Different states, different responses to

English-language divide
By Stateline.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.24.14
Word Count 974

Joe McLauglin puts up "vote here" signs in multiple languages outside a polling station in the Jamaica Plain section of
Boston. Photo: AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye

WASHINGTON A growing language divide has opened up across the country: The rise
in the number of Americans who speak English as a second language at home is leading
to very different responses from cities and states.
In some places, policymakers are adopting or strengthening English-as-of cial-language
laws, and barring the translation of certain documents into any other language. Meanwhile,
other places are becoming true multilingual societies, with laws and rules that make
government forms and documents easier for immigrants who dont speak English.
The United States is one of the few countries without a national of cial language, and the
debate over of cial-English laws has been around almost as long as the nation itself. The
lack of federal laws has not stopped cities and states from acting on their own. The result
is a variety of responses that are different from state to state, or even within states.

More States Are Making Attempts

Right now, 31 states and many counties and cities have adopted English as their of cial
language. Oklahoma became the most recent state to do so in 2010. Carroll County,
Maryland, has done so as well. This year, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West
Virginia and Wisconsin saw attempts to adopt English as their of cial language.
Yet the number of non-English speakers is rising so fast that even in states with English as
the of cial language, there is no guarantee that everyone will follow the laws.
This growing diversity of languages is just simply a reality, said Patricia Gandara, a
professor of education at the University of California-Los Angeles. She is the author of an
upcoming book, The Bilingual Advantage.
Things are changing, she added. And this nation is becoming a very multilingual
nation.

Language Arguments Go Way Back

Some local and state measures have roots going back more than a century.
In 1919, for example, Nebraska passed a law banning the teaching of any modern
language other than English to any child who had not yet passed the eighth grade. The
law was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Over the years, most of the arguments defending English language laws have not
changed. Those backing English as the of cial language say the law helps preserve unity.
They also say that having English as the of cial language offers immigrants better
economic chances, and that learning English is the best way for new immigrants to
succeed.
The laws are not about forbidding people from speaking other languages, explained Karin
Davenport of the group U.S. English. It promotes English instruction for immigrants and
backs making English the of cial language.
By not asking immigrants to speak English, youre still providing them with that crutch
thats allowing them to remain linguistically isolated, she said.
Still, the country's changing population has challenged such beliefs.

Many Groups, Many Languages

Nearly 21 percent of Americans, or nearly 61 million people, now speak a language other
than English at home, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. In 2000, that number was 18
percent. In some cases, state and local governments have made changes to adjust to
changes in their population, regardless of what their own law says.

In California, for example, English is the states of cial language. Lawmakers and state
of cials have to take all steps necessary to make sure that the role of English as the
common language of the state is preserved. But the law is seen more as a symbol and it
doesnt speci cally bar the state from translating documents into other languages.
Today, California offers many documents in languages other than English, including an
entire Spanish-language version of the states Department of Motor Vehicles website.
California is a state with "many groups of people, who speak many languages, Gandara
said.
Census numbers support that. Forty-four percent of Californians reported speaking a
language other than English at home, while in West Virginia just 2 percent do.
That could explain why California has found itself as the leader of a debate this year over
of cial rules asking for the translation of patient instructions on prescription drug bottles.

Federal Money Comes Into Play

Federal guidelines require drugstores that receive federal funding to offer some translation
services, and some private drugstores have done it in order to attract more customers.
California would be the second state, after New York, to pass a law requiring translations
on all prescription bottles. Some worry about wrong translations or errors in communicating
across languages. But people supporting the idea say it as a matter of safety and
necessity.
The number of limited-English-pro cient individuals in the United States continues to
grow, said Evan Weibel of Language Scienti c, a company that offers translation services
for pharmacies. The need for services like this is something thats not going to go away.
Another example took place this year in Massachusetts. The number of non-native-English
speakers in Boston prompted the city to offer voting ballots in some areas in Chinese and
in Vietnamese.

Does English Unify?

Despite the countrys changing population, of cial-English laws have proven to be popular.
Supporters continue to push more states and cities to adopt English language laws. They
also work to convince states that have such laws, but do not enforce them, to take them
more seriously.
In Arizona, an of cial-English group, ProEnglish, is supporting a community college
student who was suspended when she complained that members of her class were
speaking Spanish during group work. ProEnglish's director, Robert Vandervoort, said the
states English law should have blocked the suspension, and that the case shows why
such laws matter.
Pennsylvania is another state that may consider the issue later this fall.

We can save tax dollars at the same time as promoting the unifying effect of English as
the of cial language of the state, said Representative Daryl Metcalfe, who sponsored an
of cial-English measure.
It gives (immigrants) greater earning power, they mingle into the culture," he said.