STUDENT CASE STUDY—BURLEY

SHOULD ENGLISH BE THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE UNITED STATES?

CASE STUDY FOR AAC&U STIRS PROJECT

Lynn Burley, Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Writing, The University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR

Learning Objectives

By the conclusion of this case study, students will be able to:

  1. Define basic concepts and terminology related to language planning and policy.
  2. Evaluate the United States’ current policies related to language use.
  3. Develop necessary hypotheses for exploring whether or not English should be the official language of the United States.
  4. Articulate aspects of the complex relationship between language and its historical, social, and cultural contexts.
  5. Explain the issues involved with collecting language data.
  6. Interpret data tables.
  7. Formulate arguments for or against English as the official language of the United States.

Preparation

Read through this case study to get an idea of the issues involved in making English the official language of the United States. To begin, you should read the following texts, all of which are available online. These readings will help you understand the issues regarding making English the official language of the United States. As you progress through the case study, you will find additional readings.

1.Crawford, J. 2008b. “Monolingual and Proud of It.”In Advocating for English LanguageLearners: Selected Essays.

2.Crawford, J. 2008a. “Frequently Asked Questions about Official English.”

3.McAlpin, K. C. 2014. “Why English Should Be the Official Language of the United States.”

4.US English, Inc. 2014. “What Is Official English?”

5.Linguistic Society of America (LSA). 1996. “Language Rights.”

Note:In an effort to focus this case study, the use of the term citizen refers to people legally recognized as members of the United States by the US government by birthright or naturalization and who have the rights and protections of the United States.

Introduction

English is not the official language of the United States, yet many people believe it is because most of us speak English, our schools teach in English, our government uses English in its daily work, and everyone knows you need English to get a good job. Some people feel that English needs to be designated by law as the official language. This case study will help you decide if the United States should make English the official language and what this would mean if English were official. We will examine some concepts involved in this issue, what the two sides believe, and some factors that complicate the issue such as the implications of such a law on Native American communities and our educational system.

Background

What does it mean to say that a country has an official language?

There are many ways of classifying the more than seven thousand languages spoken in the world today, but Ethnologue: Languages of the World(Lewis, Simons, and Fennig 2014a), the most comprehensive resource on languages available, classifies the status of languages in two ways: in terms of how endangered the language is and its status within a given country. Status may range from a national language mandated by law, such as in Spain where their Constitution requires all government business be conducted in Spanish, to a de facto national language, such as in the United States and the United Kingdom, where government business is conducted in Englishbut this is not mandated by law. A de facto national language is the language of national identity of its citizens. In the United States, many people feel to become an American one must speak English [see, for example, Ricento 2013, para. 6].

An official language does not mean it is the only language spoken in that country. For example, Spain has fifteen languages, including Basque, a language spoken by over half a million people in Spain (Lewis, Simons, and Fennig2014b). Basque is designated as a statutory provincial language by Spain, meaning that the business of the provincial government in that region of Spain is by law conducted in Basque rather than Spanish. Basque rather than Spanish is the language the citizens of that region identify themselves with even though they live in Spain.

Some countries have multiple official languages. French, Italian, and Standard German are the official languages of Switzerland, and Swiss German, a separate language from Standard German, is spoken by about half of the population (Lewis, Simons, and Fennig 2014c). Most countries with two or more official languages either have ethnic populations who identify with one of the languages, or a colonial language was once imposed upon the native population and became the language of government. Historically, when a country or territory was conquered, annexed, or became dominated by a large number of immigrants, the language brought in by the outsiders became known as a colonial language, not indigenous to the native populations. In Kenya, for instance, the British ruled from 1895 to 1963, imposing the English language on the native populations who spoke a total of sixty-seven other languages. When Jomo Kenyatta became the first president in 1974, he declared that Kiswahili would be the language of government, a native language spoken by relatively few, so that the larger ethnic groups would not have dominant power (Salzmann,Stanlaw, and Adachi2012, 292). English, however, remains one of two official languages despite the fact that less than 25,000 of the over 86 million Kenyan citizens speak the language.

Question One:Although English is not the official language of the United States, it is a colonial language brought by the British that has had a great effect on the country since Europeans first came. Discuss some of those effects, considering native populations and immigrant populations.

What is the role of national identity and language?

Language is a part of every person. The language people use is an expression of who they are, and it is a way to show to which groups they belong. Some of these groups include one’s gender, ethnicity, and age as well as the region in which one lives. For example, many Americans identify the phrase “Y’all” as part of the South, “yinz” as part of Pittsburgh, PA, and “you guys” as part of the Midwest, North, and West. The use of slang—such as my bestie, wassup, bro?andawesome!—is associated with teenagers. One of English’s best-known ethnic dialects is African American English, which has rules for pronunciation and syntax that differfrom Standard English. For example, the use of habitual be as in, “He be cold,” meaning he is always cold as opposed to “He cold,” which means he is cold right now, but this is not his normal state. “Cold” would also be pronounced without the final d. People use these ways of speaking because they belong to the groups who use these ways of speaking. Think about how odd it is to hear an 80-year-old woman saying “Wassup, bro?” or a United States senator saying, “Glad to meet yinz” during an interview on the nightly news!

Particular languages are often associated with particular countries: French people speak French, Italians speak Italian, and Mexicans speak a Mexican variety of Spanish.Along the same lines, people think of Americans as English speaking. However, there are over twenty native languages within the borders of France and hundreds within the borders of the United States. English was not even an original language in America but came with the British settlers. Americans are a diverse population, made up of native peoples who were there when the Europeans came in addition to all the immigrants who followed and their descendants from many parts of the world. Yet, Americans tend to think of the most common language used, English, as a unifying factor. American English has been modified over time from the original British English with new vocabulary and changes in pronunciation (our accents), so that now Americans think of themselves as speaking American English.

In preparation to answer Case Question Two, read

  • Rothstein, E. “In the United States and Europe, Tensions between a National and Minority Languages.“New York Times, May 29, 2006.

This article discusses American identity and speaking English by comparing the situation in Europe and the languages spoken in Germany and France. This article provides a broader perspective on national identity and language.

Question Two:What role do you think national identity plays in the debate of whether or not English should be the official language?

What do proponents of English as the official language of the United States believe?

US English andProEnglish are the two most prominent organizations working to “preserve the unifying role of English” (US English2014a) and advocating English become the language used in all government business (ProEnglish2014b). English First is another organization, a lobbying and advocacy organization, whose mission is to pass legislation making English the official language ( for ProEnglish, K.C. McAlpin (2014) states that not making English the official language “endangers social cohesion and national unity.”

US English wants all government business at both the state and federal levels to be conducted in English. They do allow for “common-sense exceptions permitting the use of languages other than English for such things as public health and safety services, judicial proceedings, foreign language instruction, and the promotion of tourism” (2014b).

Those advocating English as the official language believe:

  • official English promotes unity;
  • official English empowers immigrants to learn English;
  • official English would save money in hiring translators and interpreters, and in printing government documents in multiple languages; and
  • bilingual education should be abandoned in favor of short-term, intensive English programs.

What do opponents of English as the official language believe?

Opponents of English as the official language includes a long list of organizations, including academic organizations, educational organizations and institutions, government organizations, and citizens’ groups. The reasons these types of organizations are against English as the official language can be better understood when considering the implications such a policy would have on many aspects of American life. Two areas that would be greatly impacted would be the education system, including foreign language programs and education of non-native speakers, and the workplace. Official English also raises concerns among Native American populations, immigrant populations, educators, linguists, and business communities since all of these entities believe they would be adversely affected.

Those against advocating English as the official language believe official English would cause

  • disunity and civil divisiveness;
  • cultural disadvantages for America;
  • economic disadvantages for Americans;
  • loss of Constitutional rights;
  • further loss of already endangered Native American languages; and
  • adecline in the number of bilingual Americans.

How can one say that official English promotes both unity and disunity?

First, we need to read another couple of texts. The first text by Lessow-Hurley (2012) is a chapter from a book about teaching a second language in schools. This introductory chapter will give you some background the immigrants in America and the issues surrounding their use of their native languages.

  • Lessow-Hurley, J. 2012. “National Unity and Diversity and the Language(s) We Speak.” In TheFoundations of Dual Instruction, 6th ed.

You may have heard of the two metaphors she discusses concerning the population of the United States. Some characterize it as a “melting pot” where all people come together to blend into a homogenous kind of American. Others use the idea of a “salad bowl” where people maintain their identities but contribute equally to the whole. One can also apply these metaphors to understand the concepts of unity and disunity. If all Americans spoke English, it could be a unifying factor. There would not be any language problems in the schools, in conducting business within American borders, communicating with one another in daily business or in personal relationships. It is the goal of most immigrants to learn English so that they can participate in all aspects of American life (see, for example, “Hispanic Attitudes Toward Learning English”). Children of immigrants will likely grow up bilingual, speaking their parents’ language and English. According to Alba et al(2002), by the third generation, children are monolingual in English since the grandparents’ language will not be spoken in their home (or if it is, very minimally).

Promoting English exclusively, however, can also be seen as promoting disunity. As you saw in the reading, the United States has a long history of passing laws intended to make it difficult or impossible for immigrants to work, attend school, vote, or become citizens. During the Depression, people in southern California and Texas who looked Mexican were forcibly removed from the United States and taken to Mexico—whether or not they were citizens of the United States. Immigrants were viewed negatively; not as an enriching resource to strengthen the nation but as loathsome people to be feared. Even today, we see evidence of this in persistent myths of immigrants as people who will take away jobs from Americans, become freeloaders, and refuse to learn English (see, for example, Such attitudes do cause disunity, an “us-against-them” mentality in which people distrust those who are seen as threatening in some way.

Next, here is a Native American perspective focusing on racial issues involved in making English an official language. Native Americans have a unique history in America, one that includes violence, oppression, segregation, forced removal, and forced assimilation. This reading examines some of the issues that are unique to their culture.

  • Golden, B. “Is the English-only Bill Racist?” Native American CommunityExaminer, March 2, 2009.

Question Three: Discuss why you think some people perceive those who maintain a language other than English and an identity other than American as disloyal to America. Explain why you think it is or is not disloyal.

What are advantages of bilingualism?

Read the following article about the advantages of bilingualism.This information will help you understand some of the myths concerning learning a second language. Some people believe growing up bilingual causes delays in learning English or causes one to learn English imperfectly. These notions have been shown in multiple studies to be false as you will see in this article. Also, some people believe there are no good reasons to learn a second language unless one intends to travel abroad or choose a career that requires a second language such as becoming a translator or a foreign language teacher. This article provides some useful facts and details about bilingualism.

  • Marian, V., and A. Shook. 2012. “The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual.”Cerebrum, 13.

One of the main assumptions of those against official English is that such a policy would hurt foreign language learning for monolingual Americans and discourage use of indigenous and immigrant languages in indigenous and immigrant communities, thus continuing the tendency for Americans to remain monolingual. Americans are unlike most people worldwide; globally more people are bilingual or multilingual than not.There are many advantages to multilingualism (Valdés2012). First, there are practical benefits. The American economy is part of a global economy, which means that business is conducted every day around the world where millions of people speak well-known languages such as Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Hindi, Portuguese, and Russian. Languages are also most important in conducting government business in political arenas where lesser-known languages are used. For example, consider the Middle East where Arabic is most common but other languages such as Pashto and Dari in Afghanistan, Turkish in Turkey, and Urdu in Pakistan are needed to communicate.

Another benefit of bilingualism is the impact on cognition. According to Marian and Shook (2012), the bilingual brain has been shown to have better capacities for attention and task-switching activities. In young children, being bilingual is associated with better processing of information in the environment and an improved attention to detail. In older people, less cognitive decline occurs overall and the onset of dementia is delayed by 4.5 years in bilingual versus monolingual individuals. Bilinguals also have been shown to be more creative and have greater professional success (Tadmoret al. 2012). Overall, bilingualism accelerates general cognitive function (Bialystok2005).

Also of importance are the social and cultural advantages. Again, according to Marian and Shook (2012), bilinguals can explore a new culture in that language and can take part in expanded social networks. Bilinguals have a greater awareness of cultural differences and can communicate with people not otherwise accessible to monolinguals.

For many years, it was thought that bilingualism was harmful to children learning languages: they would get the languages mixed up, develop language skills more slowly, or never quite fully develop either language. Many studies have shown that there are some disadvantages to bilingualism [see, for example Bialystok and Feng (2009), who summarize this research] in that bilinguals do seem to have a slower rate of recall in verbal memory tasks and typically have smaller vocabularies than monolinguals, but bilinguals consistently perform better on tasks involving cognitive control, reasoning, problem solving, and general cognitive flexibility. The disadvantages of growing up bilingual are negligible compared to the advantages.