Lower the Standard, Drop the bar. Better to have no Expectations.
Since the days of its European discovery and subsequent colonization, then the formation into the United States of America, we have been a nation of linguistic diversity. Europeans that came here to the United States were just as different in the tongues they spoke as in any other geographic area of the globe. However, as time went on English became the dominant language. Though many are of European decent, English is not the language of their ancestors. It is only correct to dismiss the “my culture” argument that is presented as an excuse by many people for not learning English. For example, my family coming here was to escape the Nazi government in Germany, and then learned English. In America, it is widely ignored that Europeans are so diverse.
Research shows many amazing studies and analyses of this subject. From the logical and well thought out to the complete opposite fringes of Hispanic groups wanting to kick all Europeans out of the Americas in the name of a mythical Aztlan nation (La voz de Aztlan. Volume IV. Issue 28. March, 09 2008). The reviews have been startling; they are all over the place in perspectives.
This research is going to limit too simply two matters, the research for this essay goes into these directions: unity through language and advancing education through English immersion.
Over the many past generations our ancestors came here having many different goals yet overall the desire was to be Americans, and a factor of that becoming an American was the pride in knowing English. There is pride in becoming a part of something held dear, dreams, and aspirations, saluting the flag of the nation and getting goose bumps as it goes by, being able to speak the tongue of the land.
In America today, there are 311 languages spoken in the home once the day is done. More than half are indigenous, 162 are pre-European languages (National Virtual Translation Center. 2007). While it is perceived by the public that Spanish is an up and rising overwhelming language (Oxford Analytica. 2006), statistically speaking, it is only 10% of the population speaking it at home (NVTC 2007). Granted, those figures change with a migratory mainly Spanish-speaking population coming and going from their countries of origin (Migration Policy Institute 2007). English is the number one household language at 82% (NVTC 2007), all other languages, aside from English and Spanish, combined make up 8% (NVTC 2007).
We are Americans; the operational language of America is English. Whether there is a Constitutional Amendment or not. If a person comes to the United States it should be expected that they adjust to this country, not the reverse. Can it be imagined a military made up of people all speaking other languages and trying to communicate a mission. Or in a business trying to pass on a plan of action, yet it never goes anywhere because no one can fully understand the intent of direction? A climate of political correctness, extremist lobbyist (Tancredo, T. 2006) and corporate pandering (Latin Know. 2006) is affecting this aspect of the language war that is simmering just below the surface of our society. Instead of pulling America together under a common condition, they are all instead creating divisiveness among the people of the Nation. Americans all celebrate their cultures, recognize our heritages, but together we are this, we are Americans, and to take this quoted passage from Theodore Roosevelt all the way back in 1915 and is still just as meaningful today, just forgotten,
Roosevelt, T. (1915)
“There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts “native” before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance. But if he is heartily and singly loyal to this Republic, then no matter where he was born, he is just as good an American as any one else.” (Chapultepec, Inc. 1999-2006).
Americans live by the attitude of recognition when dealing with all manners of heritages in this Nation. For example, as someone having traveled to other countries that do not have the tapestry of cultures as we do, and as much as I loved experiencing the cultures of the world, I could not wait to get back to the United States and immerse myself in all the colors, languages and fantastic people of this country. Though it seems we are slipping and letting the standards slide (Turbak, G. 2008). There are even naturalization ceremonies being conducted in Spanish (Turbak, G. 2008). The standard of expectations of new immigrants to learn English is not being held up; instead it is being lowered to make accommodations (Jacoby, J. 2002).
The United States fails with a lower standard, the farther America slips into no longer being a nation of united peoples, we will only become divided and then we will surly fail all who are in search of the American ideals so proudly and strongly held onto.
Many have the belief that the while many younger Spanish speaking people feel that learning English is a burden and resist it, it is their parents, that in a Florida survey (Turbak, G. 2008), stated that learning English was their 4th priority for the education of their children, learning Spanish place 67th in priority (Turbak, G. 2008). All the while school bilingual classes instead of immersion are having no affect on the drop out rate of Spanish speaking students. The drop out rate has remained closely the same hovering around 44% now and as it was when the program started (Institute of education sciences 2000). This is the highest drop out rate of any sector of American society (IES 2000). This dropout rate is higher among Hispanic students coming in from other countries than those born in the United States (IES 2000). However, the percentages drop dramatically as the generations go by to about 15%, yet still nearly twice that of other sectors (IES 2000). Perhaps the direct immersion into the culture can be the cause of this lower drop out rate of second generations and beyond. The evidence of the statistics points directly in the direction of teaching English all the time and not having these bilingual programs throughout the school grades.
Children raised in direct contact instead of continuously taught in the culture of origin as time goes by do become more of the American norm. My own home is an example of this. My wife is from Puerto Rico, and even though it is an American territory, the language is Spanish. My children are fluent in both English and Spanish. English because my wife and I recognize that America is English based and to advance and have opportunity to take and not have to wait on anything the children must know English. My wife does not hide behind the argument of, “it is my culture,” she knows being an American is first and yet she maintains her heritage. Speaking English is not a threat to her culture. As a part of this same example, while we having been living in Puerto Rico it is nothing for a Puerto Rican to boldly tell me I need to learn Spanish to live there, and that person would be correct. Yet in the United States, if I were to tell a Spanish speaker that they needed to learn English, I immediately would have an accusation of racism. That is so far the point that political correctness has taken us to in always trying to be nice to everyone. No one would ever live in another country and expect the host nation to convert to your own language, you would have to learn the host nations.
While language in America is by no means a simple argument, the research presented here is that the United States should and always be a diverse yet never divided people. As time and generations go by the American Dream will always be the same. Heritage will not be lost. Cultures will still be there. Each group must preserve individual pasts. To be here in America it is necessary to become an American, and here the day-to-day language is English. Presented here is a clear case of being able to speak the common language of the United States to advance in society, become educated, independent and be able to become a more productive member of American society. By allowing the catering to another language and not being more steadfast in influencing the desire to learn English we are ultimately hurting the United Stated and more obviously failing the youngest and newest within our society. A stand must be made to counter the bilingual America. Instead, guide immigrants to learn English and become Americans that are more productive.
References
Chapultepec, Inc. (1999-2006). Theodore Roosevelt, quotes, sayings, and aphorisms
Retrieved February 18, 2008 from http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trquotes.html
Institute of Education Sciences. (2000). Drop out rates in the United States: 2000.
Retrieved March 10, 2008 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/droppub_2001/
Jacoby, J. (2002). Bilingual education’s voluminous failure. Retrieved March 09,
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Latin Know. (2006) The Latino marketing report. Retrieved March 09, 2008
from http://latin-know.typepad.com/latin_know_the_latino_mar/2006/02/index.html
La voz de Aztlan. (Volume IV. Issue 28. March, 09 2008). Fidel Castro Ruz says US
should return Aztlan back to Mexico. Retrieved March 09, 2008 from
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Mount, S. (2006). The U.S. Constitution Online. Official language legislation.
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http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/months/november/USlanguages.html
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http://www.thesocialcontract.com/artman2/publish/tsc0403/article_347.shtml
Tancredo, T. (2006) Treason lobby electing new (Spanish-Speaking) people in Denver
Retrieved March 09, 2008 from http://www.buchanan.org/blog/?p=81
