Argument Paper: Designating an Official Language
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Argument Paper: Designating an official language for the United States
Jennifer Jackson
Eng 122
Ms. Lisa M. Carlo
November 26, 2012
Argument Paper: Designating an official language
Designating an official language in the United States here in the 21st century seems farcical. The United States was founded to gain freedoms from Britain. These freedoms were not limited to only to religion, government, or the right to decide how to tax the people, but language freedom. The United States is a melting pot of many cultures and languages. English is a worldly known language and has been taught to many children of non-English native tongue. English has become a second language used primarily in business, education, and advertising (Gelderen, 2006, page 253, para. 1) in many parts of the world such as the Netherlands and Norway.
With a population of roughly 313 million, just in the United States, designating an official language now seems preposterous. There are many cultures, religions, and different types of people in the States and taking away their freedom to choose between their native tongue and one that is spoken around the world does not seem befitting. Diversity and freedom to choose how one lives and speaks is a fundamental right in the United States. Now in the 21st century to change what has been going on probably before writing books had been established, many languages have been used. Everything from our heritage to our language is different, yet similar.
Robert Macneil said it best when he wrote, "Like the Mississippi, it keeps forging new channels and abandoning old ones (Macneil, 2004, page 1, para.1)." The English language itself has sustained many changes over many centuries. The language has been around since at least 450 CE (Gelderen. 2006) and has many changes. Words and their meanings have changed slowly over time and English has spread from Great Britain to the United States, to Australia to Germany. For example the word...
Jennifer Jackson
Eng 122
Ms. Lisa M. Carlo
November 26, 2012
Argument Paper: Designating an official language
Designating an official language in the United States here in the 21st century seems farcical. The United States was founded to gain freedoms from Britain. These freedoms were not limited to only to religion, government, or the right to decide how to tax the people, but language freedom. The United States is a melting pot of many cultures and languages. English is a worldly known language and has been taught to many children of non-English native tongue. English has become a second language used primarily in business, education, and advertising (Gelderen, 2006, page 253, para. 1) in many parts of the world such as the Netherlands and Norway.
With a population of roughly 313 million, just in the United States, designating an official language now seems preposterous. There are many cultures, religions, and different types of people in the States and taking away their freedom to choose between their native tongue and one that is spoken around the world does not seem befitting. Diversity and freedom to choose how one lives and speaks is a fundamental right in the United States. Now in the 21st century to change what has been going on probably before writing books had been established, many languages have been used. Everything from our heritage to our language is different, yet similar.
Robert Macneil said it best when he wrote, "Like the Mississippi, it keeps forging new channels and abandoning old ones (Macneil, 2004, page 1, para.1)." The English language itself has sustained many changes over many centuries. The language has been around since at least 450 CE (Gelderen. 2006) and has many changes. Words and their meanings have changed slowly over time and English has spread from Great Britain to the United States, to Australia to Germany. For example the word...