The United States, especially the Federal government has no official language. Although English is the most widely spoken language in the country, it is not the official language. The Unites States is also home to speakers of over a hundred languages such as Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Thai, Creole, native American languages among others. Even though the Federal government has no official language some of the states have adopted their own policies regarding the language to be used for official purposes. Some states have a de facto bilingual policy, some have adopted the Federal policy of not having an official language and some states such as Arizona have passed a law that states that English is the official language of the state government. Although many changes were proposed to make English the official language of the country through amendments to the Immigration Bill, the Federal position remains intact. Making English the official language of the country would be a tricky issue as in a few decades it is predicted that the Spanish speaking people would make the largest lingo-ethnic group in the country. The presence of native Americans as well as other ethnic minorities would also make it impossible for the country to make one language its official language without hurting the rights, sentiments and emotions of the other people.
Anderson in his book, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, writes that the initial formation of national identities are rooted in languages (Anderson 1983). It is easier to use language and identity to describe oneself rather than get into complicated issues of civil rights and other political issues. The call for a common official language, English, has historical and social roots together with the way American English itself has been styled. Calls for English as the national language emerged vociferously when in 1981, the ex-senator from California Hayakawa proposed an English language Amendment. It got passed in 1986 making English the official language of the state and also paving the way for 17 other states to take up the issue (Zentella 72). Hayakawa’s reasoning for the amendment was that a common language in the country would overcome the differences between the people which arise due to race, religion and other ethnic differences. Although this measure brought changes at the state level, the Federal position remained unchanged and till date the US government has no official language. Another reason for the call for making English as the official language has been the threat of immigrant communities taking over the country. Scholars like Zentella opine that this move is specifically anti-Spanish. The call for an official language is based on the thought that the country should not show prejudicial treatment to the immigrants and that if they do not speak the majority language of the country, they should not be here in the first place. Racism as well as nationalistic feelings are also used to further the claim for English as the official language of the country. States with direct initiatives and a lesser immigrant population have the ability to change the official language while states with no direct initiatives and a large number of immigrant population cannot do so.
In spite of the support and financial backing for the change in the official language, it has not happened yet and it is largely thanks to the opponents of such a move. People who are against one particular language being used as the official language claim that such a measure would hurt the equal rights of the citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution. Also America has been a land of immigrants beginning with the country’s founding days. French, German, Spanish and Native American languages have been spoken since the beginning and making English as the official language would mean that one particular group is being shown preference over another. Also the government has a duty to make available official documents in a language that could be understood by ethnic minorities who make up a substantial portion of the population in a region as well. Documents such as voting papers and other government papers are offered in a range of languages in certain states depending upon the ethnic makeup of the state. Not making English as the official language would also help in bringing down the prejudices that exist against people who do not speak the language fluently. The image of an American is largely built around the language and it is how it’s been exported for a long time. Understandably, not speaking or understanding the language would mean that the individual is not patriotic enough. This is the argument that has been used by the pro English groups to gain support for their movement.
As to the question of making English the official language of the United States, the answer would be that it would be a decision that is fraught with many challenges. If English is made the official language, calls for other languages to be made official would also arise and the country would end up having many official languages making the government process difficult. The current Federal position of adopting no official language seems to be the best option that is available. it also prevents people from questioning the loyalty and patriotism of people living in America based on their ability to speak the language. In the end, it should be accepted that America is a land of immigrants and it is the diversity of the different groups that makes the country great and what it is. Imposing one language on the rest of the population would go against the equality of all people laid down by the Constitution.
Works Cited
Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso: London. 1983.
Zentella, C. Ana. The Hispanophobia of the Official English Movement in the US. Int’l J of Soc and Lang. 127 (1997): 71- 86.
