Required English

Required English

Throughout history the United States has been considered a melting pot of cultures. Along with these different cultures come different languages. This cultural and linguistic diversity continues today, more than ever. Language is a major part of everyday culture. Many societies are identified and perceived according to their language. Multiple or single languages can bring either unity or disunity depending on the situation. In every society, the welfare and needs of the public is typically the number one priority. When there are multiple languages spoken in a pluralistic society, such as in the United States, the lack of communication can be a barrier for the populations needs. There is nothing wrong with being a bilingual speaking person, but requiring everyone residing in the United States to learn English is a necessary step to unite us all. Two career fields that I feel would benefit the most from a required English law would be the healthcare field and the education system.

Many people feel that the United States is trying to instill linguistic nationalism which refers to a dominant culture's use of language to exercise that very dominance (Phillipson). In other words, many feel that the United States is trying to use the English language to once again dominate every other culture that steps foot in the U.S. I don't feel that this is the case. The U.S. is a pluralistic society, which is "a state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain an autonomous participation in and development of their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization" (Merriam-Webster). Taking this into consideration, I do not feel that the United States is trying to take away other languages and cultures; rather they are trying to incorporate English as a part of everyone's culture and language. Doing so will only assist us in understanding each other and really uniting the United States. Learning language has the potential to help the learners further develop their identities and cultures by blending them into other cultures and languages.

"The promotion of respect for diversity of languages and of learning more than one

foreign language is significant. It is a matter of helping learners: to construct their

linguistic and cultural identity through integrating it into a diversified experience of otherness; to develop their ability to learn through this same diversified experience of relating to several languages and cultures" (Council of Europe).

Learning the English language would not only further a person's identity through language, but it would also help to avoid the stereotyping which may come by perceiving someone through a single identity. Language plays such a major role in how we perceive others, especially those who speak only one language or don't speak the same language that we do. We often look down on others because they don't speak "our language." We feel like they don't belong. This is where language can be considered as a form of belonging. By speaking the same language as another group of people, you will often feel like you belong to that group and they often will feel the same. By learning another language, for this purpose, English, one's sense of belongingness is expanded even more and the chances of others accepting them as "one of us" greatly increases as well.

The argument that language defines the way a person behaves and thinks has existed since the early 1900's when Edward Sapir first identified the concept. He believed that language and the thoughts that we have are somehow interwoven, and that all people are equally being affected by the confines of their language (Romanine). This theory came to be known as the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. It basically states that language determines culture. This theory plays a large part in the English only debate. Take some of the Border States for example: The influence of the Mexican culture is very well known and the affects that the Spanish language has on the societies is very obvious, so the Sapir-Whorf theory holds a little water in this respect. But, this example shows that language simply influences rather than determines culture. These societies are perceived in the ways they are based mostly on the language they use, which is Spanish in this situation. In societies like this, it certainly helps to understand at least a little Spanish when conducting day-to-day business and it also greatly improves someone's chances of being hired if they are bilingual. The same is true of places where Spanish isn't one of the more prominent languages. By requiring everyone in the U.S. to learn at least a little English, day-to-day business can be conducted more efficiently and this would also give minorities a better chance to find better, higher-paying jobs.

Use of multiple languages or a single language can bring either unity or disunity in society depending on the situation. This can be seen especially in the healthcare career field and the education system. By requiring English to be learned by everyone, it does not prohibit the use of different languages while at home, at church or in other social situations. Instead, if everyone learns English, people who speak other languages will not face hardships when dealing with things like healthcare and education, because they will be able to effectively communicate with everyone by speaking English. According to a 2002 Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 91% of foreign-born Latino immigrants agree that learning English is essential to succeed in the U.S. The easiest way to unify our diverse culture is through language. If we get everyone speaking English, not only will we become more unified, but more opportunities will open up for those who were never afforded them because of the fact that they couldn't speak English.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics are the fastest-growing segments in the U.S., comprising 12.5 percent of the U.S. population. That number is projected to reach 24 percent by 2050. This will obviously increase the amount of Hispanics, both English and non-English speaking, in the healthcare field, as patients and employees.

"In the United States, Hispanics continue to be underrepresented in the healthcare field.

With the population of Hispanics rising every year, the gap will continue to climb and an

ever-increasing number of Hispanics will be facing a lack of healthcare