Should English be made the official language of the USA?
An official language of a nation/state/any other jurisdiction is a language that has been given a special legal status, and is generally used by the government in all courts, parliament, administration etc. in that area (“Official language” – Wikipedia, 2013). The question of whether or not English should be made the official language of the United States of America has been debated upon since 1780. In fact, an amendment to the Constitution is proposed in almost every meeting of Congress, asking for English to be made the official language of the country (“Languages of the United States” – Wikipedia, 2013). This thesis presents the relevant arguments for and against the cause, as observed from research and goes on to logically conclude that it is high time English is declared the official language of the USA.
An International Poll that was conducted recently showed that close to 85% of Americans were in favor of naming English as the official language of the USA (“The United States”, 2013). This paper aims at supporting their views and convincing the remaining population of the same. It also implores those in power to take note of the statistics involved and make changes accordingly. The scope of this paper is not limited to the views of the Americans alone, but also considers global opinions, making its stand stronger.
There are two major questions to be answered in order to get to a logical conclusion on the debate. Firstly, what are the valid reasons for wanting to make English the official language? Secondly, if it is agreed that the motion is valid, what or who is preventing it from going forward? Now in order to answer these two questions, one must be aware of the events in history related to the topic of discussion, leading to the present developments. Hence this paper will first focus on such facts, then answer the aforementioned questions, and finally come to a logical conclusion based on the research analysis presented.
Even in 1780, right after independence, John Adams made a proposal to the Continental Congress that English be declared the nation’s official language. In the subsequent years, many other leaders openly voiced similar opinions. In 1907, the President of the USA then, Theodore Roosevelt also showed the green signal for giving English the special legal status (“The United States”, 2013).
The English Language has been a great unifying factor throughout the history of the USA. From pre-independence times, to the present, it has served as the most significant means of communication, both legally and otherwise (“Should English”, 2013). The Constitution and all legal files of the nation are documented in English. For a long time now, the government has made it mandatory that anyone wishing to become a citizen of the USA must know English. Further, close to 82% of the American population is native English, after which 13% is Spanish. And in spite of close to 18% of the total population not being native English, studies show that 96% can speak English fluently (“Ten reasons”, 2013). This being the scenario, making English the official language would not hinder the activities of the people or the languages they speak. It is merely a matter of convenience to the government, and does not violate the principle of democracy. However, councils like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have raised objections to the motion, due to which it is yet to be passed. The common arguments against it include the motion being 1) a threat to other languages, 2) undemocratic, 3) a violation of the First Amendment (“Resolved, that”, 2013). These arguments are well countered by the facts mentioned above, and can be ruled out.
Making English the official language of a nation with majority of its people well versed in the language is not too much to ask for. In fact surveys show that most people assume English to be the official language, and are not aware that the USA does not have any official languages. This proves that the motion presented in this paper can do no harm, but only be a boon to the nation for all legal and administrative purposes.
References
Official Language. (2013). Retrieved July 7, 2013, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_language
Languages of the USA (2013). Retrieved July 15, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_United_States. 15-07-2013
The United States doesn’t have an official language. (2013). Retrieved July 16, 2013, from http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/08/the-united-states-doesnt-have-an- official-language/
Should English be declared the official language of the USA? (2013). Retrieved July 8, 2013, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/debate/index.asp?article =d1023
Ten reasons to make English the official language of the USA. (2013). Retrieved July 8, 2013, from http://www.proenglish.org/data/backgrounders.html?id=167:ten-reasons- to-make-english-the-official-language-of-the-united-states&catid=48
Resolved, that English should be made the official language of the USA. (2013). Retrieved July 16, 2013, from http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-english-be-the-official- language-of-the-united-states
