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English Only Language Law or Diversity?

English Only Language Law or Diversity?

One of the big social dilemmas in United States at this moment is the English language status: official or not? Some academicians, politicians and social groups’ belief that the answer is yes, yet others do not agree. The United States was formed by immigrants, a majority being English people in the beginning, but grown and developed by immigrants from all over the world. Now, “the United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising 50 states, one federal district, and 14 territories” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), with the purpose of creating a nation state. Surprising, this country that use English in the beginning, has never declared any official language.  The other territories were incorporated into the United States in time, like the Philippines, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico, where people usually spoke their native languages.  There people built communities based on their ethnic background, accommodating their native languages.

However, in the last twenty years, American diversity has become more complex and a language policy may be necessary today to help manage the growing diversity. The “English Only Language” Law proposal requires English to be the official constitutional language in the United States, but some political and cultural movements are convinced this will exclude other ethnic communities’ languages from public life, including courts, business, and schools. Those groups sustain that this proposal creates another problem, which is a violation of the American Constitution and the official Declaration of Human Rights. In the United States Constitution, in 14th amendment, first article,  where are explained the citizenship rights it is shown that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This statement demonstrates that all people have the right to be equal protection by law. 

At the same time, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was proclaimed and adopted by the General Assembly resolution from the United Nations, rights are recognized and enforced like free education, free religion, free peaceful association, and the right to do not be discriminated because of race, sex, color, language or politics. Apparently is true, but if next to the English only language amendment is attached a language policy for the minorities (to protect all the rights endangered by the amendment only), and then the law can be equal for all the people who lives in the country. Minorities are all ethnic language communities from the country except the biggest language community, which for moment is the English language.

The English Language Amendment proposed to the United States Constitution asks English to be the “official language of the republic” (Tom McArthur, Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language) because that can help to avoid the problem of Multilanguage use, like in Canada, where French and English have equal preference. A language policy can help the government to apply the law with more consistency and equality in all member states because of “Americanism” (usage practice pattern activity, act patriotism, nationalism, morality, quality, loyalty attribute, fidelity abstraction, faithfulness, honorableness, righteousness formulation, expression style communication relation, abstraction custom, Hipernyms Dictionary definition), that has a huge impact on ethnic issues and cultural minorities.

 In the article “American identity and the politics of ethnic change” (J. Citrin and B. Reingold) the authors conducted a study about how the national identity conceptions influences a mass of people, using a symbolic politic model and a 1988 survey. The authors show that “normative beliefs about Americanism strongly influence general attitudes toward cultural minorities,” and ”the language policy is preferred on ethnic issues” (J. Citrin and B. Reingold) because an English Language Amendment can restrain the freedom of person regarding the human rights. Many other language problems appear in schools and businesses in the U.S., especially because in only 20 years, 1980 -2000, “the number of speakers of languages other than English increased from 23 to 46.9 million” (Wiley, and Terence. G. in Heritage and Community Languages in the National Language Debate published in Modern Language Journal). In their article the authors examines the implication of the policy for immigrants, and show how the language can be linked to discrimination based on national origin and race. Concerning legal problems created by languages barrier, the jurisprudence suggests that the litigator (another word for litigant – English Synonyms Dictionary) can be disadvantaged because he is unable to present adequate evidence, even when he knows the words, but he don’t understand the meaning of them.  Lewis Paul wrote an article called “Litigants in person and their difficulties in adducing evidence: a study of small claims in an English County Court” where he made an observational study report on 66 people, showing how they were troubled when they pursued their cases (International Journal of Evidence & Proof). Even if we talk about a problem of a court in England, we can draw a parallel with the United States, because we are talking about English language and about people who do not speak English well. He concludes, “The study demonstrates that litigants in person have a need for legal advice and education to enable them to operate effectively within the legal process and to secure a fair trial in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights.” These kinds of problems can affect people for all their life, which makes me think how necessary a law reform is, and how useful it would be to have a language policy, even in a national state, not only in confederations.

Ethnic communities’ heritage in United States is vast and gives us a tremendous chance to mix our cultures in a tolerant mode, using language policies next to a national language amendment instead of a restrictive law that does not fit the Declaration of Human Right, or the 14th amendment from the United States Constitution. Using a language policy next to the official language of the state, and not only the “English Only Amendment,” allows America to be a state created by and for immigrants in a real feeling of democracy and equity.

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Cristina Curatolo

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  • VIP

    Resources for “English Only Language Law or Diversity?” essay

    • Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, American Psychological Association (APA)  United States. (N. d.). Retrieved July 29, 2007, from Reference.com website: http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/United_States
    • American identity and the politics of ethnic change by Citrin, J.; Reingold, B. Journal of Politics, Nov90, Vol.52 Issue 4, p1124, 31p.
    • Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights
    • Litigants in person and their difficulties in adducing evidence: a study of small claims in an English county court by Lewis, Paul. International Journal of Evidence & Proof, Mar2007, Vol. 11 Issue 1, p24-48, 25p.
    • Heritage and Community Languages in the National Language Debate by Wiley, Terence. G. Modern Language Journal, Summer2007, Vol. 91 Issue 2, p252-255, 4p.
    • S. Constitution - Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_Am14.html
    • Concise Oxford Companion to English Language by Tom McArthur. Oxford University Press, 1998.
  • VIP

    Soros 

    • VIP

      Nope. That was the subject that I had to write about in my college English class. 

  • VIP

    Immigrants know that we speak English in America when they come here.  They should either learn English and accept that is the language spoken here by the majority of the population or go back where they came from.  We are not required in America to provide anything in their language if they do not speak English and they need to accept the American way or leave period.  Our ancestors in America fought so we could be free, had to learn to speak English if they did not know it, and were not given any money or help from the government.  That is the way it should be for all immigrants if they want to live in the United States.

     

    • VIP

      I agree with you, but you'll be surprised if you visit Puerto Rico. Almost nobody spoke English. I felt wired to find myself in US and not be able to speak with almost anybody in English. 

       

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