With 25 times more languages than countries in the world, it is safe to assume that multilingualism is a widespread phenomenon. In fact, about one-fifth of UCSD’s freshman class speaks a language other than English at home. However, for much of the United States, monolingualism is extremely rampant, despite the country’s rich cultural and linguistic diversity. Because of the global status which the English language has achieved, many people do not feel the need to learn another language. In addition, immigrants are pressured to give up their native languages in favor of English so they can assimilate more easily. Despite the fact that the United States has no official language, English is seen as a unifying language which holds all Americans together.
Guardian
Professor Olga Vasquez of the communications department is currently writing a book on the importance of bilingualism. She is quick to point out the dangers of the emphasis on monolingualism.
“”In this global context, under the conditions of today, education focuses on monoculturalism and monolingualism,”” she said. “”As a result, we are squandering the resources of bilingual children. To insist on monoculturalism means that we will hold back the children who are only English-speaking.””
In Vasquez’s class on bilingual communication, there are about 13 languages spoken among her 80 students. She believes strongly in the importance of bilingualism and the advantages it brings.
“”Knowing another language opens up your mind to new possibilities, ways of understanding other perspectives, sensibilities and possibilities,”” Vasquez said.
To change attitudes toward bilingualism and languages, Vasquez feels that there needs to be more classes like her bilingual communication class in which students are exposed to the issues of language. She is saddened by the idea that some people feel that it is not a problem that immigrants and their children lose their native tongues.
“”They haven’t had the experience and understanding of what it is like to lose a language,”” Vasquez said.
While some parents, especially immigrants, feel that educating their children in more than one language has its benefits, its opponents have very strong feelings against it. Supporters argue that educating children in their native language keeps them from falling behind their peers while they are learning English. Those against it, however, claim that the practice will delay the mastery of English and result in a delay of their learning other subjects as well. In California, this was a major issue when Proposition 227 was passed in 1998, which eliminated bilingual education. Those who voted in favor of the measure believed that bilingualism contributed to negative intellectual and emotional effects, including lack of self-confidence, contempt toward parents and poor performance on intelligence tests.
Monolingualism has its consequences not just for individuals but society as a whole. The United States experienced some of the consequences of a shortage of foreign language translators in September of 2001. On Sept. 10, U.S. Intelligence had intercepted messages in the Arabic language warning of an attack the next day, but they were not translated until Sept. 12. Such an occurrence illustrates the lack of foreign language competency in this country.
While Americans may not feel the need to be bilingual, it is something that is important and almost natural for many Europeans and Canadians. In Canada, English and French are the two official languages, and they do not threaten each other because they both enjoy high prestige in the country. As a result, many people are proficient in both languages. In Europe, there is a great deal of close contact among various languages, making it necessary to be able to speak at least two or three languages. The United States, however, is isolated. There is not much interaction with other languages except at the borders, with Spanish to the south and French to the north. Especially in the middle of the country, far from the borders, there is nothing to replenish the minority languages. Without an influx of immigrants who could come in and refurbish the language, people will start to assimilate and only speak English, the de facto official language of the United States.
Vasquez hopes that people will understand the need to learn another language, which will increase our understanding of other cultures, perspectives and issues. Since we live in a global society, we will come into a great deal of contact with people from other countries and cultures. Being able to speak at least two languages will become necessary if we wish to communicate and exchange ideas with these people. While the learning of a second language may not be a necessity for many people unless they plan on moving to a foreign country, it will still be beneficiary to acquire a new language to become better global citizens.
