A Need to Learn English by Immigrants

In the United States, English is a very popular language; it is an official language to 27 States and 51 Nations. To be successful in school, new immigrants ought to learn English. Again, those who are interested in the political arena must be well conversant with English. This will assist them in articulating their policies to the citizens. Immigrants also boost their earning when they are conversant with English since they can be employed anywhere (King, 1997). This will reduce the cost by the government in offering its services to the public in various foreign languages. I advocate for the declaration of English as an official language, alongside the majority of Americans.

In the United States, that there are various cases ruled in favor of a need to learn English by immigrants. In the year 2001, an immigrant from Mexico filed a case in court of law for not being given a driving license tests by foreign language. He could not win the case given that he has lived in the United States for about 10 years without learning English. In other cases concerning deportation notices and foreign language, the federal courts have made a ruling against them. On declaring English as the official language, America enhances its unity. The citizens should assist new immigrants to progress in the language, to facilitate the country’s unity.

Although most immigrants can be in America by choice, it is unrealistic to expect them forget their culture and fully comply with American culture. Immigrant assimilation expectations will change if United States declares English the official language. There are various implications if the declares the language official. This implies that though he has the right of speech. However, he must comprehend the obligation to swear the American allegiance and agrees its bounty. Communication is paramount in government. This facilitates democracy and service delivery, which guarantees the country’s existence. Appropriate communication is through the emphasis of one universal language (King, 1997).

It is not a hostile undertaking to declare English an official, but a hospitable act of inclusion for the immigrants. Immigrants are not condemned to forget and abandon their cultures but should also learn to speak and read English to make their stay in America comfortable. There are various opponents argue against English-only rule do not facilitate better communication but discourages the immigrants. Assimilation gives a sole way for every American citizen and citizen to be to stay united and peacefully (King, 1997). This discourages the conflict between different cultures. In California, official government business and state employees must use English language only. This makes all the government service easier in their delivery, by opposing the use of a common language; a disservice to the immigrants is committed.

According to King (1997), proponents supported the declaration of English as an official means of verbal communication in the United States by using a campaign referred to as English First. The organization, which is a non- profit aims at convincing the immigrants to accept the policy they propose. There is a proof that English adeptness assist immigrants to join economically hence improving their economic power and reducing the wage discrepancy. The use of common language improves the immigrant’s social assimilation into the culture of Americans. This also helps them comprehend the new county’s civil chores and history.

The assimilations direction promotes reduction of public finances for church-associated and privately owned schools and eradication of bilingual curriculum in public schools. Majority of states have declared the use official use of English. The state law emphasizes as a necessity for naturalization. For the immigrants who are elderly, they simply verify their fluency in English to e the citizen for America. The fluency were considered equal to the loyalty of politics in the country and hence the right to vote (King, 1997).

Works Cited

1. King, K. (1997). English language as a unifying force in a diverse nation. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 16(1), 5-17.
2. National Conference of State Legislatures. (2021). Official English laws in the states.
3. Neff, J. A. (2018). Debating official English: Language policy in the United States. Routledge.
4. Office of English Language Acquisition. (2022). English language proficiency standards. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/english-learner-toolkit/el-toolkit/chap1/1-1.html
5. Pérez, M. A., & Torres-Guzmán, M. E. (2012). Language policy and English learners: The challenges of policy implementation in California. Teachers College Press.
6. Roca, A., & Colombi, M. C. (2003). Historical perspectives on bilingual education in the United States. In Handbook of bilingualism (pp. 437-463). Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
7. The English First Foundation. (n.d.). About us.
8. U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). Language spoken at home. https://www.census.gov/topics/population/language-use/data/tables.2019.html
9. U.S. English, Inc. (n.d.). About us.
10. U.S. Department of Justice. (2016). Language access and limited English proficiency. https://www.justice.gov/crt/language-access-and-limited-english-proficiency