Language facts about America
Friday, 17th April 2009
The use of English as America's common language was mandated by the American Founders in order to “force their language into general use”, according to John Adams.
Having just fought a war against the English, one wonders why it wasn’t French that the American people were “forced” to use, or Spanish - these cultures also had a lot of influence in various sections of the United States. But despite the war against the English, it was ultimately this language that was chosen.
While specific languages were being established in other countries in order to divide and rule, in 1780 John Adams wrote to the President of Congress that all Americans should have an understanding of the same language. His idea was more about inclusion rather than about an instrument to divide.
The decision to have a national language did not come about quickly. In 1795, 3000 sets of federal laws were ready to be printed in German, in order to accommodate Germans residing in the United States who did not understand English. It was this close congressional vote that became the source of a myth that German was very close to becoming the official language of the United States. Until 1847, the House of Representatives voted against bilingual publication of the President’s annual message in German and French. It was the idea that speaking one language, English, was one of the few common bonds between Americans of all backgrounds.
It wasn’t until the 1900s when the idea of multiculturalism started to become accepted. Today there are over 300 languages spoken in the United States. State run schools now require students to learn foreign languages, and the justice system across the United States provides language assistance to criminal defendants and victims of crime. Today the preservation of other languages in America is widely promoted.
Tags: english, spanish, french, german, culture, languages, language, united states
Posted by Jessica Wingate under Attitudes to Language Learning,
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