Tugi Francisco
December 3, 2014
Writing_001
Van Bebber
English Only Debate
“Language conveys status, intellect, group loyalties, [it] evokes anger, pride, humor, and
ridicule” (Crawford). Those aren’t the only thing language portrays but it’s a way for people
communicate, learn, grow, understand, as well as simply discuss opinions which in turn create
controversy in this world. English is a widely spoken language that is commonly used in the
United States. A debate has occurred whether English should be the official language or whether
we should embrace multilingualism and encourage the notion that not having an official
language won’t affect us as a country. In the attempt to implement English only into society, it
has developed the dispute whether official English affects America in a positive or negative
manner.
Throughout the English only debate, there’s been a constant argument whether or not
multilingualism is a threat to our nation’s unity. The U.S has an abundant amount of languages
scattered across the states, which allow for many cultures to speak in their native tongue in order
for them to continue their traditions. However, due to the abundance of languages, many in the
U.S believe that other cultures will begin to separate themselves or try to make their own
language more superior over English. This gives rise to the question whether “English unites
Americans through a common language” or not (Depatepedia). It is understandable that the states
have a variety of languages however English does provide a common way to communicate to
each other. English is important because it gives a way for other ethnicities to climb the social
ladder and make relationships with others to unify the diversity in the U.S. Although, the citizens
whose native language isn’t English should be able to embrace their culture and continue to
speak in whatever language they are comfortable with. The idea that speaking another language
shouldn’t be a threat because it’s a part of their culture to speak in their own tongue so they can
carry forward their traditions or festivities in their own culture. Robert D. King discusses in his
article, “Should English be Law” that despite how many languages a country may have, it is
possible to maintain stability and unity. He describes the term as “unique otherness”. King
concludes his article that even “America has that unique otherness of which I spoke. In spite of
all our racial divisions and economic unfairness, we have the frontier tradition, respect for the
individual, and opportunity” (King). This continues the dispute whether English only causes
integration or discrimination.
The English only debate induces many opinions on the idea that English only causes
integration or discrimination. People either explain that official English has nothing to do with
discrimination or it’s another way to discriminate against others. The discussion that English has
nothing to do with discrimination is that many immigrants travel to the states because they want
to learn English to achieve the “American Dream”. English isn’t discriminating against races
when people do understand that English is needed in order to succeed. Author, Greg Lewis, who
wrote an “Open Letter to Diversity’s Victims” admits that “it’s important to speak, read, and
understand English,” and he goes on to explain that speaking English while at the same time
being diverse is a way to integrate people of different cultural backgrounds into society because
“[larger companies] want to see their employees succeed. They don’t care what color your skin
is.” However the discussion that official English can discriminate against non-English speakers
is that it easily identifies the people that can be discriminated toward. Not only does it cause the
inability to communicate with other English-speakers but it gives rise to racism and begins to
outcast such ethnicities. From personal experience, I’ve seen a situation where a couple new
students came to our school, barely able to speak any English, and kids made racist jokes,
taunting them because they couldn’t communicate which then began to socially outcast these
new kids. Individuals apart of the English only debate are “often driven by anti-immigrant
feelings, or pure racism” which supports the fact that official English does discriminate
(Depatepedia). The English only dispute continues to confer the educational aspect.
The debate constantly reviews English only education policies because of the large
controversy whether or not those policies are effective. If we were to apply English only policies,
it would allow education to be cheaper. If we had to take into account the bilingual or
multilingual education it could be costly. We would then have to consider “hiring bilingual
teachers, creating bilingual curriculum, creating tests in the foreign language, and buying
different text books for these students” (Debatepedia). If the only concern in our education
system was to improve our curriculums in English, then the spending amount to enhance that
monolingual education would increase. People have argued that bilingual education is the reason
why students who aren’t proficient in English drop out of school. Diane Ravitch, a former
assistant secretary of education in the Bush Administration, blames bilingual education for the
reason of Hispanic drop-out rates. In spite of her opinions, James Crawford, founder
and president of the Institute for Language and Education Policy, argues against her statements
and explains, “many students arrive too late in their school careers to become fully Englishproficient before graduation, although they are able to master other subjects.” Crawford goes on
to describe that even being completely surrounded by English only classes, it doesn’t help a
person of a different descent to prosper or learn english. “In Massachusetts, more than half of the
students were still limited in English after three years in structured English immersion
classrooms” (Crawford). Bilingual education must also be considered because students are then
able to maintain their own culture while aspiring to learn English. Crawford analyzes that “Welldeveloped skills in the native language are associated with high levels of academic
achievement.” If students are able to speak proficiently in both languages, it only benefits society
because communication between other countries will become more available. Meaning trade,
resources, and the ability to make agreements with one another become more possible.
The United States is troubled with this on-going debate and has yet to found a solution.
Individuals have spoken and argued both sides and it’s difficult to defend both sides. However
it’s even more challenging for me to see the downfalls of a multilingual country. It’s easy to
recognize how English only affects society rather than help society progress. The English only
debate gives me reason to believe that official English produces a more negative influence on the
states.
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MLA CITATIONS
Crawford, James. "Frequently Asked Questions about Official English." Diversitylearningk12.
1 July 2006. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.diversitylearningk12.com/articles/Crawford_Official_English_FAQ.pdf>.
"Debate: English as US Official Language." Debatepedia. 17 Oct. 2010. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
<http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_English_as_US_official_language>.
King, Robert D. "Should English Be Law." The Atlantic. 1 Apr. 1997. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1997/04/should-english-be-the-law/376825/>.