Should English Be Our Official Language - Research Paper Example

Introduction Communication is the transfer of information from one person or entity to another in order to assist in decision making. However, for this to be achieved there must be an understanding between the parties in terms of the language being used. Most countries around the world have an official language of communication. For example the UK has English, Japan has Japanese, while China has Mandarin and France has French (Crawford, 2000). The US on the other hand has no official language of communication and this has continued to elicit heated debates on whether to enact a legislation making English the official language. However, such attempts especially in the congress have proved futile despite the fact that most of the Americans, i.e. more than 90%, use English as their main language of communication (Lehrer Productions, 2005). This paper is a critical evaluation of whether the US should adopt English as the official language of communication. English as Official Language in the US Despite the fact that English is the most widely used language in the US, the constitution does not mention it or any other language for that matter as the official language of communication. However, there have been attempts from different quarters such as the congress to enact legislation for that purpose but this has not been achieved. The US is a country, which is full of cultural diversity as its population is a mixture of different races, with some of them having their own unique languages of communication. Some of these languages include and not limited to Spanish, German, Italian, Korean, Greek, and Chinese among others. This has been attributed to the ever increasing number of immigrants entering the country either to do business or to settle and also due to the presence of the descendants of immigrants, who entered the country either as slaves or as settlers during the colonial times. It may be important to note that even the English which is spoken contains different dialects depending on the speakers, for example with those of African decency, Latinos among others (Crawford, 2000). Various reasons have been brought forward by proponents of adopting English as the country’s official language. This is for example the need to improve national unity. Linguistic diversity around the world has been noted as one of the major contributing factors to bad blood between citizens of a country, and which has the capacity to encourage tribal animosity and violence (US English Inc, 2006). This is due to the fact that each tribe views itself first as such and then as citizens of that country, instead of each and every person feeling for example as an American. This is made worse by the tendency of these people to avoid integrating and socializing with people from other tribes, which does not help much in unifying citizens. It may also be important to note that these different languages are accompanied by different cultural practices, which could be easily masked by the adoption of a common language thereby creating a common American culture, or what one may call Americanization. This is important in helping to do away with negative attitudes, such as stereotypes, against other communities. In addition, laws should be put in place to ensure that any person wishing to immigrate to the country first undergoes training in order to enhance their proficiency in both written and spoken English before they can be accommodated. This would help them to fit in quickly in the society thereby enhancing their chances of acquiring positions in all the economic sectors thereby contributing towards the economic growth of the country. In fact, research indicates that an immigrant’s income in the country rises by approximately 30% if he or she is fluent in English, with some studies showing that such immigrants earn higher incomes than the Native Americans, who comprise of more than 300 ethnic groups (Baron, 1992). In addition, this would save the government as well as businesses a lot of money spent on translating information in order to reach all the citizens. Without an official language of communication, it means that businesses would have to spend more especially when designing advertisements among other items such as delivery notes, invoices, which facilitate smooth running of businesses or when conducting business meetings whereby a translator is required in order to act as an interface between the different speakers. The government also is compelled to spend taxpayer’s money in translating and printing government documents such as census questionnaires, reports, court rulings, laws, driving licenses among others so as to be understood by every one, which is also a tedious process (US English Inc, 2006). The learning process would also be simplified and made cost effective on the side of government as students would be taught using a uniform language, which would ensure that students are examined using the same language thus ensuring fair competition especially due to the fact that the world is transforming into a global village and since English is widely spoken in almost all continents, one can venture into other countries, where they can start their own investments. It may also be important to note that translation of information is vulnerable to distortion especially if the person carrying out this task does not fully understand all aspects of the languages he or she is interpreting and this may hinder progress while executing instructions. This is not withstanding the fact that with numerous languages of communication, it is difficult and expensive for a person to study all of them in order to fit in all environments and this has the potential of locking out qualified people just because they cannot communicate in more than one language (Crawford, 2000). Opponents in this debate argue that adopting English as the national language will force communities to abandon their culture and also lead to the extinction of other languages (Baron, 1992). However this might sound convincing, these people must understand that having an official language does not mean that citizens are barred from communicating in their own languages as long as it is within unofficial surroundings. No one is going to compel citizens to speak English while in their own homes or while socializing with other members of their tribes. What this means is that every citizen will carry the burden of learning English to the best of their abilities as the government will no longer offer services in any other language. If they fail to do so, it will be their responsibility to dig deeper into their pockets and pay for translation services or request for assistance from other family members who understand English. It is time for the US to develop its own identity in terms of culture so as not to remain a country where any person can come and settle in their ethnic cocoons without feeling the responsibility and challenge of understanding what is meant to be an American. Some of the opponents base their arguments on the assertion that English is a language that is loosing ground in the country as most people cannot even spell words correctly or speak fluently and so it should be banned. They continue to give examples of teachers, whom they claim that they are relying on spell checkers in word processors to produce texts that are free of errors (Lehrer Productions, 2005). This only shows that there is a need to promote this language so that citizens can put more effort in perfecting their skills because they would have no other option. Ironically, the same people state that banning English would act as a negative psychology as human beings are said to have a tendency of doing what has been prohibited maybe out of curiosity and defiance. They are informed by some previous legislation, such as the prohibition of alcohol manufacturing and sale in the period between 1920 and 1933, which culminated in a widespread organized bootlegging (Lehrer Productions, 2005). In this context, they are advocating for the prohibition of English with the intent of motivating more people to learn and practice it. However possible and convincing this might sound, it is true to say that a clear policy, such as making English the official language of communication through legislation, would be more effective and reliable than taking such unorthodox means. However, this move may prove difficult and risky to implement based on the fact that there are those people who are in their old age and who does not understand even the simplest English verbs and cannot go back to school (Baron, 1992). The government should understand that they still need services such as healthcare and when translation services are demanded, they should be availed to such people to avoid misunderstandings between patients and healthcare providers, which may lead to accidental deaths. Conclusion The debate on whether to adopt English as the official language in the US has continued to remain a controversial issue. It is therefore the reason why even after several attempts in the congress, there has not been a consensus to warrant a legislation making English the national language. The US stands to benefit a lot if such a law was enacted. For example, it would eliminate double costs and expenses accrued from translating and printing government documents addressed to the public, which is multi lingual. In this context, all such documents will be written and printed only in English. English as a national language will also improve on nationalism and eradicate negative ethnicity and racism especially since US is a country which is highly constituted by immigrants. The education sector would achieve progress as students would be examined uniformly thus encouraging them to learn and perfect their English, which would also open more opportunities especially in these times when globalization is taking a center stage. References Baron, D. (1992). The English-Only Question: An Official Language for Americans? Yale University Press Crawford, J. (2000). Hold Your Tongue: Bilingualism and the Politics of "English Only." Addison-Wesley Lehrer Productions, 2005. Don’t Make English Official. Retrieved 10 October, 2011 from http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/officialamerican/banenglish/#official US English Inc. (2006). Official English: Why Is Official English Necessary? Retrieved 10 October, 2011 from http://www.us-english.org/view/10 Read More