Multilingualism or English Only

Despite the fact that English is the language spoken by most people in the US, it is not an official language some states. In fact, it is an official language in 28 states only. The US comprises of people with different cultural backgrounds, who speak different languages. In fact, the census that was carried out in 2000 in the US indicated that people spoke more than 322 different languages (Clark 63). Some people have argued that English should not be made an official language and thus, they argue in support of multilingualism. They believe that government policy towards language should be designed in a way that it promotes the recognition and use of the different languages spoken by people in the US in order to preserve personal identities and promote cultures. However, I believe that English should be made official language in the US and should be used to define the national identity of the US. This paper argues that the state and federal governments in the US should establish policies aimed at declaring English an official language.

Making English an official language will play a major role in enhancing national unity in the US. This is due to the fact that all citizens in the US will be able to communicate and understand each other using English as a common language. On the other hand, failure to use a common language has an opposite impact on national unity (Clark 63). For instance, before understanding the impact of using native language on social interaction, I often spoke to my classmates and playmates who we shared similar cultural background in my native language. As a result of using the native language, I hardly made meaningful social relationships with people who did not understand my native language. When speaking in my native language in the midst of people who do not understand it, I feel like I am aggressive to them. On the other hand, I feel like I am gentler to them when I use English language than when I communicate using my native language. In short, the use of English as an official language will help to reduce interactional distance that exists between people with different cultural backgrounds (Clark 64).

Secondly, making English an official language will be beneficial to the immigrants since they will be empowered to participate fully in government functions and gain access to jobs. I have encountered cases in which immigrants fail to access good jobs in the public and private sectors simply because they do not understand English, yet they have other essential skills. As a result, such immigrants are relegated to low paying and low skilled jobs (Clark 64). Further, the US government uses different languages when sending messages to the US citizens. However, the government cannot duplicate messages in all languages that are spoken in the US. Immigrants who do not understand any of the languages used by the government may not be in position to participate fully in the government processes. However, their ability to participate in government processes will be enhanced when they understand how to communicate in English. Learning English will be the goal of every immigrant. At the same time, the government will not have the responsibility of duplicating messages in the numerous languages spoken in the US (Clark 64). The government can use money used to support multilingual services to provide immigrants with the support they need in order to learn English. In short, immigrants will benefit from the move to declare English an official language since they will not be treated like second-class citizens.

There are numerous arguments that have been advanced by the opponents of “English only” concept. Firstly, the opponents argue that making English an official language will lead to erosion of personal identity and native cultures of US citizens (Pinder 152). However, this notion ignores the fact that making English an official language does not mean that people will not be allowed to use their native languages. The official language will only apply to functions associated with government agencies and private organizations that have policies requiring their workers to be able to communicate in English. People will still be free to preserve their cultural identities and their native languages (Clark 64). Some people have also argued that making English an official language will amount to violation of freedom of speech (Pinder 152). However, the argument ignores the fact that the policy will not affect the private lives of the citizens with regard to communication (Clark 64).

Overall, I support the move to declare English as an official language in the US. In addition to promoting national identity, the move will be beneficial to citizens, especially the immigrants. Also, the move will be beneficial to the state and federal governments. Some people believe that the move will lead to erosion of personal identities and cultures of individuals from different cultural backgrounds. However, such arguments fail to recognize the extent to which the move will not affect private communications among US citizens and also ignores the benefits that the citizens will derive from the move.

Works Cited

Clark, Urszula. Language and Identity in Englishes. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print.

Pinder, Sherrow O. The Politics of Race and Ethnicity in the United States: Americanization, De

Americanization, and Racialized Ethnic Groups. California: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Print.