In answer to yesterday’s posting, a couple of comments were made. In fact, I am now facing the problem that there have been enough points brought up that I will not be able to deal with them all. So, let me deal with the subject of language today. One of the points that was made was:
Local governments in homogeneous communities, by contrast, sometimes used other languages, although official business was overwhelmingly English (I live in such a community). Today we are required to deal with the immigrant in his language, which is one of the principal irritants to English-speakers in this country. For example, doctors have to provide interpreters to Medicaid patients at the MD’s expense, by law. And then there are the famous Spanish ballots.
This assumes that the United States always dealt with immigrants in English with some very minor exceptions, but is that true? No it is not! Here are some facts for you:
English is the de facto national language of the United States, with 82% of the population claiming it as a mother tongue, and some 96% claiming to speak it “well” or “very well”.
That statistic is from the 2000 Census of the United States. So, where does this story come of vast number of non-English speaking residents? Well, certainly not from facts measured by the Census. As with many “facts” quoted by those who are angry, they are not backed up by real research. I assume this means that now all research results will be denied. But, let me quote a couple of facts about Spanish-speakers.
Spanish is the second most common language in the country, and is spoken by over 12% of the population. The United States holds the world’s fifth largest Spanish-speaking population, outnumbered only by Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Colombia. Throughout the Southwestern United States, long-established Spanish-speaking communities coexist with large numbers of more recent Spanish-speaking immigrants. Although many new Latin American immigrants are less than fluent in English, nearly all second-generation Hispanic Americans speak English fluently, while only about half still speak Spanish.
Hmm, so “nearly all second-generation Hispanic Americans speak English fluently?” Well, that is what is expected by those who study the transition of immigrants into their new culture and is exactly what I pointed out yesterday. Inculturation takes more than one generation, but it does take place. But, are Spanish speakers the only other language group? Well, you might be surprised:
According to the 2000 US census, people of German ancestry make up the largest single ethnic group in the United States, and the German language ranks fifth. Italian, Polish, and Greek are still widely spoken among populations descending from immigrants from those countries in the early 20th century, but the use of these languages is dwindling as older generations pass away. Russian is also spoken by immigrant populations.
But, let’s keep on going with facts from the USA history rather than with made-up generalizations that claim that the USA has never dealt with immigrants in their own language. For instance, did you know that there have been other languages recognized in the past?
States and territories that are officially or de facto bi- or trilingual
* Hawaii (English and Hawaiian) (1978)
* Louisiana (English and French legally recognized, although there is no official language) (1974)
* New Mexico (English and de facto Spanish)
* Maine (English and French both de facto)
* American Samoa (Samoan and English)
* Guam (Chamorro and English)
* Northern Mariana Islands (English, Chamorro, and Carolinian)
* Puerto Rico (Spanish and English) (1993)
The State of Alaska provides voting information in Iñupiaq, Central Yup’ik, Gwich’in, Siberian Yupik, Koyukon, and Tagalog, as well as English.
But, let’s keep going on this historical study:
Contrary to belief, the state of Pennsylvania was never officially bilingual, but the state has a history of Pennsylvania Dutch German language communities that goes back to the 1650s. There were attempts to recognize German in Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, due to the prevalence of German speakers in the state until the 1950s in some rural areas.
The state of New York had state government documents (i.e., vital records) co-written in the Dutch language until the 1920s, in order to preserve the legacy of New Netherland, though England annexed the colony in 1664.
And some more facts:
In 1929, speaking of indigenous Native American languages, linguist Edward Sapir observed: “Few people realize that within the confines of the United States there is spoken today a far greater variety of languages … than in the whole of Europe. We may go further. We may say, quite literally and safely, that in the state of California alone there are greater and more numerous linguistic extremes than can be illustrated in all the length and breadth of Europe.”
Let’s keep going on official languages. Spanish is the official (legal) main language of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with English being the secondary language.
Hawaiian is an official state language of Hawaii as prescribed in the Constitution of Hawaii.
Samoan is an official territorial language of American Samoa. Samoans make up 90% of the population, and most people are bilingual.
Chamorro is co-official in the Mariana Islands, both in the territory of Guam and in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In Guam, the Chamorro people make up about 60% of the population.
Carolinian is also co-official in the Northern Marianas, where only 14% of people speak English at home.
So, where did this idea arise about English-only? Frankly, in some very sinful hearts that know little about USA history, law, and practices. More than that, let me argue that the stance of the English-only people goes against the history and tradition of the United States of America. Historically, the United States of America has been quite willing to tolerate certain other languages.
[Late note: While it is true that hospitals and physicians must provide interpreters, that came as a result of studies that showed somewhat increased rates of malpractice due to the failure of the treatment providers because they could not understand the patient. As with most laws, had hospitals and physicians done the right thing on their own, they would not have had to be forced. One cannot hide behind free choice to excuse malpractice and increased morbidity and mortality rates. That particular rule had nothing to do with coddling immigrants. That rule had to do with protecting immigrants, and native speakers of a language other than English, against unethical physicians and hospitals who were taking their money but failing to take the steps necessary to make sure that they were serving their clients correctly. I can understand arguing against some of the other regulations, but not against regulations whose sole purpose is to ensure the safety of people living in the United States, many of whom would actually be legal immigrants.
In the same way, the rules requiring translators for people in the justice system has as the sole purpose to ensure that testimony is received correctly and understood and to ensure that no innocent person should be punished due to lack of language skills. This particular rule is also followed internationally as you can see when you look at newsreels of trials in other countries. One who does not speak the local language is provided with interpreters anywhere in the world. Again in this case, protecting the innocent takes priority over enforcing some type of cultural language rule.]
My maternal grandfather’s first Ancestor in this land came with William Penn. I’m willing to bet that my paternal grandmother’s earlier ancestors wished they had enforced language laws on these newfangled English Speakers.
From the Spanglish spoken by “normal white people” in the Southwest to the hibridization of English/Italian/Yiddish that is the creole of New York City, there is no “English Language” in the USA: there is only “Englishes”. These Englishists rarely realize how diverse their own language is: from the Gullah people of the Georgia Islands to the side Alleys of Da Bronx, to the streets of LA and Oakland and into the farms of North Dakota. In their language, as boring as white flour paste, there is no “y’all” no “yous” nor “you’uns” nor “you dere”. And that’s only the Eastern States’ version of the second person plural in English. What they vainly imagine is that there is a language as common to all and as boring as the news casters on the nightly news.
The newspapers and news readers in this country write at a 6th grade or less level of English. Real English is much more vibrant, living and exciting than that childish tongue. And if we go further and realize all the dialects and subcultures in our language and in our peoples we will realize that “American” (rather than “English”) is a huge, polyglot language that is rather more fabulous by far than these boring white racists imagine.
But then they can not speak the language.
OK, you got me. Just like those race-baiting guys at the AMA…
http://www.proenglish.org/issues/13166/ama13166.html
…I favor medical malpractice to spite non-English speakers. Not. Maybe I just resent it that doctors get saddled with the cost, instead of the patient. And the patronizing comment about denying research results is beneath you, Father.
The examples given aren’t analogous. Most of them relate to languages of indigenous peoples who have quasi-sovereign status. And note that I specified the federal government. I oppose Tagalog in Alaska and French in Lousiana and Maine if used for official government purposes. And in New Mexico Spanish language rights are actually enshrined in the state Constitution(which I oppose). Census figures about language ability do not relate directly to the issue of official language use.
The attempt to prove that there are few non-English speakers raises a provocative question: if it’s a non-issue, why am I confronted with Spanish in all sorts of official government settings? Whom is it serving, if the non-English speaking population is so small?
Let me address the other vicious generalization about sinful hearts. (You must need a beer or something.) The argument that Spanish in this context is just like Dutch in New York or Cajun French is, frankly, disingenuous. I am the child of immigrants and speak their languages, but, like my parents, I recognize that multilingual states are fractured states, and therefore, while speaking German with my children, I support English as the official language. We ought to be one people, and it is not I who make it otherwise. You argue that other languages have gotten respect, but that is clearly in the past. Today, if you are not Latino or black, you are “Anglo”. My friend from Quebec who speaks French to her kids is “Anglo”. I am the first native English speaker (immigrant parents wanted it that way) on either side of my family, but I am an “Anglo”.
This debate is starting to degenerate, and I’m getting fatigued while you and Father Greg are obviously just getting pissed off. So I’m out of here. Enjoy whompin’ on me when my sinful heart and I are gone.
I’m not getting angry. How about you, Fr.Ernesto? I just think that many people are making entirely too much of a big deal out of yet another wave of immigrants into the United States. We’ve see this all before, and I mean all of it before, many times. Whatever happened to “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”?
Well, accusing someone of being angry is another way of not hearing them, as in “angry young radical.” “This debate is starting to degenerate” because facts were quoted rather than generalizations. BTW, I do know the difference between an “Anglo” and a Francophone, and so do most Latinos.
In passing, consider us Latinos, who were in the Southwest, Florida, and Puerto Rico before the English-speakers, the equivalent of the Scots, the Welsh, and the Irish who successfully fought to keep their languages alive despite the fact that they all speak English. It is sad that the English tendency to force homogenization on the cultures they incorporated into their kingdom has continued into the American tendency to try to force the same. I wish the descendants of those Irish and Scottish immigrants would remember that.
Many waves of immigrants in the past have been met with hostility and animosity even when they did speak the language. For example, my late husband who is of Irish descent remembered elderly relatives talking of being chastised for their “accent”–many of them were not Gaelic speakers or were bilingual in Gaelic and English but had the Irish brogue–but the signs said “No Irish Need Apply.” Today–not that many years later in the scheme of things, you hear “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” and all ethnicities celebrate–It all takes time–I think of the US as stew–each part needed to make the flavor just right–and everyone knwos that stew is better as it cooks. IT must be properly stirred however so the flavors mix and mingle to a wonderful whiole–and that takes time–and a good stirring spoon. I think we should concentrate on using the good stirrign spoon. My grandmother spoke German only until she went to school and her family had been here for many many years (Penn. Dutch). At the end of her life, she was still learning languages–studying French when she passed–saying that “If you stop learning, you start dying and I am not ready to start dying while I am still living.”
My father’s family has been here since 1650. My mother’s mother’s family since the early 1800s and my mother’s father’s parents were immigrants in the late 1800’s. My grandfather’s people came from Sweden but no Swedish customs survived in the family. My grandmother’s people were Penn. Dutch and very few remnants of that culture survive in the family. I regret that. (there were also Scots and Irish in the mix and none of those cultures survived int he family either.) I have had to rediscover those roots. Early ancestors to come here were Quaker–that didn’t survive either–
What did survive on both sides down through the years were the really important things–hard work ethic, personal honor, love of country, duty, love of God, the necessity to give back to the community/church/nation/world/God that which so freely had been given to you. We are a family of people who volunteer, who get involved in church, who get involved in community, who serve and who give.
I don’t feel English/Scottish/Irish/Swedish/German though I have ancestors who came from there. I value the gifts they brought here from those places and have passed down to me. We still have relatives in Sweden that my mother has visited. My late husband still had relatives in Ireland that he had visited. Another dear friend whose family is of Italian origin gladly visited cousins in the old country. The main phrase being the old country.
I am willing to bet that this newest wave of immigrants whether from Mexico or Cuba or Guatemala or El Salvador or Viet Nam or India–and I have friends who are immigrants or the children of immigrants from all of those places–use the same phrase–the old country–or where we used to live or where my parents came from, etc. I have a friend who used to say with more than a bit of truth that the immigrant generation spoke the language and lived the old country culture, the 1st generation born here understood language and culture, the 2nd generation born here knew about the language and culture and the 3rd generation knew the swears and the food!!
Let the stew simmer and celebrate each addition!!
My apologies again for commenting so long after your blog’s original posting, but I love your summary of our language issues here in the USA! One of my biggest regrets in my family’s history is that Dutch didn’t survive the generations – my great-grandfather immigrated to West Michigan (the “Newer New Netherlands” 😉 ) from the Netherlands, my dad grew up in Dutch-speaking churches, and my family’s culture is very much Dutch-American, yet somehow the language didn’t make the transition in either my branch of the family that ended up on the West Coast or or in the branches that stayed in West Michigan. Multi-lingualism is such a strength in the rest of the world, yet here it is something more often frowned upon than anything else…