The English-Only Question: An Official Language for Americans? - Hardcover

Dennis Baron

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300048521 ISBN 13: 9780300048520

Publisher: Yale University Press, 1990

Synopsis

Explores the political, legal, educational, and sociological implications of declaring English the official language of the U.S., and traces the history of American attitudes toward English and minority languages

About this title

Reviews

The movement to make English the official language of the U.S. at federal and state levels arouses strong feelings, both pro and con. In a valuable, dispassionate study, University of Illinois English professor Baron demonstrates that the drive for language assimilation has waxed during periods of economic downslide or isolationism, when non-English speakers have been targeted as subversive, unemployable, disruptive or resistant to assimilation. Pointing out that official-language legislation has often masked discrimination, Baron argues that the proposed English Language Amendment to the Constitution and similar laws would not succeed in making the U.S. monolingual. He looks at bilingual school programs, many of which are inadequately funded or staffed with untrained teachers. English will not cease to function as the de facto standard in the U.S., he concludes, regardless of whether laws are passed to force people to speak it.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This well-researched and informative book is divided into six chapters: "An Official Language," "Language and Liberty," "Defending the Native Tongue," "Language and the Law," "Americanization and the Schools," and "The Future of English." The author examines the history as well as the complex philosophical, legal, sociological, and political ramifications of the English Language Amendment (pending in Congress) and its many predecessors. Although very fair in his analysis, the author makes clear his opposition to this amendment since social forces, not laws, determine our language. This book will be valuable for educators and specialists, but may prove too thorough for most other readers.
- Kitty Chen Dean, Nassau Coll., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300048521
• ISBN 13: 9780300048520
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 250