Oviya Ravi Week 6; American and English-Speaking Have Never Been Synonymous
In order to get a United States Citizenship, applicants must prove their proficiency in the English language through tests that assess their spoken, written and read English skills. All official public documents of the United States government are written in English. It has become customary to assume that those who do not speak English are not American. Having known all of this information, it was shocking for me to find out that the United States does not have an official language.
Now, this was not an accidental choice. The Founding Fathers purposefully left an official language out of federal law. This was because they did not want to tie a language to the national American Identity. They wanted anyone to have the ability to become an American.
This same belief is not upheld by the majority of our nation in the modern age. Not being able to speak English is seen as something that makes someone inferior—something that makes someone less of an American. When two people who speak different languages (one who speaks English) try to have a conversation, it is almost always the non-English speaker trying their best to be understood by the other; the other way around is a rare phenomenon.
It is also common for people to get angry at those who do not speak English. Less than two months ago, a man was brutally murdered because he asked someone to translate in order to communicate with another person. The man was beheaded in front of his family because he was unable to speak English. The ability for people to adjust and accept that not everyone is the same as them is disintegrating at a rate that all of us should be concerned about.
Americans have become so narrow minded and in a way, egotistical, because so many of us see ourselves and our language as superior to foreign ones. There is a beauty that exists in a place full of every culture and language and identity that one can possibly imagine. The “Land of the Free” should pride itself on truly giving people the freedom to live the life they feel is fit. Freedom of speech does not only apply to what one is saying, but also the language in which they say it.
The American Identity was left intentionally ambiguous when it comes to the language that people speak. True patriots should want to accept this American Identity that was given to us by our founding fathers, rather than shun those who are not the same as them. We should be embracing the multilingual, multicultural and diverse country we have become—something that was intended for us as the very birth of our nation.
Oviya, I love this. Before I even start, I want to highlight the "Freedom of speech does not only apply to what one is saying, but also the language in which they say it" line. I audibly "ooh snap[ped]" when I read it; that was such a bar. Before I even read the blog—when I read the title—I was invested into what this text would be about. It made me think "hmmm what could this possibly mean?" and I feel like that is always a sign of a good caption. I also feel like I learned new information from reading your blog. For example, I did not know people had to "prove their proficiency in the English language through tests" but maybe that is common knowledge that I have been blind to see. I also find your assertion that it's become "customary to assume that those who do not speak English are not American." It's crazy to me that this is unfortunately true. I do feel that although not official, English is the national language of America. It feels like it doesn't need to be documented because it's so widespread in our nation. With that being said, your paragraph about it being intentional (idk if this is your perspective or actual fact) is extremely fun to think about, because it most definitely aligns with America's values. Also, I feel like the part about a "non-English speaker" can be attributed to simply how widespread the English language is, and how customary it is to be understood in America. I especially loved the "beauty that exists in a place full of every culture and language and identity" because it puts light to the possibility of a "perfect" America. Overall, I felt like I took away some new perspective and information. Thank you for this read!
ReplyDeleteThis topic is one I honestly have never seen discussed before. Personally, I’ve never really thought about the steps that need to be taken for the naturalization process for people to become American citizens, so this was an unexpected discussion. I really like the detail about how the Founding Fathers—the men who created American ideals—didn’t even express sentiments against those who did not speak English, only those who are currently in power. This addition also provides a subtle counterargument to people who might insist that only English-speakers should be considered American since the very first ‘true’ Americans did not share the same feelings. I also like the addition of how English is considered such an important language that non-English speakers tend to focus on understanding the English speakers over the English speaker attempting to understand the non-English speaker, cause this is a detail that rings true that many don’t quite think about because this is considered the norm.
ReplyDeleteYour emphasis on how we should accept all speakers of all languages in America because of how America’s history is deeply rooted in immigrants reminded me about the messages that a lot of the anti-prejudice texts expressed about how we as a whole should embrace multiculturalism. The closing statement’s reminder of how this was a sentiment set up since the very beginning of the United States’ history hits really hard and expresses your point in a practically irrefutable way.
Oviya, the part where you described English speakers trying to understand the non-English speaker being a rare phenomenon really stuck out to me. Around the globe, people learn English and lots of people are able to speak their native language alongside English. However, in America, we learn English natively while the learning of all other languages is up to anyone’s discretion—this language, which the rest of the world strives to understand, is already second nature to our tongues. It seems that in our contemporary society, English is seen as that superior language for communication and way of life. Yet, the English-speakers of America neglect the struggle to understand other languages. While non-native speakers try all that they can to learn English, those who were raised with English more often than not criticize the tones and accents of these people. It’s sad to see, and I really like the way you describe it as a phenomenon to behold. The “disintegrating” rate of having empathy for the people desperately trying to understand us is truly startling for the future of America, being such a melting pot of diverse cultures. We can’t afford to be effortlessly ignorant like this, with a constitution intending for anyone to be American—regardless of which languages people can speak. I appreciate your blog, shedding light on today’s blights and our rising lack of patience and inclusivity for the people around us.
ReplyDeleteOviya, this blog post is beautiful and has a strong “it should be common sense but it is not for some reason” energy to it. I remember vaguely learning about this fact a few years ago, and only recently, in fact just now, realized how wrong it is that I--a native American, foolishly thought for so long beforehand that English was just the norm. And your comment about how non-English speakers will make attempts at understanding the English speaker, but not from the English speaker really hit home. I always remember seeing a similar scenario in movies and media all the time, and how when a character would speak another language, it was almost framed with an air of them stepping down from some sort of pedestal. Even though I only know English, and I have made multiple attempts to learn other languages, I will try and always make an attempt to understand the person I am speaking with. Learning a new language is so difficult, and I greatly appreciate you bringing up this topic in general.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, this post is incredibly important—especially during a time in which the definition of a “true American” is rapidly shifting towards past, increasingly discriminatory standards. While it’s simple in concept, language is a core building block of identity. As humans, we are pack animals—we find solace in community and shared identities. Unfortunately, this is a trait that often stabs us in the back in terms of how we treat each other, leading to instances like the abhorrent murder case you described.
ReplyDeleteI found your claim that the Founding Fathers purposefully did not designate a specific national language to be inclusive of all Americans, including future immigrants, quite interesting. Throughout the history of anti-discriminatory movements in the United States, there has always been a recurring discussion about the various prejudices held by this nation’s founders, and the contradictory statements on civil liberties versus racial and gender hierarchies made by several of them. For example, as referenced in America for Americans by Erika Lee, Benjamin Franklin exhibited strong xenophobia against Catholic immigrants in the colonial and independent United States. By contrast, prominent Founding Fathers have sung America’s praises as a nation not built on ancestry, but on shared values and ideals. Many Founding Fathers (e.g. George Washington) preached about freedom and representation before going home to commit unspeakable atrocities on the enslaved African Americans they kept within their homes. Given all of this, it’s difficult to imagine them envisioning and accepting a linguistically diverse United States.
Of course, this isn’t an attack on your overall argument—rather, it’s a related tangent. Many young, marginalized Americans find it difficult to identify with the country and be patriotic when its foundations were laid on the back of bias and bigotry. Why should we adhere to ideals set by men who didn’t follow them themselves? Paradoxically, we can look back to their portrayal of a nation of values for an answer: this country is built on a vision of freedom. While what that vision looks like may change over time, it is the relentless pursuit of it by the people that makes this country great. Excellent post!