The Myth of English as a Threatened Language

Official English and English-only policies are founded upon the myth that the primacy of the English language is somehow under threat.  In fact, more than 92 percent of our country’s population speaks English, according to the last Census.  This confirms that the problem English-only laws are designed to address simply does not exist.  Moreover, English-only laws are built upon, and help to perpetuate, a baseless stereotype that immigrants, particularly those from Latin America, do not want to learn English.

In reality, Latinos, both native-born and newly-arrived immigrants, embrace English and place tremendous importance and value upon attaining English-language fluency.  By wide margins, Latinos believe that learning English is essential for participation and success in American society.  A recent survey by the Pew Hispanic Center found that an overwhelming majority of Latinos – 92 percent – believe that teaching English to the children of immigrants is very important, a percentage far higher than other respondents.

Indeed, Latino immigrants are learning English, and doing so as quickly as or more quickly than previous generations of immigrants.  As is typical of immigrant populations in the United States, by the third generation most Latinos tend to speak only English.  Latino immigrants, then, do not need official English or English-only legislation to coerce them into learning English; that desire and determination already runs deep in the Latino community.

The immigrant community embraces English because it recognizes that learning English is essential for participation and success in American society.  Providing real opportunities to learn English, not allowing for discrimination, is the most effective means of fostering English proficiency.