English-Rule Only - Research Paper Example

? Running Head: English-Only rule English-Only Rule English-Rule Only Language loss is a global phenomenon and is accelerating among indigenous groups especially in the United States. Majority of the Native American vernaculars are spoken only by the elders as growing numbers of children mostly speak English. Comparisons are being drawn between the threat to language diversity and the threat to biological diversity. Biomorphic metaphor can be simple and misleading. They largely distort answers to critical questions in formulating a policy response which can lead to language loss. How can this be reversed is the question that this paper seeks to answer. Introduction Every employee deserves the opportunity to achieve his or her own potential, and to work and live in an environment that values human dignity and is free of discrimination. Each one of us plays a key role in creating and maintaining this kind of working and living climate. However in terms of communication, employees need to be disciplined and have a common way of passing information amongst them. As such there should be a common language and English seems to be spoken by majority. Advantages of the Rule The subject that only English should be used at work places creates very strong feelings. Some individuals may believe that it is wrong to speak in a language that others do not understand. In the same way, speakers of languages other than English may believe that complaints against the usage of another language stem from racism or unnecessary suspicion of what is being spoken. But the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations state that a restriction to speaking English at all times is disadvantageous to an individual’s employment opportunity on the basis of national origin. The commission believes that English-only rules create an atmosphere of inferiority, isolation and intimidation which is based on national origin that could result in discriminatory working environment (Bothwell-Marketing-Inc, 2011). EEOC regulation clearly states that the rule English-only rule is permissible only where the employer can show that the rule is justified by the necessity of the business. Spun Steak offered a justification that the non-Spanish speaking employees felt bad because they were being insulted in Spanish. The company also noted there were some safety benefits to using a language common to most employees. Employers in areas where the rule applied pointed to safety issues, customer service, and business related justifications which are related to their businesses (Bothwell-Marketing-Inc, 2011). But opponents say that the U.S has been a country of immigrants coming from various cultures speaking different languages. In the past the new migrants wanted to quickly assimilate into the local culture and adopt the local language. This helped them in their integration with the local society. However currently, many new migrants foster separate almost ghetto-like communities which interact on a limited basis with the outside. As many of them fail to learn English they do not gain the ability to interact outside their own community and thus cannot easily integrate in the society. This inability to communicate is the basis of mistrust, fear and war among the different cultures (ask-Vile, 2006). Statistics show that about 215 million Americans speak English while only 2 million people speak Spanish (Juggle, 2011). There are already 26 states where English is the only official language Most of the migrants also state that they think everyone should learn English if they are to live in the United States. English is spoken in Congress, courthouses, national parks, and Presidential speeches. It is also spoken in almost every business corner. Every where the English language is spoken (Juggle, 2011). But accounting office report that was released shows that 99.94 percent of all federal government documents are produced in English. The English proponents argue that more than 300 languages are spoken in the United States. The government needs to legislate and conduct its business in English for the sake of cost-effectiveness and unity. The U.S government also stress that the overwhelming majority of the citizens favor making English the official language. About 73 percent of the U.S voters favor making English the official national language. This is according to the recent polls (Torres, 1997). Challenges The U.S is known for its ability to take people from all countries around the world and still remain distinctly American. Most people argue that the mix of cultures is what makes America what it is. Despite what the advocators of English say, it is not in the decline. English is being spoken by many people around the world. As the world continues to acknowledge the usage of English especially in educated communities the usage of the language spreads further. Furthermore in America English spreads faster than ever. According to Lieberson, the U.S has the highest rate of mother tongue shift towards English than anywhere else (Geneva, 2009). But the legal validity of making English the official is questionable. Even though it is required that everyone must have a basic understanding of English before neutralization, many of the legal citizens have minimal or no knowledge at all. Official English supports claim that America needs English-only rule, English does not need bodyguard to be the fastest expanding language in the world (Geneva, 2009). Opponents have also labeled the move as xenophobic and racist. According to Chen, official English supporters play on the fears that many non-Hispanic white U.S has the borrowing of America (Torres, 1997). Hispanic organizations have also protested that discrimination against them and other non-English speakers has been on the rise due to the Official English movement last year (Torres, 1997). An international representative said that businesses are using this issue to exploit workers. But about 95 percent of Americans speak English. For the remaining five percent, adoption of English as the official language would only hinder their assimilation. Most of the immigrants would be forced to attend many weeks of English as a second language. These lessons are very expensive and only few immigrants can afford the fees. Besides, the immigrants have other needs which they have to fulfill (Torres, 1997). What is to be done? Even though fluency is down, immigration is up and there is a need to provide more language services for the nonanglophones. However it has been a problem since 1900s as the demand for English-language outstripped the availability of class in English as a second language. This has left the new comers to pick English when and where they can. In as much as the number of Americans who do not speak English doubled between 1980 and 2000, this is only 1.3 percent of the American population over the five years (Baron, 2000). But from the beginning the history of America has been a history of immigration which involves both voluntary and involuntary. This history has been of the clash of civilizations, one of the merging and submerging of cultures and languages. In the clash of languages in the U.S English is the most prominent one (Baron, 2000). The American language policy should not condemn the many residents who speak languages other English. For the policy to be effective, it must not flow from the ideologies of nativism and protectionism, but from the social and linguistic realities. Afternoon or weekend schooling for children of different ethnic communities to maintain their language and culture does not help either. Many children would rather be anywhere else (Baron, 2000). Conclusion Employers who wish to avoid legal challenges to English-only or other language based policies should be careful in evaluating their business needs. Some of their businesses may need to operate in more than one language. As such proficiency in the languages used is to be considered just like any other job qualification. An employer should also ensure that its managers and employees communicate with each other and clients in a better way. A rule that requires the usage of English at all cost regardless of the type of work being done by the employees is probably very strict under the FEHA. Bibliography ask-Vile. (2006). Should the U.S adopt English as official national Language. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from http://askville.amazon.com/United-States-adopt-English-official-national-language/ Baron, D. (2000). English Spoken Here. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from http://www.english.illinois.edu/-people-/faculty/debaron/essays/espoken.htm Bothwell-Marketing-Inc. (2011). FREE SPEECH AND ENGLISH-ONLY POLICIES IN THE WORKPLACE. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from http://www.shawvalenza.com/publications.php?id=53 Geneva. (2009). English Should Not Be the US Official Language. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from http://genevaelixabeth.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/english-should-not-be-the-us-official-language/ Juggle. (2011). English should be the official Language of America. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from http://www.debate.org/debates/English-should-be-the-official-Language-of-America/1/ Torres, J. (1997). THE LANGUAGE CRUSADE. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/articles/crusade.html Read More