Should English be Made Official: How to Put the “United” Back in the States

1. Should English be Made Official: How to Put the “United” Back in the States April Andreason Brigham Young University

2. History of Language U.S. Legislation • “Historically, the need to speak and understand English has served as an important incentive for immigrants to learn the language and assimilate into the mainstream of American Society. For the last 30 years, this idea has been turned on its head.” Mauro Mujica, Chairman and CEO of English Inc., and originally from Chile.

3. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) • Established 1929 • A founding aim and purpose: “to foster the acquisition and facile use of the Official Language of our country that we may hereby equip ourselves and our families for the fullest enjoyment of our rights and privileges and the efficient discharge of our duties and obligations to this, our country.” • Executive Director Arnoldo Torres (1980s): “We cannot assimilate and we won’t!”

4. Reasons to Promote Official English: Linguistic Isolation • “If all adults [in a household] speak a language other than English and none speaks English ‘very well.’ Adult is defined as age 14 or older, which identifies household members of high school age or older.” • hamper[s] access to employment, transportation, medical and social services, voting, and children’s participation in schooling • “in case of a national or local emergency, such households could not receive an emergency communication in English” • “barrier to receipt of medical and social services”

5. Constitutional Measuring Stick • The Constitution of the United States of America • “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

6. Against Official English Do the current trends: Unite the people? • Language communities: CA, TX, NY, etc. • Neighbor’s Example: Quebec Establish justice? • $71 million mistranslation: “intoxicado” Insure domestic tranquility: • Loose Tailgate

7. Against Official English Do the current trends: Provide for the common defense? • Diminished capacity in emergencies • Trend of poorer education Promote the general welfare? • Linguistically isolated: 8% • Costs of Multilingualism: Bilingual education, signage & printed materials, interpreters (esp. health care industry)

8. Against Official English Do the current trends: Help secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity? • Poorer Education: 1990

9. If Legislation Pending in Congress Passes: • English would be designated the official language of the U.S. government – indeed, the only language that federal employees and officials, including members of Congress, would be permitted to use for most government business. • The English Only mandate would extend to federal "actions, documents, policies ... publications, income tax forms, informational materials," records, proceedings, letters to citizens – indeed, to any form of written communication on behalf of the U.S. government. • Exceptions to the ban on federal use of other languages would be permitted for purposes that include national security, international trade and diplomacy, public health and safety, criminal proceedings, language teaching, certain handicapped programs, and the preservation of Native American languages. • An "entitlement" would be created, ensuring the "right" of every person to communicate with the federal government in English – in effect, a guarantee of language rights, but for English speakers only. • Civil lawsuits to enforce the law would be permitted by persons claiming to have been "injured by a violation" of it – a "right of action" that could give virtually any taxpayer the standing to sue in federal court. • Naturalization ceremonies would be specifically restricted to English only. • Bilingual provisions of the Voting Rights Act, which guarantee minority-language voting materials in certain jurisdictions, would be repealed. J.W. Crawford, former editor of Washington’s Education Week; Executive Director for National Association for Bilingual Education from June 2004 to February 2006.

10. State Official English Laws States with statutes or amendments ratifying English: AL, AZ, AS, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI*, ID, IA , IL , IN, KS, KY, MS, MO, MT, NE, NH, NC, ND, SC, SD, TN, UT, VA, WY. English Plus Resolutions: NM, OR, RI, WA *Hawai’i was declared bilingual in 1978: English and Native Hawaiian are the state’s official languages. J.W. Crawford

11. Future Work • Look into improvement of foreign language programs in schools. • Consider worth of “minority” status of languages. • Analyze the international status of English, such as the Pew Survey.

12. Conclusion Without Official English: • Rights of the few over the many • Unites small groups, not the nation With Official English: • Education, Employment and other opportunities better insured and more progress and status as a nation

13. The Future?