Many would argue that the ability of people to communicate their thoughts and intents concisely and eloquently remains one of the few key distinguishing factors between humanity and lesser animals. Through sharing and using a common language, it becomes not just possible, but also easy to ensure that misunderstandings and misconceptions are reduced, if not completely eradicated, leading to societal progress.
The question of the United States properly and officially declaring a national language is not a new one. In fact, if the history books have shown anything, it is that this struggle for a common and unifying language of communication in the country is one that is almost as old as the nation itself.
From all accounts, the founding fathers--in particular, John Adams, the second President of the United States--had a clear picture of not just how important it was for a nation this great and diverse to have an official language, he also had a very specific perspective on just what that language should be: English.
The main argument that this line of reasoning was met with back then is the same one it is encountering now, more than 200 years later: that establishing a uniform language that the country could be internationally identified with would be an infringement of civil liberties.
While everyone remains firmly entitled to their opinion, the facts will remain unchanged.
Fact one is that the United States is home to diverse cultures and has been home to millions of people who speak different languages, from Indigenous Native Americans to the present day. Fact two is that even without it being announced as the official language of the country, a census conducted in 2018 revealed that about 80% of Americans speak only the English language at home.
Other recent studies conducted into the linguistic proclivities of growing children in the country speak a language at home other than English. In light of this insightful data, how is it then possible to logically infer that making the English language the official tongue of the nation would be an infringement of basic rights? Declaring English as the national language of the United States would help the country become even better at communicating with itself and the outside world as all ambiguities would have been effectively removed.
Assume for a moment that perhaps President John Adams was wrong to recommend an official national language for the entire country, and let’s also say, purely for the sake of argument that the statistics that have been highlighted thus far only point to a fad and doesn't indicate that things will continue along this line of progression. What makes passing the bill proposed by Representative Louie Gohmert establishing English as the official language the next logical move for the country?
Setting aside the fact that as of today, 178 countries in the entire world have an official national language and the USA is one of the few developed countries on the globe that doesn’t.
A few things to give thought here include the fact that with English established as the official language of the country, the communication level of Americans with the rest of the world is sure to see further improvement. This is because English is the third most commonly spoken language in the world after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish and is an international language of business.
More than this, it is easy to learn and facilitates easier understanding of other languages. It is also flexible and allows better expression. As the language continues to change with the times, it offers a certain level of assurance that it will stay relevant for ages to come.
So, to answer the question, should the United States declare an official national language? There's no doubt that it is imperative that one should be in place now!
