Bilingualism
In a class I am currently taking we are discussing the topic of bilingualism. I thought this topic and the essay I read were really interesting and I wanted to share it with this blog. I realize that there are many advantages to having a bilingual society, however there are far more reasons and factual information that prove otherwise. I personally do not think that we should have bilingualism. If you make the decision to move to America, then you should realize you must learn our language and respect our laws and morals. If your religion and beliefs conflict what we stand for and do not wish to speak English, then you should not be living here. The passage Bilingualism in America: English Should Be the Only Language has clear examples and factual information that bilingualism will be a detriment to our country. “Communicating with each other in a single, common tongue encourages trust, while reducing racial hostility and bigotry.” If people are speaking numerous different languages then it will form a communication barrier between neighbors, friends and co-workers. Also as said in the quote, speaking in different languages causes racist feelings for many and causes hostility between native Americans and the new immigrants. “Bilingualism is a costly and confusing bureaucratic nightmare. The Canadian government has estimated is bilingual costs to be nearly $400,000,000 per year…The United States has ten times Canada’s population.” Our country is already in debt and does not need to be spending more money on programs for something that angers countless American citizens. India has ten official languages and this has led to “countless problems in the government’s efforts to manage the nations business.” We have first hand experience from India that bilingualism causes problems, so why would we waste money and our efforts to implement this new idea. Bilingualism is an idea with good intentions; however it will clearly cause more tribulations than intended.
