BRITTANY YEAROUT
Perspectives Editor
Quien puede leer este? Here in California, and in many states, most people can answer that question. (Who can read this?) More than 32 million people in the United States are fluent in Spanish, according to the 2005 Census. With the exception of English (English, too, was brought to this country by foreigners), no other language has grown to such numbers in the history of the United States. With the recent ruckus about illegal immigration, most people have probably heard the argument pushing for all immigrants to become fluent in English.
The widespread use of Spanish worries some people. They are mandating Congress to make an amendment declaring English the official language of the United States, something that has never been done before. The legislation would force all matters concerning the government to be conducted in no other language than English. This may sound unlikely, but as of 2006 two partisan amendments to the Immigration Reform Act have been passed through the Senate—initial legislation that has started down that road.
Call it patriotism or pride, this push to secure English by means of government restriction is not necessary. There are not hordes of reluctant immigrants who just can’t see the social and economic advantages of learning English. The government does not need to put its hands on this issue.
Historically, no great influx of a foreign language has brought a lasting and negative impact to this country. Nor has there been a need to expedite the integration process. Notwithstanding a little friction, The Ol’ Melting Pot has succeeded to high measures in bringing people of all cultures together, by relying on immigrants to assimilate naturally—which immigrants have and will continue to do.
Assimilation trends show it isn’t far-fetched to assume children of Hispanic immigrants will speak not only Spanish, but English as well, and that their grandchildren will only speak English. Less than 30 percent of the children of Mexican immigrants said they favored speaking Spanish at home, and by generation three only 17 percent of the Mexican-Americans spoke Spanish fluently, according to an April of 2007 article in U.S.News, called “A Population’s Assimilation.” Yes, English dominates.
Also, native-born Hispanics are assimilating at a high rate because they are marrying outside their ethnic group. Researchers have proven immigrants can assimilate naturally.
The United States has succeeded for more than 200 years without an official language, and most people don’t even know that the United States doesn’t already have one. This country is so unique because there are more than 311 languages, according to Languages of the World.
While the government has no business forcing an official language, citizens should do their part by being more open-minded and willing to learn a foreign language. Spanish is not the only language that needs to be learned. Employers are willing to pay more for people who can speak languages such as Spanish, German, or Chinese, said Sonja Stokely, author of “Fluency in a Foreign Language can Translate into a World of Professional Possibilities.” For example, working at a world bank, in the medical field, being a teacher, police officer or a firefighter and being bilingual, can increase your salary 5 to 10 percent, or more, according to Myriam Met, author of “Why Language Learning Matters.” In addition, more than 70 agencies of the U.S. government require their employees to be proficient in more than one language.
America, like it or not, will continue to be ethnically and linguistically diverse.
The real problem isn’t the Spanish language, or any other language in the United States; it is the rejection of an opportunity to embrace yet another culture into our melting pot and to promote multilingualism to our English-centric selves. Don’t fret, English is by no means in danger of becoming less important. It is concretely established in The United States as well as throughout the world.
08-27-2007