English as an Official Language

1
English as an Official Language

• Do We Need a Constitutional Amendment Declaring
  English as the Official Language of the U.S.?

2
Context

• Since the early history of the United States,
  leaders and citizens have debated whether English
  should be declared the official language of the
  U.S.
• Founding leaders decided not to legally address
  the issue.
• The debate continues in contemporary society.

3
What does it mean for a country to have an
official language?

• At the most basic level, it dictates that all
  official government business must be conducted in
  the designated language.

4
What is the current legal status of the English
language in the U.S.?

• Despite popular belief, the U.S. government has
  not declared an official language on a national
  level.
• Although, English is considered the de facto
  common national language.
• There are a few federal laws requiring the use of
  English for special, limited purposes air
  traffic control, product labels, warnings,
  official notices, service on federal juries, and
  the naturalization of immigrants.
• Debate among pundits highlight the various
  contradictions in the governments implicit
  stance toward English. Some claim a national
  language policy exists, albeit implicit and
  fragmented.

5
What is picture of linguistic diversity in the
U.S.?

• The majority of U.S. inhabitants speak English,
  but there are hundreds of languages spoken in the
  U.S.
• Over 30 languages have more than a thousand
  speakers each.
• In New Mexico, nearly half its population speaks
  a non-English language, but the majority of these
  speakers also speak English.
• 1 out of 7 people speaks a language other than
  English at home or lives with family members who
  do. Almost 3 out of 5 of these individuals are
  American born.

6
What is the historical context surrounding the
national debate?

• After the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson
  proposed moving 30,000 Americans to Louisiana to
  prevent the continued use and spread of French in
  the region.
• In 1923, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a decision
  protecting foreign language instruction in
  schools, opinioned that it was desirable for
  English to become the national language.
• The Civil Rights Movement, the Womens Movement,
  and the ethnic pride movements of the 1960s and
  1970s advanced protection of civil rights based
  on race, religion, gender, and national origin,
  but the 1980s presented a backlash against these
  earlier gains.
• In 1981, Samuel Hayawaka, then senator of
  California, proposed a constitutional amendment
  called the English Language Amendment (ELA),
  claiming it would both give English primacy and
  also protect English from the onslaught of
  non-European languages entering U.S. shores. It
  did not pass.
• In 1986, the U.S. Senate held hearings to debate
  whether or not the U.S. should amend the
  constitution and declare English as the official
  language.
• The amendment never made it out of the hearings,
  but since 1986, similar amendments have been
  introduced each year without passage.

7
What is the historical context surrounding the
debates within states?

• As of the summer of 2000, 23 states have declared
  English to be their official language
• AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA,
  MS, MN, NE, NH, NC, ND, SC, SD, TN, VA, and WY
• The language legislation passed in Alabama and
  Alaska are being contested in court.
• Arizonas state constitutional amendment was
  overturned.
• As of 2001, 20 states have official English
  language legislation in effect.
• Some states merely give English the same honorary
  status as a state bird or state flower.
• Other states, such as California have passed
  legislation requiring only English to be used in
  such public activities as education, voting,
  legal, and government services.
• Conversely, through English Plus legislation,
  some cities and states have recognized other
  languages in addition to English. New Mexico,
  Oregon, and Washington State are examples.

8
Has there been legislation countering the English
Language Amendment?

• Yes, the English Plus movement emerged in
  opposition to the ELA.
• It seeks to respect the language rights of
  non-English speaking people and to support
  linguistic diversity as a valuable national
  resource.
• The Cultural Rights Amendment (CRA) has also
  opposed the ELA by seeking to amend the
  constitution to bar discrimination on the basis
  of minority language and culture just as
  discrimination on the basis of national origin is
  also prohibited.

9
What is Language Planning?

• It is a plan devised by governments to implement
  policies or laws that deal with language issues.
• Policies range from encouraging citizens to learn
  the languages of other countries to declaring
  official language(s).

10
Why do nations declare official languages?

• Each country be they monolingual, bilingual, or
  multilingual face their own unique linguistic
  challenges. Monolingualism is extremely rare.
• Although Korea is considered monolingual, its
  government encourages its inhabitants to learn
  regional and world languages in order to become
  more competitive in the international market.
• Many nations have numerous languages spoken
  within their borders, necessitating the
  declaration of an official language to ease
  government bureaucracy and management.
• Countries like Ireland declare their indigenous
  language(s) as official as means to preserve
  their linguistic heritage.
• A developing country might adopt English as its
  official language in order to participate in the
  global economy.

11
Who Are the Proponents of English as an Official
Language?

• Although many bigoted groups are at the forefront
  of an English Language Amendment, many
  well-intended Americans, perhaps the majority,
  support such legislation, as evidenced by massive
  public support of draconian language policies in
  California and Arizona.

12
Proponents of English as an Official Language
Argue

• It will force immigrants to learn English. Some
  people misguidedly believe that immigrants do not
  make progress in learning English perhaps because
  there is usually a gradual flow of immigrants to
  one area. As one group masters English, another
  arrives and begins to learn it.
• Proponents claim its a symbolic act. One
  powerful lobbying group in favor of English as an
  official language is U.S. English, Inc. On their
  official website, they have posted the quote,
  English is the language of liberty for nations
  emerging from years of cultural oppression.
• Proponents connect English with national identity
  and national pride.

13
Opponents of English as an Official Language
Argue

• Most immigrants in the U.S. know that learning
  English is important and that a law will not
  quicken their acquisition of English.
• As a law it will suggest to newcomers that the
  U.S. is intolerant of difference.
• It will imply that other languages do not deserve
  a noteworthy place in our history. Many languages
  have played a critical role in U.S. history and
  development thousands of languages spoken by
  indigenous populations and the languages spoken
  by the multitude of immigrants.

14
Opponents of English as an Official Language
Argue

• Opponents reject it as a symbolic act because of
  its political and social consequences.
  Politically, it might lead to laws abolishing
  bilingual ballots, preventing some citizens from
  participating in the political process, or to
  laws abolishing public funds for printing
  materials in non-English languages. This can
  cause a safety hazard in some situations.
• Socially, it degrades all non-English languages,
  and for some Americans, it might justify existing
  feelings of prejudice for non-native speakers of
  English and other languages.

15
Opponents of English as an Official Language
Argue

• It will impede the already poorly received
  minority maintenance language programs.
• Some opponents believe English-only legislation
  is aimed at Hispanics, who are stereotyped as
  reluctant to assimilate. Recent studies show that
  Spanish speakers rapidly adopt English.
• Some research shows that large numbers of
  Hispanics who have become monolingual English
  speakers do not receive the ostensible rewards of
  assimilation. Competence in English has not led
  to better job opportunities or higher salaries.

16
Racial and Ethnic Discrimination?

• Based on this research, one can conclude that
  existing discrimination goes beyond the mere
  issue of language and may act as a cover for acts
  of racial and ethnic discrimination.

17
In Conclusion

• If the English Language Amendment passes we can
  not fully predict its ramifications.
• It might merely remain symbolic with little
  impact on bilingual education or changes in
  ballots and voting procedures published in
  non-English languages.
• However, hard versions might lead to such extreme
  measures as prohibitions against the public use
  of non-English languages and other related
  discriminatory, divisive practices.

18
Arizonas English Only Legislation

• Proposition 203 English Language Education for
  Children in Public Schools
• Passed in November 2000
• Requires that all public school instruction be
  conducted in English. Children not fluent in
  English shall normally be placed in an intensive
  one-year English immersion program to teach them
  the language as quickly as possible while also
  learning academic subjects. Parents may request a
  waiver of these requirements for children who
  already know English, are ten years or older, or
  have special needs best suited to a different
  educational approach. Normal foreign language
  programs are completely unaffected. Enforcement
  lawsuits by parents and guardians are permitted.

19
Arizonas Proposition 203

• Modeled after similar legislation, Proposition
  227, passed in California in June 1998.
• Critics claim that in the interpretation of
  Californias amendment, the right of parents to
  request bilingual education for their children
  was upheld.
• Whereas in Arizonas Proposition 203, it provides
  that school officials may reject waiver requests
  without explanation or legal consequence.

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Further Reading Suggestions

• James Crawford Bilingual Education/ESL
• http//ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFOR
  D/engonly.htm