Angelo Makris
APLING 623
Week 1 critique
In “Polylingualism in the United States of America: A Multitude of Tongues amid a
Monolingual Majority”, Sagarin and Kelly provide an overview of the nation’s evolving
linguistic landscape. The United Sates has historically been home to a vast number of diverse
languages from around the world, although English is and has been the dominant tongue. It has
never been the official language however, as natives, settlers, slaves, immigrants, and people in
annexed territories contributed to a growing body of languages, and a complex, fluctuating
linguistic history. I found this reading to be very informative, and it complemented a
documentary on English language education I watched in APLING 614.
Speakers of different languages had equally different experiences as some languages
faced active suppression, while others continued. Many Native American languages were lost
through conquest, but others endured as separate reservation life allowed their language and
other traditions to survive internally. African-Americans were stripped of their native African
language as slaves, and adopted a rural, simplified English. Mexican-Americans in the
conquered southern territories were expected to adopt English. With regard to purchased
territories Louisiana was notably diverse as French, Spanish, Cajun, and English were spoken,
while the Siberian and Eskimo tongues went on undisturbed in Alaska. Florida at first faced
With regards to immigration, in the early 19th century, immigrants from Northern Europe
spoke English, but continued using their usually Germanic languages as well, settling in the
Northern States. It was relatively easy for they to assimilate into the existing Anglo-American
demographic. However, the patterns of immigration changed significantly beginning in the late
19th century through the early 20thcentury as groups from central, southern, and eastern Europe
(Poland, Russia, Greece, Italy, etc) began arriving. This wave of immigrants migrated mostly to
the city and crowded urban areas, quickly becoming part of a stigmatized stereotype. While first
generation arrivals remained in touch with their language, accents, and other cultural markers,
their successive generations would be more willing to assimilate to the American way of life and
language, keeping their home language within the confines of their home or larger ethnic
community. Additionally, the latter half of the 20th century featured even more changes to
patterns in language and immigration, as newcomers from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin
America arrived and civil rights movements of the 1960’s brought a new pride and esteem to
Spanish, Native American languages, and African American Vernacular English.
The article had many interesting points, and one I found to be surprising was the
influence of the German language in the United States. It is almost hard to imagine it being as
prevalent as Spanish is these days. Equally remarkable is its stigma and gradual disappearance
following the World Wars, which speaks to how wars abroad affect language and culture
internationally. Still, by the time my father was taking his college courses in chemistry well after
WWII though, he was required to take German since most of the scientific literature was printed
in that language. It seems to have all but vanished from many school curricula.
Another point that stood out to me is that the authors write some of the immigrant
communities found solidarity and ethnic pride when they were linked through religious
institutions (25). I find this to be true of the Greek-Americans, at least up until the mid-late 20th
century or so. Communities and neighborly relations were often forged through their respective
local church network. Yet throughout the post-WWII era, internal controversy and disparity
arose over whether Greek or English should become predominantly used in the Church’s
discourses (services, readings, correspondence, etc), since underlying the common communal
thread of religion were the more ancient threads of language and ethno-nationalism, which
became all the more resonant in its wars with Turkey and Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Yet perhaps since the end of the Cold War era, or even more certainly the post-9/11 era, church
membership has been on the decline. This is due to a number of reasons (scandals, increased
scrutiny and skepticism, the rise of a postmodern religious consciousness informed by a variety
of traditions), but I think in the case of the Greek church, it may also be a language issue as more
contemporary generations of Greek-Americans are not speaking or learning Greek in the home,
school, neighborhood, etc., as older generations did. Up until the 1960’s-1970’s, Greek was the
only language spoken in church, even in casual conversation. That is much less the case these
days, so it is interesting to watch this particular dynamic unfold, and to see if the institution’s
livelihood in America can be restored through holding steadfast to its linguistic roots or if it
makes further steps toward Anglicization.
It also gets me thinking about another issue, religion and language learning and how it
features into the lives of various newcomers and ELL’s. Whether transitioning to America or
learning English abroad, how does religion factor into educational institutions and language
learning? How do language learners in private, religious schools fare with their counterparts in
public schools? Not to assume that correlation equals causation, but is there a correlation, based
on anyone’s research or experience? In my own anecdotal experience/perspective, I have found
religion to be particularly important to, for example, Islamic Middle Easterners and Vietnamese,
Korean, and Latino Catholics. Undeniably, it is important to allow the major aspects of a
student’s native culture to be validated- their languages, traditions, and beliefs.
Quite understandably though, schools must maintain a firm line between the direct
influences of a church upon state and public institutions. Still, should attempts be made to weave
religion either as a historical or cultural artifact be made in public schools, particularly on behalf
of linguistic and culture minorities whose religion traditionally plays a strong role in their home
or native culture? In the interests of attempting to take a holistic approach to language learning, I
imagine it could be beneficial to address at least some aspects of a student’s religion and
incorporate them into a curriculum. I am not advocating for mandatory prayer or anything so
conformist, but I wonder what steps can made in language education that could provide learners
with opportunities to express or learn more Public institutions should foster an atmosphere not
merely of religious tolerance, but of genuine, pluralistic acceptance. What do you think? (How)
can this be done? Or do schools allow for the validation of students’ religions as it is, or should
that even be a goal?