Official English: Beating a Dead Horse?

Opinion by Domenico Maceri, contributor

Legislation was introduced recently in the US Congress to declareEnglish the official language of this country. It would require allofficial government business to be conducted in English. Exceptionswould be made in matters of public health, law enforcement, courttranslation and tourism.

If the bill is approved, its effect would be the same as that in the26 states that have approved similar legislation: nil.

The motivating factor in declaring English as the “official” languageis the fear among some that the country’s linguistic fabric andculture are coming apart. Year 2000 Census figures revealed that theforeign-born population increased to 30 million and that 329 languagesare spoken in the US.

Some Americans are seriously concerned that this diversity of peopleand languages will cause a Balkanization of the country. Fears of abreakup such as has been attempted in Canada flash to the minds ofsome Americans. Their solution? To pass English-only laws, forceimmigrants to learn English and eliminate bilingual education as hasbeen done in California and Arizona (and as some other states areconsidering).

Declaring English the official language has not solved immigration orassimilation “problems” at the state level. Would the federalgovernment do any better? Some people think so. They believe thatpassing linguistic laws will maintain the unity and common culture ofthe country.

Mario Mujica, chairman of the Washington-based US Englishorganization, believes laws must be passed to force immigrants tolearn English and thus, supposedly, achieve the American dream.

I never met an immigrant in the US who needed laws to be reminded thatEnglish is necessary to succeed. American history tells us thatimmigrants do in fact learn English and assimilate. It’s a gradualprocess. The length of time required to learn English depends on anumber of factors, including gender, age of arrival in the US,educational background and the immigrant’s native language.

Education affects how fast and how well people learn English. Thosewith a strong knowledge of their own language have the advantage. Ageof arrival affects learning English in surprising ways. The youngerthey arrive, the better they will learn it, although it may takelonger to achieve the same level of fluency as adults. Children willgain a native pronunciation where adults will almost always retain aforeign accent. Yet children take longer to learn because they are notjust learning words, they are also learning concepts and at the sametime are learning about life.

Men have a slight edge over women because they tend to work outsidethe home and interact with Americans more than their spouses. Asimmigrants learn the language, they also assimilate American culture,although it takes a generation or two. By that time the home languageand culture have almost disappeared. Immigrants gradually give uptheir home language because they see opportunities in the Englishlanguage. Without English, one is condemned to menial labor and to anexistence on the fringes of society. It’s impossible to become adoctor, lawyer, engineer, etc., without learning English. No immigrantneeds to be told that.

Immigrants need support and understanding such as what they aregetting in Oakland, California, where the city recently passed anordinance mandating services in Chinese and Spanish. This willincrease newcomers’ participation in business and government and willhelp them learn English and integrate.

If Congress makes English the official language of the US it will be asymbolic slap in the face to all immigrants. It will tell newresidents that their languages and culture are not worth anything.

George W. Bush may not sign the bill into law. He has been deliveringhis weekly radio addresses in both English and Spanish. In his firstradio address in both languages he stated that when “immigrants cometo America legally, their culture and language” must be treated withrespect and that the American story has been written and told in “manylanguages.” Bush does not intend to rescind former President Clinton’sexecutive order directing federal agencies to assure that non-Englishspeakers have equal access to federal services. With so many problemsfacing the country, one wonders why Congress is wasting its time on an“official English” bill.

Domenico Maceri teaches foreign languages at Allan Hancock Collegein Santa Maria, CA.