that the United States doesn’t have an official language. Why wouldn’t a country so large, a country that so many people call their home have an official language? Hopefully this research will lead us to an answer as to why we don’t have an official language. There are many reasons as to why the United States should have an official language. Here are two of the most popular reasons. More than half of the states in the United States have adopted English as their official state language. You must ask yourself, “if the number is that great, why not have the rest of the country adopt it just the same.” Another reason why the United States should have an official language is to be able to conduct all government business in one language. Having English as an official language could possibly eliminate a lot of issues that have occurred and will occur due to words getting misplaced during translations. It will be very important for the United States to adopt English as its official language. Having an official language can possibly help with how the country flows. It will allow all government documents...
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...Ashraf Shaikh English 711 Essay Assignment #3 Elizabeth Spencer 22nd April 2015 Bilingual Education or Not? The debate on whether United States should adopt the bilingual academic program whereby children speaking other languages are taught in two languages, in English and in a second, native language (Hayakawa, 1991). There have been studies and researches indicating the benefits of the bilingual academic program, particularly to the students – such as high academic scores, mental flexibility, improved personal identity etc. At the same time, there is evidence showing a number of downsides to the programs – such as double expense to the government, politicized aspects etc. The aim of this paper is to examine different aspects of the argument on the subject of bilingual programs in schools, and whether United States should make English as its official language. It also demonstrates the argumentative ability regarding the controversial issue of bilingual academic program in the United States. Honestly, I feel that the need to make English the official language of the country is preposterous. Only, because it practically is the main language of the country just unofficially. From a general point of view, the definition of bilingualism is whereby a person possesses the ability of easily and naturally speaking in two languages, without experiencing any problem whatsoever. However, from the context of United States of America, bilingualism has a controversial definition (Fallows...
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...Anyone can speak English. Now it is your turn! To begin with, language is a tool of communication to transfer information. It has obviously distinguished mankind from the rest of the animal world (Barber, Beal, and Shaw: 2012). Learning a language is a matter of language acquisition. When we learn a language, it means we make an attempt to acquire a language. That is why you need to know how humans acquire languages. Language can be acquired by two ways, viz. spontaneous learning and guided learning (Kleine:1986). Since English is not our mother tongue, we need to take a great deal of effort to master it. Therefore English is acquired by guided learning for native Indonesians. English is a lingua franca in a lot of countries which means English has become a global language nowadays. What is a global language? Crystal (2012:3) describes, that a language achieves a genuinely global status when it develops a special role that is recognized in every country. Lingua franca can be described as a language for day-to-day public communication in a country whose official language is not English. ‘Sorry’, ‘thank you’, ‘bye’, etc. are commonly used everyday almost all over the world. It is an evident reality that through entertainment a language can influence local culture. Therefore you can also easily find quite a few English loanwords in our official language. Wherever you go, even in the countryside, you can easily find English signs and advertisements. Whenever you enter a restaurant...
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...It is not surprising that there should be so much confusion and conflict over the issue of language. It is assumed that it is single problem with a unique solution. One group argues that English language owes its position to British imperialism and that it is inconsistent with national self-respect to continue to use it to the exclusion of our beautiful regional languages. A second group contents that, whatever the evils of British imperialism, English has helped Indian nationalism to achieve freedom; that it has been the vehicle of higher education, technology and scientific research and that it has been the invaluable link for forging the unity of India and any attempt to discard it will result in a breakdown of our educational system and take the country back by two centuries in all aspects of modern life A third group is convinced that as all regional languages of India arc well developed and have worth literatures, all of them should have equal status. There is a lot of confused thinking going on in India today over the problem of finding a universally acceptable link language for the country. The debate on the subject rages 'ad infinitum' in all available forums like the parliament, the press, the platform etc; but none of the many points of view being put forward every day appears to be gaining acceptance. That is so mainly because most of the thinking on the subject is super-charged with emotion and the issues involved have been greatly clouded by the import of prejudices...
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...1 The Official Language Movement Your Name ETH/125 Date Instructor 2 The Official Language Movement When it comes to the constant debate over bilingual education there are many sources that can be reflected on . Part of all this is society personal attitudes when it comes to immigrants. (Rolf Kjolseth 2000). Many American, although not always conscious of their actions, often show a hypocritical double standard when it comes to bilingualism. On one side, they show pride and encourage a natural born American citizen that studies abroad learning a foreign language and becoming bilingual, at the same time they expect that all immigrants stop using their native languages and use only the English language to communicate. (Porter 1998) Much of the debate over bilingual education stems from an unrealistic expectation of immediate results. (Jim Cummins 2002). The public automatically believe that students should immerse themselves into the American culture and learn English and forget about their previous cultural background. Although many studies have shown that bilingual education provides a positive environment during the learning and social growth of many language-minority students, the opposition while mostly politically motivated has shown to have the upper hand when it come to most states debates. Many believe that being able to speak multiple languages in politics produces confusion among the citizens of a country. Any individual living in the United...
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...The Official Language Movement Eth125 March 10, 2011 Michael Corp Schaefer (2006) wrote that “until the last 20 to 30 years there was an effort to devalue the Spanish language and to discourage Hispanics from using it in schools” (p. 242). In the 60s it was not any better, the school boards in Florida and in New York City enforced a “No Spanish” rule and up until 68’ it was illegal to teach in any other language than English in California. The program English as a second language or ELS tend to emphasize bilingual but not bicultural education (Schaefer, 2006) which help with multi-language teaching but did not interfere with their culture. Some Hispanics were strongly against bilingualism, they believe that English-only education, even for very young children is the key to success (S. Freedman 2004; H. Mason 2003). The growth of the Hispanic population has moved Congress toward recognizing the multilingual culture of the United States. The number of the Hispanic population is increasing yearly which will influence the government’s decisions on this topic, it is a federal law that bilingual ballots be provided where necessary. There is many reasons that immigrates...
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...Running head: ENGLISH SHOULD BE THE LAW English Should be the Law Kevin Gunyak Robert Morris University Professor Paul Anderson Argument and Research Section O 2/24/11 Abstract In this essay I am explaining why English should be the Official language of the United States. Also I am going to be talking about many of the issues that exist because of the controversy over should English be the official language of the United States. Immigration is one reason why English should be the official language of the United States. I then explained why English should be the official language because jobs in America a based off the English language. To end my paper I took a different approach and explained why immigrants and others are against making English the official language. English Should be the Law What is the official language of the United States? There is currently no official language of the United States of America, even though most people believe it is English. In the United States English is the national and most common Language. There are many views on this issue and debates on weather English should be the official language go back as far as 1753. Throughout the world language is used to identify culture. United States immigrants are against making English the official language of the United States because they feel more comfortable talking in their own language. I believe English should be...
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...There always will be a debate regarding the official language of the United States. Furthermore, this has been debated so often over the years that the dead horse being beaten is a pile of dust and bones. While the U.S. has no official language appointed, it does not need one: every language should be the official language of the U.S. From what others have said throughout the years, America has always welcomed immigrants. America has always put itself first and foremost in the media. The United States is one of the safest and most progressive countries in the world. Many of the best companies in the United States owe their progression to immigrant minds. For example, without immigrants (who may or may not speak English), America wouldn't have Google, AT&T, Ebay, Comcast, Big Lots, Yahoo, Colgate, Sara Lee, DuPont, and Pfizer. It makes no sense to make English the “official” language of the United States when so many of the biggest names in the US are from other countries. Similarly, countless travelers moving to America and who helped bring in the Industrial Revolution did not know English. Scores of shipyard workers were from Scotland. Coal miners hailed from Wales. Ireland suffered the potato famine and came over with no English skills, along with the Poles, Germans, other Scandinavians. Not...
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...The official Language Movement One of the main reasons that many immigrants come to the United States is to provide their children an education that they would not have received in their country or origin (Destination Casa Blanca, 2009). Children who struggle with language barriers would benefit from bilingual and early education programs to detect in what areas students are in need of help as they start their learning development. Yet others state that many immigrants and other students have achieved their goals without such programs and they would therefore be a waste of tax money and resources that could be better spent elsewhere. The issue is strong in education. Many immigrants and Americans that have children attending public schools have different views and organizations to support those feeling and beliefs. Schaefer (2006) states that “until the last 20 or 30 years there was a conscious effort to devalue the Spanish language and to discourage Hispanics from using it in schools (p. 242). In the 1960s, the school boards in the Southwest, Florida, and New York City enforced a “No Spanish” rule and up until 1968 it was illegal to teach in any language other than English in California. English as a second language (ESL) programs tend to emphasize bilingual but not bicultural education (Schaefer, 2006). Some Hispanics strongly oppose bilingualism, believing that English-only education, even for very young children, is the key to success. The growth of the Hispanic population...
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...The official language movement has created a lot of controversy in both education and politics. Even former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, said "Citizenship requires passing a test on American History in English. If that’s true, we do not have to create ballots in any other language except English," (2007). Mr. Gingrich also stated that to allow bilingualism will pose long term dangers to our nation and that bilingual education should be replaced with immersion in English. There is even debate as to whether legislation should be passed requiring that all drivers’ license test be given in English only. The argument is that with some road signs going digital, you need to be able to read what is being said and not just recognize the symbol. Advocates say that this is a matter of safety (Crist, 2011). While many non-Hispanic white Americans are opposed to bilingualism in schools - teaching a second language to students who already speak English, there are many organizations that favor it. According to The Preschool English Learners (2005) website, many children throughout the world learn to speak two languages and research indicates there are distinct cognitive, communicative, and cultural advantages to being bilingual. It also states that a key factor to mastering a second language is the age and extent of exposure to each language. The biggest debate in education is over whether non-English speaking students should be put into English immersion classes or bilingual...
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...Article 152 states that the national language is the Malay language. In relation to other languages, the Constitution provides that: (a) everyone is free to teach, learn or use any other languages, except for official purposes. Official purposes here means any purpose of the Government, whether Federal or State, and includes any purpose of a public authority. (b) the Federal and State Governments are free to preserve or sustain the use and study of the language of any other community. Article 152(2) created a transition period for the continued use of English for legislative proceedings and all other official purposes. For the States in Peninsular Malaysia, the period was ten years from Merdeka Day and thereafter until Parliament provided otherwise. Parliament subsequently enacted the National Language Acts 1963/67 which provided that the Malay language shall be used for all official purposes. The Acts specifically provide that all court proceedings and parliamentary and state assembly proceedings are to be conducted in Malay, but exceptions may be granted by the judge of the court, or the Speaker or President of the legislative assembly. The Acts also provide that the official script for the Malay language is the Latin alphabet or Rumi; however, use of Jawi is not prohibited. There is a controversial issue raised regarding the Teaching and Learning Science and Mathematics in English also known as Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris...
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...Press 1 for English…. Press 2 for Spanish… Why English Should Be Declared the Official Language of the Unites States of America Declaring English as the official language of the United States is a very controversial issue. We have one flag, one government, however no official language. Making English the official language would unite all Americans, no matter the race, creed, culture, heritage or ancestry. In 1907, US President Theodore Roosevelt wrote, “We have room for but one language in this country, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationally and not dwellers in a polyglot boarding house” (English-only movement/Wikipedia). There were as many as twenty different languages that could be heard around the time of our founding fathers. Today, there are presently three hundred twenty nine languages in the United States (US Census 2010). Immigrants of many nationalities have built our nation. Just look our nations motto, E pluribus Unum, (Latin meaning – out of many, one) which was adapted by the committee of Congress on July 4, 1776 to design “a seal for the United States of America”, which is carried by the American eagle. The nation has but one flag which we “pledge our allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” (MacAuthur). However, 236 years later the...
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