English as the Official Language

1815 Words8 Pages
Jesse Schreiner ENG 201 July 25th 2011 English as an Official Language Many assume that English is the official language for communication (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) of the United States of America. This is a misconception. There is in fact no official language set within the constitution of the United States, and in that lies the problem. Multi-lingual issues occur every day within this country due to the influx of immigrants because language can be a bridge as well as a barrier. Not having an official language will continue to be a growing concern with the influx of immigrants, especially those of Hispanic or Latino decent. Establishing an official language helps with communication and commerce. Furthermore, it costs the government millions of dollars to arrange translations of documents, and court systems are often burdened by having to provide translators for a variety of languages. The economic costs of multilingualism to federal, state, and local governments are too high. Also, without any or little English proficiency, it is more difficult for immigrants to get a good education, a good job or to participate fully in our democratic society. The United States should adopt English as its official language as a Constitutional measure, because it will unify immigrants with the rest of the population. The desire to make English the official language in the United States has deep historical roots. America has always been a nation of immigrants and the English-communicating majority has often felt threatened by the surge in immigration. Beginning in the 1850s, several states required Americans to pass English literacy tests if they wanted to vote. This was due to the quick influx of immigrants at the time. (“Official-English Laws”) The recent national trend toward official English laws accelerated in the 1970s, which also happened to be during
Open Document