Should English Be the Official Language of the US? Essay Example

Introduction the issue

The United States has no official language however; the native language for majority of its population (about 82%) is English. These populations speak either American English or Canadian English which in combination results into the group of dialects called the North American English. to date the United States, does not have an official language nevertheless, English and especially American English is the primary language used for regulations, legislation, executive orders, federal court rulings, treaties and any other official pronouncements, with the exception of laws which require documents like ballots to be printed in multiple languages if the number of non-English speakers is large in a given area .Some federal legislation also standardizes English (Modern Language Association).  The Second common language is Spanish which is spoken by over 12% of the population (United States Census Bureau). The United States comes fifth in the ranking of world’s largest Spanish-speaking population after Spain, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. Several proposals to have English as the national language have been made in amendments to immigration reform bills, however none of these bills have been passed (proenglish.org). The most recent struggles to promote use of English as the official language has been made as more and more immigrants from Eastern nations like Vietnam, China and Spanish-speaking nations have brought an increase in the number of non-English speakers in the United States.

The different stands

Those who oppose adoption of English as the official language argue that it breaches the nation’s cherished diversity and affect the Government’s response to disasters negatively as it prevents the government’s ability to convey warnings in languages apart from English. They also argue that such a policy would impede clear understanding between medical personnel and patients at federally-funded hospitals hence complicating diagnosis and treatment or even facilitating the spread of communicable diseases. In contrast however, the English-only proponents for example U.S English laws English- only laws have exceptions for public health needs and safety only ( Proenglish.org). In my opinion, school classes throughout the United States should be taught in English exclusively starting from kindergarten. This will bring overwhelming advantages which will manifest within two generations.

The official language for United States should be English because this will bridge the language barrier caused by differences in language between immigrants and native citizens and end drag on labor mobility, communication, efficiency and integration caused by the current multitude of languages and also contribute to countries economic growth.

I think the United States should adopt English as the official language as a counterpoint to the calls made occasionally to adopt international measurements units which I suppose language should be the first one. This is because the current multitude of languages unnecessarily cause a drag on labor mobility, communication, efficiency and integration which may have negative impacts on economic growth; If English is adopted as the official language, the barrier created by language differences between immigrants and the native citizens will be bridged and this will promote their social status because language barriers pose real barriers to labor mobility and social integration.

Moreover natural language is simply not precise in its interpretation and meaning therefore does not convey the “what ifs” expressed. English language is very flexible and for this reason can adopt most language idioms and thus minimize chances of losing intent in translation. Adopting English as the unifying language would ensure that all contradictions and idioms are understood innately rather than having guess work. In addition to being flexible, English also evolves at a high rate unlike any other language and has so many words without an official language regulator as it is with many.

Despite the fact that English is already the lingua franca in most international communications lack of it by at least one of the parties is detrimental to nuance, precision and expressiveness in conversations and also heightens the scope for misunderstanding. Moreover, on the international stage, non- English speakers have a disadvantage compared to native- English speakers.

Conclusion

The official language for United States should be English. However the national sentiments seem to be too strong to realize the benefits. I think the country should reject native languages entirely because they have proved incapable of solving problems which can be addressed through unifying under a single language. The  many languages used currently have  impeded labor mobility, communication , integration and efficiency which if present foster economic growth and also the fact that use of one language saves government funds used in printing and translation In addition English –only laws give exceptions for public health needs and safety.

Research Paragraph

My first source is the Pro-English website which is a website dedicated to promoting the use of English as the official language of the United States. The website wants people to learn the essence of entrenching English as the core language in the United States as well as trying to have the people appreciate the wide acceptance that the language has gained. The website has bias in that it is aimed at influencing people into supporting the use of English as a language. The source is a website sponsored by a collection of experts and it is registered as a tax exempt organization with the federal authorities besides having such notables like Steve King as members and vocal supporters. It has been in existence since 2000 and has hourly feeds and updates since its creation. My second source is the US census bureau. This is the national source of statistical data concerning any issue of demographic importance besides being the arm of the government responsible for national statistics. This is a credible government resource that bases its data on factual information. The website of the national bureau of statistics is updated upon the completion of every national survey and hence the information it gives is factual and accurate. The census bureau does not have any outright bias, since it represents information as it collects it to the people therefore; it is quite a credible source of information.

Works Cited

‘The Fifty States at a Glance.” Proenglish.org. Web. 12 April 2008.

“Language Map Data Center.” Modern Language Association. Web. 2 Feb. 2008.

“Selected Social Characteristics in the United States.” 2007 Census Bureau. Web. 9 Oct. 2008.

Smith, Donna “Senate Says English is National Unifying Tongue.” Boston Globe. Web. 18 May2006.