Evaluating Argument

Name ______

  1. Do you think that English should be the official language of the United States of America?
  2. Why?
  3. What are the pros of having an official language?
  4. What are the cons?

Directions: Read your assigned passage. Write down what the author’s argument is. Highlight parts of the passage that you think make a good point. You will use this information to debate whether or not English should be made the official language of the United States of America.

Source / What is the author’s argument?
1.  S.I Hayakawa One Nation…Indivisible? The English Language Amendment
2.  Geoffrey Nunberg The Official English Movement: Reimagining America
3.  Hyon B. Shin with Rosalind Bruno Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: Census 2000 Brief
4.  Juan F. Perea Los Olvidados: The Making of Invisible People
5.  Richard Rodriguez Hunger of Memory