Abolishing Monolinguism
The Importance of Leaning Another
Language
“The Sum of human wisdom is not
contained in any one language.”
Unknown
English The Official Language of
the United States??
What do you think?
Is it important to learn another
language?
Why are we afraid of becoming
bilingual?
Spanish is here to stay
Find Out How Much You
Know
A little quiz
1. English became the official
language of the Unites States by:
a) A Constitutional provision drafted by
the Founding Fathers
b) A Supreme Court Decision
c) A bill signed into law by President
Reagan
d) English is not the official language of
the United States
language of the Unites States by:
D
English is not the official language
of the United States
2. How many states offer driver’s
license exams in languages other
than English?
A) 4
B) 14
C) 24
D) 44
2. How many states offer driver’s
license exams in languages other
than English?
D
44
3. Under existing federal law, it
is legal for state and local
governments to declare Spanish
their only official language?
A) True
B) False
3. Under existing federal law, it
is legal for state and local
governments to declare Spanish
their only official language?
A
True
4. Endorsing legislation known
as “English Plus” would:
A) Encourage people to learn more than
one language
B) Prevent English from becoming the
official language of the United States
C) Foster understanding between
people of different ethnic groups
D) None of the above
4. Endorsing legislation known
as “English Plus” would:
B
Prevent English from becoming the
official language of the United States
5. Approximately what
percentage of immigrants support
laws to make English the official
language of the United States?
A) 20%
B) 33%
C) 55%
D) 70%
5. Approximately what
percentage of immigrants support
laws to make English the official
language of the United States?
D
70%
6. Which of the following
countries have an official
language?
A) Israel
B) France
C) Mexico
D) All of the above
6. Which of the following
countries have an official
language?
D
All of the above
More than two-thirds of the Web
Pages are in English
A) True
B) False
More than two-thirds of the Web
Pages are in English
A
True
8. In order to become a U.S.
citizen, an applicant must:
A) Demonstrate an ability to speak
English
B) Participate in a swearing-in
ceremony conducted in English
C) Have paperwork in order
D) All of the Above
8. In order to become a U.S.
citizen, an applicant must:
D
All of the Above
Foreign Languages Are
Important Because…
Can improve SAT and ACT scores
Improve analytic & interpretive capacity
Can lead to future job promotions
Help in understanding other cultures
It will improve your English
Helps develop greater listening &
Retention skills
Foreign Languages Are
Important Because...
Help language skills
Create positive attitude towards:
Other Languages
Other Cultures
Increase self-esteem
Why Learn …
GERMAN
The largest,wealthiest nation in EU, 3rd in
GNP
JAPANESE
Major trading partner
LATIN
Builds strong vocabulary and language
skills
What Are We Afraid of? El
Cenizo
1999 El Cenizo a Texas town adopted
Spanish as the official language.
Many people were upset at this
monolingual attitude
Why the double standard?
Why Is Spanish a Detriment?
Is it wrong to speak to your child in
Spanish?
According to a Texas court it is
Mother found guilty
What do you think?
“…It’s eminently fair that a country’s
official language should be the
language of the majority.”
Ayn Rand
Why Spanish Is Important
250 million native speakers
In 20 years, 1/6 people will be Hispanic
300 million people speak it
Travel
Large business market
$220.2 Billion in purchasing power
Why Spanish Is Important
NAFTA
3rd most spoken language in the world
After Chinese & English
2nd in the world when:
Only native speakers are counted
Did you know?
27 states have an “English Only” policy
Michigan is not one of them
Hawaii is officially Bilingual
“English Only” has been declared
Unconstitutional in two states.
So What Is “English Only?”
Can establish English as the official
language
Limits government assistance
Restriction of bilingual education
Forbid non-English government services
Courtroom translation
Emergency phone services
The World Is Shrinking
“… Economy and technology are fast
creating an interdependent global
village. Fluency in more than one
language will be necessary for the
average person wishing to maximize
his/her potential.”
Globalization
“Attitudes towards monolingual have no
place in a global society.”
The world is getting smaller everyday
Big businesses work closely w/other
countries
We can’t be left behind
Is It Too Late?
It’s never too late in life to learn a new
skill
For many, Spanish is a language with
the most rewards and least effort
What Does It Take To Be
Successful
Rigorous Teacher Education
Effective Strategies
Strong Policy
Assessment
Maintenance of:
Heritage
Regional
Indigenous Languages
What Does The U.S. Need To
Do?
Start early
Learn from others
Research
Improve teacher education
Assessment
Designate foreign language as a core
subject
Final Thoughts
We need to stop having teachers
defend foreign languages
Help our children learn the importance
of language at a young age
Learn from other countries
“Language is not merely the
conjunction of grammar and vocabulary
but also communication and better
understanding among individuals and
nations. No longer can we afford to live
isolated in a monolingual society that is
forever inward-looking. Great
challenges lie beyond our shores,
worlds to discover and know.
Languages are the golden key to unlock
these vistas.”
WORKS CITED
Hilt, Douglass. “Foreign Language Learning: Why Bother?”
ADFL Bulletin #14, (September 1982) pg. 5-7.
Pufahl, Ingrid and Nancy C. Rhodes, Donna Christian. “Foreign
Language Teaching, What the United States Can Learn From Other
Countries,” Website, December 2002.
www.cal.org/ericcll/digest/0106pufahl.html
Unknown. “Why Learn Spanish, Spanish for Beginners,”
Website, 2002. http://spanish.about.com/library/beginning/nbl-beg-introwhy.htm.
Vassen, Robert. Professor and Assistant Director of English
Language Center, Michigan State University. Oral Interview, June 5,2003.