The Language of the Land: Learn It or Leave

The Language of the Land: Learn it or Leave

by

EN 102 - 058

Professor Carter

28 April 2006

Brackman 1

Claim: Because it indicates seriousness about becoming a United States citizen, immigrants should learn to speak English.

The Language of the Land: Learn it or Leave

Waking up early on a Monday morning is not easy for me -- another long week ahead. As I slowly roll out of bed, hop in the shower, brush my teeth and put on my clothes I have one thing in mind: my McDonald's breakfast. Although McDonald's is a bit out of the way and the traffic is always horrible, I simply have to have my sausage, egg and cheese value meal. As I finally pull up to the drive-thru speaker, I look down at my watch and realize that I am running late. Opening my window I place my order: "I'll have a number four with an orange juice." I pull up to the window -- aware of my limited time and hoping to get my breakfast quickly. I then take out my cash, pay the attendant, and take the bag with great anticipation of the hot breakfast sandwich that lies ahead. Pulling away from the window, I take a huge bite of my sandwich only to discover a familiar but awful taste - bacon!

Like so many times before the young woman who took my order got it wrong. Because she struggles with the English language, she is unable to understand what I ordered. Many Americans face this dilemma every day; however, there is a more important underlying issue at the bottom of a messed up food order. Because immigrants lack the necessary English skills for effective communication, it affects English speaking Americans in many ways. In small, individual circumstances, it ultimately affects the

citizens of our country as a whole. The inability to communicate in English indicates a serious problem when an immigrant is considering eligibility for citizenship. In order to

Brackman 2

become a United States Citizen, immigrants should learn to speak English; it should be mandatory.

Many people believe that because America is the land of freedom, immigrants should have the choice of learning our language and accepting our culture or not. It is also thought that enforcing any laws requiring them to learn English is discrimination and an infringement on their rights which does not allow the benefits of a so called "free" country. The problem with this belief is that due to the lack of English speaking immigrants, America's under-class is growing rapidly, because language barriers create obstacles in the pursuit of higher paying positions. According to an article in ProEnglish, an organization in support of English as our common language, in 2005, millions of immigrants cannot find good-paying jobs because of their "lack of ability to speak English with customers, co-workers and employers" (Why Official English?). This statement makes perfect sense. If individuals cannot speak the common language of our country, there is no way for them to work in any field in which effective communication is necessary. Unfortunately, the only positions that require little or no contact with customers or co-workers are those that pay minimum wage such as washing dishes in restaurants, cleaning business and hospitals and hard labor in construction preventing these people from experiencing financial success.

In another article by Steve Farkas called, "What Immigrants Say About Life in the Unites States," in Migration Information Source, a study by a research group called, Public Agenda, showed that 85% of 1,002 "randomly selected immigrants" say that it is "hard to get a good job or do well in this country without learning English" (Farkas).This

Brackman 3

is why we continue to see many immigrants doing these low paying jobs. In the same article, Farkas points out that 65% of immigrants themselves believe that "all immigrants who do not speak English should learn it" (Farkas), and I strongly agree.

Still, others argue that the government is not doing enough to help immigrants adapt to our language and culture and should take more responsibility in making sure they succeed. In an article in The American Prospect, Janet Murguia, the president of the National Council of La Raza believes that there is very little effort by the United States Government to help immigrants integrate and adapt to American Society. In fact, Murguia believes that the United States does "nothing" to help immigrants take the final steps to naturalize and become a citizen (Murguia). In a recent a Boston Globe article, Yvonne Abraham agrees. "The U.S Citizenship exam which is supposed to gauge how well immigrants understand and embrace US institutions, instead tests only their ability to memorize answers..." (Abraham). However, Abraham goes on to point out that the Office of Citizenship "is designing a new test, asking aspiring citizens about what it means to be an American in English, rather than quiz them on picayune facts" (Abraham). So before Murguia and others like her should say that the government is doing "nothing," (Murguia) perhaps they should do some more research.

The real problem that we are facing isn't that the government isn't providing the resources necessary for immigrants to succeed, but that immigrants are taking advantage of what the government is providing for their own benefit, rather than a serious desire to become a productive citizen. For example, illegal immigrants are enrolling their non-English speaking children in our school systems in great numbers. According to a

Brackman 4

February 27, 2006 article by Marti Maguire in The News and Observer, there are "50 full-time teachers and teachers assistants to serve more than 2,300 [non-English speaking] students" in Johnston County, costing almost $2 million of the schools budget. (McGuire). This money goes to special education teachers and ESL teachers who must take students out of the traditional classroom to teach them to speak and learn in English. They also