Why The U.S. Needs An Official Language

WorldandI.com ^ | 12-15-03 | Mauro Mujica

[bellevuesbest]

Recent polls show that the WORLD believes in the importance of learning English. It may be time to tell Americans this.

In June, the Pew Research Center announced the results of an extensive survey on global trends such as the spread of democracy, globalization, and technology. Titled "Views of a Changing World," it was conducted from 2001 to 2003 and polled 66,000 people from 50 countries. The survey received some publicity in the United States, mainly because it showed that anti-American sentiments were on the upswing around the world. Less publicized was the fact that there is a now a global consensus on the need to learn English.

One question in the Pew survey asked respondents to agree or disagree with the statement "Children need to learn English to succeed in the world today." Many nations showed almost unanimous agreement on the importance of learning English. Examples include Vietnam, 98 percent; Indonesia, 96 percent; Germany and South Africa, 95 percent; India, 93 percent; China and the Philippines, 92 percent; Honduras, Japan, Nigeria, and Uganda, 91 percent; and France, Mexico, and Ukraine, 90 percent. To an immigrant like myself (from Chile), these results come as no surprise. Parents around the world know that English is the global language and that their children need to learn it to succeed. English is the language of business, higher education, diplomacy, aviation, the Internet, science, popular music, entertainment, and international travel. All signs point to its continued acceptance across the planet. Given the globalization of English, one might be tempted to ask why the United States would need to declare English its official language. Why codify something that is happening naturally and without government involvement?

THE RETREAT OF ENGLISH

In fact, even as it spreads across the globe, English is on the retreat in vast sections of the United States. Our government makes it easy for immigrants to function in their native languages through bilingual education, multilingual ballots and driver's license exams, and government-funded translators in schools and hospitals. Providing most essential services to immigrants in their native languages is expensive for American taxpayers and also keeps immigrants linguistically isolated.

[tjwmason]

Bi-lingual ballots?

How can one print the candidates' names in different languages? Or is it merely the Spanish for 'vote for the democrats, they'll be nice to you'?

Here in Britain we have some of these loony incursions too; though our main one is in Wales where Welsh is an official language alongside English (though there are no mono-lingual Welsh speakers); which means that government reports &c. are produced in Welsh, and the Welsh Assembly can debate in Welsh (during which nearly everybody listens to a simultaneous translation into English), most ridiculously, a learner driver in Wales can display a 'D' plate whereas in the rest of the U.K. it has to be an 'L' plate.

You should certainly make English your national language, though perhaps you should learn how to spell colour and centre first. ;-)

[CGVet58]

"...You should certainly make English your national language, though perhaps you should learn how to spell colour and centre first. ;-)..."

Here, Here!!! (oh wait, the folks that drive on the wrong side of the road just corrected me; it's "HEAR, HEAR!!!" - add this one to the UK spell-check ;^} )

CGVet58

[DumpsterDiver]

Many nations showed almost unanimous agreement on the importance of learning English. Examples include ... France, Mexico, and Ukraine, 90 percent.

I'm skeptical about Mexico.

[Modernman]

The fact is, fluency in English will remain the requirement for success in this country for the foreseeable future. Anyone who doesn't learn good English will find themselves limited when it comes to jobs, education etc.

If I was a cynical man, I would think that discouraging immigrants and monorities from becoming fluent in English was a plot by liberals to keep them poor and dependent on government.

[gubamyster]

ping

[Flyer]

A Nation with two languages is two Nations.

English! Unless you don't mind seeing The United Southwest States of America on the map.

[calawah98]

Lou Dobbs show today, illegals do not only want drivers license they want the right to vote.

[rmlew]

Welsh are not English. They are the Celtic people who inhabited that region before the Angles Saxons and Jutes invaded.
I'm an Anglophile, but the fact is that the later Edward I, the Tudors, Chales I, Cromwell, and the early Hanoverians all tried to unify Great Britain at the expense of the Welsh and Scottish.

[lainde]

ping!

[tjwmason]

Welsh are not English. They are the Celtic people who inhabited that region before the Angles Saxons and Jutes invaded.
I'm an Anglophile, but the fact is that the later Edward I, the Tudors, Chales I, Cromwell, and the early Hanoverians all tried to unify Great Britain at the expense of the Welsh and Scottish.

I fully agree and did distinguish between 'England' and 'Britain' in my post. I have no problem with the Welsh language programs, my only point is that there are no mono-lingual Welsh speakers around, and the vast majority of the Welsh speak English as their first langauge, even their only language.

The claims for the revival of Gaelic in Scotland rest on even shallower foundations, as Scotland is really two different countries, only one of which spoke Gaelic, the other spoke Scots which is far more similar to English.

The Anglicising tendencies did flow both ways, with the Scottish aristocracy and gentry trying to adopt English habits. That said, the suppression of many Scottish traditions following the Jacobite risings, was an appaling incident in our nation's history (I am not merely saying that because I am a Jacobite either).

[MarkL]

I'm a great admirer of the Welsh... They produced Catherine Zeta Jones. To bad about that personality defect though... You know, Michael Douglass?

Mark