English As The Official United States Language Essay -- English Langua

America is a country that, from its very founding, has a distinguishing quality that no other country in the world shares. This quality was the willingness to accept people of all different cultures as citizens of the country. This acceptance drew nearly every imaginable kind of person to the country, a country with just one primary language, English. With all this diversity came hundreds of new languages spoken by the immigrants. To this day there are still pockets of isolated ethnic groups that cannot speak English, the most prevalent language used in America. Every citizen of the United States should be able to speak English because it provides a medium by which people of all different cultures can communicate, interact, and thus co-exist peacefully. If English was spoken by all the citizens of this country it would allow differences to be set aside and would give everyone the opportunity to feel like they belong. This is not to say that English should be the only language spoken in the United States. It is very important for people to speak their original language, but communication among all citizens would allow Americans to unite. For many immigrants that now live in America, the most challenging aspect of the move was fitting into the new environment. For immigrants that cannot speak English this transition from old to new is often very difficult because they feel socially isolated. For a Mexican immigrant named Richard Rodriguez, assimilation into the American society was unachievable without learning to speak English. At first, Rodriguez resisted to learn English because it was uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and he felt that he would loose part of his family bond. At the same time, Richard was separated from ... ...ndence, of Washington’s Farewell address, of Lincoln’s Gettysburg speech and second inaugural.† (p.457) These feelings are very drastic and are though of by many people as beliefs that belong to insecure and even racist people. In a country where difference and ethnicity are welcomed there is no way that a belief such as Roosevelt’s could ever be made a rule. A common form of communication such as the English language is a very valuable and often a necessary attribute for a country to have. This is even more magnified in America where there are over 300 different languages spoken. Without a common language that everyone speaks many simple day-to-day situations would become extremely complicated and frustrating. If every citizen of the United States spoke English then everyone could have their own individuality and many conflicts could be avoided.