by Danielle
The United States is one of the last countries in the world without an official language. With the political debates for the 2016 presidential election, the discourse surrounding making English the official language is being highlighted within numerous issues and political rhetoric. Ideologies that value English as the official language have taken an aggressive stance with rhetoric such as from republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s statement, “we speak English in this country” to fuel them. However, more than 1 in 5 residents in the United States speak a language other than English at home and that number is increasing with the number of non-English speaking refugees being admitted yearly. The number of Hispanic immigrants and Middle Eastern Refugees feel the direct effects of these attacks, not only based on language difference but also due to ethnic and religious differences. While European languages are viewed with a fond nostalgia as being the language of White American’s ancestors, Spanish and Arabic speakers are immediately marked as “other”, “not like me”. Services that help these populations to make a living, such as bilingual education and supplemental incomes, are being threatened. If English is officiated, these services may completely disappear- marginalizing them further within society with the expectation of failure if they do not assimilate.
Even though there is no official language, to become a citizen of the United States, a knowledge of English is still required. Once arriving, potential citizens have a seven year time limitation to pass the Naturalization exam, which consists of an English and a Civics exam. The English test consists of three sections: reading, writing, and speaking in which one out of three responses must be correct. Potential citizens have two chances to take the test, and is citizenship is not granted, governmental aid such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is taken away with no other support offered.
Since SSI is considered an additional income, the amount of money provided each month is not enough for a decent living. Sugow Said, a refugee from Somalia, has to support his wife and three teenaged children on an income of $324 a month with food stamps. Due to government documentation being written in English, Said was never aware of the time restriction and eventually lost his aid- resulting in his income dropping to nothing.
The case of Sugow Said is not uncommon among many refugees and immigrants. A seven year window may seem like ample time to learn English, however fails to acknowledge issues brought up by language acquisition experts and psychologists. Linguist Stephen Krashen’s theory of the Critical Learning Period states that it is more difficult to learn a language the older the learner is. While many children may quickly adapt to English, their parents and older family members may struggle due to different language patterns and difficult grammar structures. Combined with the theory of the Critical Learning Period is the pressure of starting a new life in another country, one they were probably forced to come to, while possibly suffering from issues such as PTSD. PTSD is an issues frequently brought up by psychologists, especially associated with refugees populations from war stricken countries. Due to these issues and the fact that the refugees may have never wanted to leave their country before the breakout of conflict, the seven year window may not be sufficient time at all.
Bilingual education is another service aimed to help speakers of other languages that is currently being targeted. Its intention is to teach core school subjects in the students’ first language while teaching other subjects in English in order for the language barrier to not be an issue. The aim was so students do not fall behind their American peers, however the opposition states that it does not enforce or motivate English learning- instead offering a community where English is not required. Due to the high number of children born to immigrants and refugees not speaking English fluently, bilingual education is under constant threat of being banned nationwide, following the steps of California, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Its effectiveness only causes more tension amongst these languages, especially in southern states that have more need for such services.
Tensions between English and the numerous other languages spoken in the United States is visible, primarily in rural areas and states along the border. The Southern states are where Spanish and English coexist amidst tension. There are large bilingual and monolingual communities that are constantly being scrutinized and services that aid the residents are viewed to hinder the residents from reaching the standard values of Anglophones. Billboards and shop signs are written in both Spanish and English, though the former is often written in bigger font. Many Anglophones express offensive to this, feeling as though “English is under attack”. Many want these signs replaced without Spanish even though the majority of the community is Hispanic.
If English is officiated, bilingual education and signs would be the first services that would disappear. Bilingual billboards would be replaced with all English because of the language standard to live in the United States. Also, bilingual education may eventually be banned on a national level, following with the other states as it is seen as a hindrance to English learning instead of a benefit. Services that allow for some relieve of pressure from the language barrier would be seen as a road block in learning English, thus would be banned or viewed as unnecessary.
The language test to enter the exam may also be changed to match the increase of standards. People can become citizens with still a low proficiency in English- thus, it would be expected for the standards to be increased if English is officiated. Instead of one of three sentences correct, the requirement may be increased to reflect the change in language policy and dominant ideology. Ultimately, the direct effect of the official language being implemented would be to see a decrease in non-English speaking immigrants and refugee populations.
Much of English Only rhetoric that centers on English becoming the official language is a direct attack against increasing Hispanic and Middle Eastern populations. Fueled by political rhetoric, foreign language is often viewed as the “other” and a “threat” to American culture. Aid designed to help these populations survive and not fall behind English speaking counterparts are seen as a “war on English”, thus leads to often aggressive discourse about their existence. Without them, it would be difficult for many immigrants and refugees to survive, marginalizing them within society with the expectation of failure. The consequences of English being officiated is more than on a government level. It would uphold this false belief in a language hierarchy, with English and its native speakers being superior. In times of political tensions, we should focus on providing better services, implementing a more realistic time limitation for becoming a citizen, and preserving our diversity instead of endangering it.
Languages in Conflict 