Introduction
The article “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Language” can be found at worldandi.com. It is an article done by Mauro E. Mujica, a self proclaimed Chile origin who talks widely about the issue of language in America. Throughout the article, the writer stands out to be very passionate about the idea of having one language (English) as the official language of America. He goes ahead and sites some of his supporting points, of which include the financial aspect of it in the budget. It is not a cheap endeavor for a nation to accommodate more than one language at a time, especially in a globalizing world. He also looks at the changing trends surrounding the League of United Latin American Citizen, from wanting to conform to knowing and using English, to out rightly rejecting it in the eighties. Canada is also mentioned as a point of reference in regards to some of the negative effects a nation can face in regards to supporting bilingual or even multilingual policies
The author’s credibility
Judging from the author’s point of view, being that he is from Chile, an immigrant, his perspective of the language issue tends to hold much water. This is because his origin cancels any aspect of bias in the context, of which would have been the case if the article was written by an American who only speaks in English. The author manages to connect with his readers at different levels being that he sites numerous examples that one can relate to. Looking at it from a financial point of view, even an American who is either supporting or against multilingualism would understand the statistics. He states that if this continues, the government would have to part with almost 4 billion dollars annually to support it. The author makes it very clear that it is an expensive affair. The writer also manages to connect to his audience by looking at the issue from a historic perspective. He clearly shows this by stating the evolutionary trend within the League of United Latin American Citizens. As much as the immigrants were willing and ready to learn English back in the nineteen twenties, the trend was seen to take a dramatic twist in the eighties. Companies, lead by new leadership in the league made it a little bit too clear that the Latin population would rather stick to their language, Spanish.
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The unity of argument
Apart from connecting with the audience, the author also manages to create a solid unifying element with is readers. He uses the case of how Canada almost split into two as a result of bilingualism. He comes out as a very strong writer who is more interested in telling the truth rather than siding with one party. He emphasizes on the idea of America being a home for many immigrants who are actually allowed to speak in their native languages, but just emphasizes on restricting this freedom to non official settings. Another unifying factor in this article is the fact that the writer seems to be very informed in the subject. Not only does he get his facts from one state but showcases several from different unrelated states. He uses that to also highlight further on the emerging trends. It is almost as if he is availing the information for the audience to make the final judgment. He even goes further to express his fears when it comes to an increase in number f people who do not speak English. It is very professional of him to relate it to the historic happening of Canada and bilingualism.
Ability to achieve the overall goal
After going through the article, it goes without say that the writer managed to achieve his ultimate goal of telling his audience about the ups and downs that come along with having a multilingual nation. He is not shy to support or reject some of the trends witnessed in the past. The writer, by introducing some global statistics in regards to the relationship between English speaking ability and success either in business or education really gives him an edge. It goes without say that the world has accepted the fact that we need to learn English as a language in order to increase our chances of success. On the other hand, the writer also does not shy away from stating the fact that most of the English opposing elements are actually within America. Even though it is clear that having a bilingual or even a multilingual nation is very expensive, the words seem to fall on deaf ears; ears that cannot listen to the uniting factors that come with having English as the only official language. That would save everyone so much money when it comes to printing ballot boxes or even budgeting for schools.
Conclusion
Judging from the material provided in the article, it is very clear that the writer was more interested in giving the reader a taste of reality in connection to American either adopting a single language system or a bilingual/ multilingual system. The writer goes ahead and provides several supporting factors in the form of statistics got globally, historically and even at a school board level. As much as a lot still needs to be done in regards to the use of language in America, the reality is that America needs to make English as its official language.
- Mujica, Mauro E. “Why The U.S. Needs an Offial Language.” Worldandi (2003): 1-3.
