English as Official Language
Should English Be Our Official Language?
Current Language Use in the United States
In the United States, there are 303 languages other than English that are spoken at home, these categories include; Native American languages, African languages, Chinese, other Asian languages, Pacific Island languages, and Indic languages. According to the US Census, in 2007 the number of people five and older who spoke a language other than English at home doubled in the last three decades. English was inherited from British colonization and is spoken by the majority of the population. It serves as the language in which government businesses is carried out. According to the US Census Bureau, 80% of Americans spoke only English at home in 2007. Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the United States. Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by almost 37 million people five or older. Spanish is taught in various regions as a second language. Numerous neighborhoods have only Spanish language signs and Spanish speaking people. Chinese is the third most common language spoken in the United States. Over two million Americans speak some variety of Chinese. Tagalog is the fourth most spoken language in the United States. Over 1.5 million Americans speak it. French is the fifth most common language spoken here. About 1.4 million Americans over the age of five were reported speaking the language at home in 2007.
Arguments Supporting Making English Our Official Language
There are numerous arguments supporting the adoption of English as the official language of the United States. One argument is to recognize that the United States has been an English-speaking country since it was created. Our constitution and fundamental documents are all in English. Some states have adopted legislation granting official status to English. As of April 2011, 28 states had established English as the official language. This leads to another
Current Language Use in the United States
In the United States, there are 303 languages other than English that are spoken at home, these categories include; Native American languages, African languages, Chinese, other Asian languages, Pacific Island languages, and Indic languages. According to the US Census, in 2007 the number of people five and older who spoke a language other than English at home doubled in the last three decades. English was inherited from British colonization and is spoken by the majority of the population. It serves as the language in which government businesses is carried out. According to the US Census Bureau, 80% of Americans spoke only English at home in 2007. Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the United States. Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by almost 37 million people five or older. Spanish is taught in various regions as a second language. Numerous neighborhoods have only Spanish language signs and Spanish speaking people. Chinese is the third most common language spoken in the United States. Over two million Americans speak some variety of Chinese. Tagalog is the fourth most spoken language in the United States. Over 1.5 million Americans speak it. French is the fifth most common language spoken here. About 1.4 million Americans over the age of five were reported speaking the language at home in 2007.
Arguments Supporting Making English Our Official Language
There are numerous arguments supporting the adoption of English as the official language of the United States. One argument is to recognize that the United States has been an English-speaking country since it was created. Our constitution and fundamental documents are all in English. Some states have adopted legislation granting official status to English. As of April 2011, 28 states had established English as the official language. This leads to another
References: http://www.advancingequality.org/files/fact_sheet_english_only_legislation.pdf http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/language/ http://dbp.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_English_as_US_official_language http://www.proenglish.org/data/backgrounders.html?id=167:ten-reasons-to-make-english-the-official-language-of-the-united-states&catid=48