English As An Official Language

Over the years, the idea of ​​English as the official language of the United States has caused some controversy. Some people think that English should be an official language, because that is the most important language in the world. Some people believe that doing so can build stronger unity among Americans. Supporters believe America is diversifying, but American people may need to balance several languages. Some people think that English should be one of many famous languages ​​widely used in our country, such as Spanish, French, Chinese, not an official language.

English as an official language is becoming a problem in modern society. "Our constitution is silent about this issue as it is not necessary to enact legislation to use English as the official language" (King, 239). The idea of ​​English as an official language was originally proposed as a revision of the Voting Rights Act (King) of 1965 in 1975. "In 1981, Hayakawa Senator submitted a constitutional amendment to the US Senate not only to make English an official language, but also to prohibit federal and state law from using that language" (King, 240 ). This law was unpopular and did not pass through the 97th Congress. Mr. Hayakawa's view was forgotten and continued until 1986. At that time, 10 provinces passed the official terminology initiative. These votes are enough to attract Congressional attention.

Approximately 30 states have enacted legal or constitutional amendments that use English as the official language (Alaska and Hawaii have legislation in various official languages). Some of these laws, such as the laws of Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, seem to be short, not descriptive and benign. Others are ridiculous, for example Illinois 'America' as the official language of the state for more than 45 years. However, these examples are a more general policy on domestic issues and specific educational issues. In other words, the above law does not specifically address how schools should educate EL. In contrast, other states such as Tennessee and Arizona have taken a more active position. We explicitly prohibit the use of languages ​​other than English in public school education. Historically, other states such as California, Massachusetts, and Arkansas passed a law banning bilingual education at public schools.