Lizeth A.

Vasquez

Brent Smith

EFL 094: Comp IV

May 5th, 2016

Why English Should Not be the Official Language

Once, Ludwig Wittgenstein implied that, “The limits of your language are the limits of

your world.” This quotation clearly says that language diversity is the key to many

opportunities. There are approximately more than 6,500 spoken languages in the world. These

languages are spoken in 195 countries. In actuality, many of these countries have established

an official language. In the same way, there is an argument about making English the official

language in the United States, which is a country built by immigrants. Certainly, making English

the official language of the United States contradicts many aspects.

Making English the official language of the United States contradicts its history. It seems

that people tend to forget easily where they came from. According to the United States

history, there were several languages spoken in the United States before English. With that

being said, making English the official language is an offense to the previous languages. Over

the years, the United States has welcomed many people, who did not know English, from

different parts of the world. In other words, many Americans’ ancestors were not originally

from the United States. Definitely, English should not be the official language of the United

States just because the number of native English speakers has increased. Instead, it should

remain as it is. That is, the United States has been linguistically diverse since before it became

the United States (Crawford 3).

 In addition to the United States language history, making English the official language

goes against the constitution. According to the first amendment, the United States constitution

prohibits the making of any law respecting the freedom of speech. This means that people can

express themselves in the language they feel more comfortable with. According to the Civil

Rights, making English the official language violates the right to equality in all aspects. In other

words, declaring an official language in the United States could be taken as a threat to non-

speakers. Moreover, this action might create a controversial issue around the country. To be

more precise, the United States is considered a diverse nation because of all the nationalities

that it has. Surely, the idea of making an official language in the United States should not be a

topic of discussion.

After all, there will be many consequences if any language becomes the United States

official language. Making English the official language will have negative effects, especially in

non-English speakers. In actuality, the United States gives equal opportunities to everyone,

such as citizens, residents, refugees, and the list goes on. Some of the things to consider are

that these people do not speak English fluently. For that reason, making any language an official

one may cause serious negative effects in different areas like medical and legal assistance. At

the same time, if English becomes the official language, certain jobs would be eliminated from

the job market, such as translators. Not just this area will be affected, but also people who do

business overseas. For instance, people who usually work overseas not only need to know the

language but also the culture. In other words, being around different nationalities benefits their

career. Certainly, making English the official language will not be beneficial in some areas.
 Based on these details, having an official language in the United States contradicts many

aspects. That is why the argument about making English the official language is not valuable for

the country. As shown above, there are strong reasons why this should not be in discussion.

The United States’ history and constitution are some important facts that native speakers

should not forget. In other words, these facts protect non-English speakers. On the other hand,

if there is an official language, some areas may be in danger of extinction, and some others may

cause serious consequences in terms of health and legal assistance. However, the United States

is country built by immigrants, and this has many benefits. Surely, the United States should

remain as it is.
 Works Cited

Civil Rights. "Linguistic Rights." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

“Countries and Regions of the World from A to Z." World Countries List, a List of Countries and

Regions in the World. Nations Online. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

Crawford, James. “Frequently Asked Questions about Official English.” Diversity learning12k,

July 2006. Web. November 2008.

"Debate: English as US Official Language." Debatepedia. 17 October 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

First amendment. "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription." National Archives and Records

Administration. National Archives and Records Administration. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

Spoken languages in the world. “How Many Languages Are There in the World?” Linguistic

Society of America. LSA, 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

Wittgenstein, Ludwig "Great Philosophers: Wittgenstein." Great Philosophers: Wittgenstein.

Web. 25 Apr. 2016.