If your immediate answer was English, well... YOU´RE WRONG!!
The truth is the United States has no national language. That´s right, even though English is the most widely spoken language in the country (82% of the population claim it as their mother tongue) , the American Constitution does not establish English or any other language as official.
Whether this was intentional or not is a whole different story. On the one hand there are people who argue that the absence of an official national language was part of the Founding Fathers´ equality project. We know they wanted to create a country in which absolutely everyone, no matter what their cultural, racial, religious, or ideological backgrounds were, had the same opportunities to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. On the other hand there are those who defend that, since all but possibly one of the 55 delegates who wrote the Constitution were native English speakers, it was simply assumed that English would be the national language.
The usefulness of the debate in general is questionable. English is the de facto language in the USA, which means it is the language of choice when broadcasting information: most colleges and universities teach only in English, and governmental acts are carried out in English. It´s true, there are television channels, newspapers, and even some street signs (depending on the state) that make it possible for large communities of people with other cultures and languages to get by without learning English. Moreover public education is provided in other languages in many states where there is a large enough language group whose native language is not English. However the people they are meant for end up learning the language anyway simply because they need it to be able to achieve certain level of influence within their communities. In addition research suggests that strengthening literacy in the mother tongue helps learn a second language better and faster, with which teaching children in their native language is also an investment in their future learning of English.
In conclusion, although English is not the official language of the USA, it is necessary to be able to take part in America´s broader social, cultural, and political life. English is and will continue being the link that binds together the colorfulness of America´s cultural wealth.
The truth is the United States has no national language. That´s right, even though English is the most widely spoken language in the country (82% of the population claim it as their mother tongue) , the American Constitution does not establish English or any other language as official.
Whether this was intentional or not is a whole different story. On the one hand there are people who argue that the absence of an official national language was part of the Founding Fathers´ equality project. We know they wanted to create a country in which absolutely everyone, no matter what their cultural, racial, religious, or ideological backgrounds were, had the same opportunities to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. On the other hand there are those who defend that, since all but possibly one of the 55 delegates who wrote the Constitution were native English speakers, it was simply assumed that English would be the national language.
The usefulness of the debate in general is questionable. English is the de facto language in the USA, which means it is the language of choice when broadcasting information: most colleges and universities teach only in English, and governmental acts are carried out in English. It´s true, there are television channels, newspapers, and even some street signs (depending on the state) that make it possible for large communities of people with other cultures and languages to get by without learning English. Moreover public education is provided in other languages in many states where there is a large enough language group whose native language is not English. However the people they are meant for end up learning the language anyway simply because they need it to be able to achieve certain level of influence within their communities. In addition research suggests that strengthening literacy in the mother tongue helps learn a second language better and faster, with which teaching children in their native language is also an investment in their future learning of English.
In conclusion, although English is not the official language of the USA, it is necessary to be able to take part in America´s broader social, cultural, and political life. English is and will continue being the link that binds together the colorfulness of America´s cultural wealth.
I really like the idea of a country created as a mixture of different cultures and languages in which everybody is connected by a common language.
ReplyDeleteI would like Spain to be like that.
The Spanish Constitution states ‘El castellano es la lengua española oficial del Estado. Todos los españoles tienen el deber de conocerla y el derecho a usarla. Las demás lenguas españolas serán también oficiales en las respectivas Comunidades Autónomas de acuerdo con sus Estatutos. La riqueza de las distintas modalidades lingüísticas de España es un patrimonio cultural que será objeto de especial respeto y protección’ .
But many Spanish people are not interested in the conservation of the Spanish cultural richness. They only want people to recognize their own language is more ‘important’ than the other languages used in Spain. I really prefer the States approach.
Interesting point of view. However there are a few small differences that should not be overlooked in Spain. The most important of them being that languages other than Castillian Spanish are native to their regions, within Spain. But I definitely agree that the USA and Spain share the common-language factor and that it is necessary to master it to make a difference.
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