Political Economy of Culture: Where Should President Obama Start: By Designing a Consistent language policy or on Imposing English Language as a Requirement to the Path of U.S. Citizenship?
Myrna Goldstein
myrnaenglishfile at gmail.com
Thu Feb 7 14:39:18 UTC 2013
You quoted me as saying: 'Latinos refuse to learn English'.
Re-read your own words.
In any case, I said that THIS IS NOT MY FIELD. I have only
reported what ESL Ts working with Spanish speakers have told me,
stats aside.
And I deliberately said that I do not judge people.
I'm sorry I even wrote. Next time, I'll stick to grammar and L2
acquisition and cognitive and metacognitive strategies.
Myrna Goldstein, B.S.J., MATESL
Founder, Director
Are You in Your English File?®
Second Language Learning Research Center
Eilat, Israel (formerly Milan, Italy)
Member:
TESOL
Linguistic Society of America
American Association for Applied Linguistics
e: myrnaenglishfile at gmail.com
Skype: myinmi
c: ++972 053 525 5360
On Feb 6, 2013, at 6:16 PM, Thomas Ricento wrote:
HI MYRNA,
Here are your exact words in your e mail:
"Fact is, historically, Hispanics are the only ethnic group
immigrating to the U.S. that has resisted learning English. I'm not
sure why this is so, but it might be a good basis for some research if
it has not already been done or if it is not already in the works."
Your statement is categorical, whatever your intentions might have
been, and it is contradicted by evidence (if that matters).
There is a TON of research on this topic; there ARE government
programs providing ESL classes for immigrants in the US (but not
nearly enough); this IS a political history with a deep and
contentious history in the US, which I and many others have spent many
years studying and writing about. If you are interested in learning
more, then there is a wealth of literature to read. My comment about
Huntington and anti-immigrant zealots was not directed to you
personally; rather, it was describing a political reality in the
U.S. If you look at the latest poll numbers on how Obama is graded on
his position re. a path for citizenship for undocumented Americans
(mostly Latinos), Republican (white) conservative males are the only
group strongly opposed to his position on immigration reform.
Tom
________________________________________
From: edling-bounces at bunner.geol.lu.se [edling-
bounces at bunner.geol.lu.se] On Behalf Of Myrna Goldstein [myrnaenglishfile at gmail.com
]
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2013 8:18 AM
To: The Educational Linguistics List
Subject: Re: [Edling] Political Economy of Culture: Where
Should President Obama Start: By Designing a Consistent
language policy or on Imposing English Language as a Requirement
to the Path of U.S. Citizenship?
HI TOM,
You quoted me wrong.
And distorted what I wrote creating a fictitious context.
I believe that stereotyping is so very negative and have
never done so in my life.
Myrna
Myrna Goldstein, B.S.J., MATESL
Founder, Director
Are You in Your English File?®
Second Language Learning Research Center
Eilat, Israel (formerly Milan, Italy)
Member:
TESOL
Linguistic Society of America
American Association for Applied Linguistics
e: myrnaenglishfile at gmail.com
Skype: myinmi
c: ++972 053 525 5360
On Feb 4, 2013, at 11:37 PM, Thomas Ricento wrote:
Hello,
Here is a brief snipet from a chapter I wrote to appear in R.
Bayley, et al. (editors), The Oxford Handbook of Sociolinguistics
(2013, p. 540):
"Rumbaut, et al. (2006: 458), relying on data from two published
studies and a
survey they conducted themselves in Southern California during 2001–
2004,
conclude that “under current conditions . . . the ability to speak
Spanish very
well can be expected to disappear sometime between the second and third
generation for all Latin American groups in Southern California.” They
also
found that “the average Asian language can be expected to die out at
or near
the second generation” (ibid). To account for such a wide discrepancy
between
the apparent facts and widely held misperceptions, it is necessary to
consider
the influence, and effects, of deeply held beliefs about language and
identity
that are resistant to contrary evidence".
It is amazing that someone who has expertise in English language
teaching also succumbs to the stereotype that 'Latinos refuse to learn
English'. This
has been the battle cry of Huntington and others (mostly right wing,
anti-immigrant advocates) who categorize Latinos as refuseniks. It's
just not true. Maintaining Spanish (an American Language) alongside
English should be viewed as a positive outcome, even though, as
Rumbaut and his colleagues demonstrate, Spanish is being lost. If
'experts' make such claims as Myrna does, it shows that we as applied
linguists have a long way to go to educate the broader public.
Tom Ricento
Professor and Chair, English as an Additional Language
Faculty of Education
University of Calgary
________________________________________
From: edling-bounces at bunner.geol.lu.se [edling-
bounces at bunner.geol.lu.se] On Behalf Of Myrna Goldstein [myrnaenglishfile at gmail.com
]
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2013 3:21 AM
To: The Educational Linguistics List
Subject: Re: [Edling] Political Economy of Culture: Where Should
President Obama Start: By Designing a Consistent language policy
or on Imposing English Language as a Requirement to the Path
of U.S. Citizenship?
Dear David,
I read your piece with interest, trying to understand the
rationale behind it, beyond the numbers of the Hispanic
population. Fact is, historically, Hispanics are the only ethnic group
immigrating to the U.S. that has resisted learning English. I'm not
sure why this is so, but it might be a good basis for some research if
it has not already been done or if it is not already in the works.
I'm not judging. I'm curious. In order to get decent jobs, immigrants
to any country in the world realize that they must learn the L1. If they
don't, they will always remain in low-level jobs, be isolated from
society
at large, and will not be able to study at universities to let their
talents bloom.
I'm not sure that legislation is the answer; this would have to be
studied.
But common sense is. So rather than compelling people from above
(government)
to learn English, it would seem more logical that people themselves
would
want to learn the nation's common language if those people have a
vision of a
better life that they feel they can achieve. I believe this has always
been the
basis of every group's immigration everywhere in the world.
Perhaps after the U.S. gets its fiscal house in order, it could finance
an immigration program that includes ESL courses, thus giving people
the option
to attend or not to attend. That way, people who do not want to learn
the nation's
L1 would not be compelled to, but people who do, would have free
lessons, say,
to get themselves to a B1 (intermediate) level (Common European
Frameworks). People
who would like to get to an advanced level could do so either through
self-study or
through community language programs.
Let us not forget that non-native speakers must take various
standardized tests to
be admitted to many universities and colleges. I'm not sure if
community colleges
require TOEFL, GMAT, SAT etc. So, the fact remains, David, that
English is the nation's
L1 and the future of every immigrant who wants to better his life and
the life of his
children resides in learning that L1.
Linguistically yours,
Myrna
Myrna Goldstein, B.S.J., MATESL
Founder, Director
Are You in Your English File?®
Second Language Learning Research Center
Eilat, Israel (formerly Milan, Italy)
Member:
TESOL
Linguistic Society of America
American Association for Applied Linguistics
e: myrnaenglishfile at gmail.com<mailto:myrnaenglishfile at gmail.com>
Skype: myinmi
c: ++972 053 525 5360
On Feb 3, 2013, at 2:35 AM, David Balosa wrote:
Political Economy of Culture: Where Should President Obama Start: By
Designing a Consistent National Language Policy or by Requiring
illegal Immigrant to Learn English as a Path to the United States
Citizenship?
By
David Balosa
University of Maryland
Baltimore County, (UMBC)
Spanish is currently spoken as a first language by
approximately twenty-two million people
in the United States. The Hispanics are currently America's
fastest growing ethnic
community and their numbers are set to rise to 96.5 million
by 2050. This is not without
problems as the United States does not have legislation which
states that English is the
official language of the Union; it has always relied on the
desire of immigrants for social
assimilation and mobility to consolidate the pre-eminence of
English.
(Miranda
Stewart, 1999: 6-7)
In his address regarding "Fixing broken immigration system" entitled
"Vision for winning the future" President Obama mentioned four key
points which he calls accountabilities and responsibilities: 1.
Responsibility by the federal government to secure our borders, 2.
Accountability for businesses that break the law by undermining
American workers and exploiting undocumented workers,
3. Strengthening our economic competitiveness by creating a legal
immigration system that reflects our values and diverse needs, and 4.
Responsibility from people who are living in the United States
illegally. My question for discussion and my reflection will focus on
the president's point number 4. I think that the President plays too
much politics here and that he is undermining the scholarship on the
everlasting debate on language policy in the United States. Fixing
broken immigration system is one thing, but requiring illegal
immigrants to learn English as one of the requirements is tantamount
to English-Only America movement. Until there is a coherent language
policy, by coherent I mean agreed upon by the United States citizens,
a unidirectional language requirement by federal officials, especially
the president of the United States is getting out of the house through
the back door. I am not saying that illegal immigrant should not learn
English or Spanish, the point is that so far there is no legal basis
to require any one to learn English for what so ever in the United
States. If the President is going to initiative a path to language
policy weather English or English and Spanish as official languages,
then the United States will make a big step forward in solving big
issues regarding intercultural relations. To clear understand my
point, let's analyze the president approach to learning English as a
requirement to illegal immigrant path to the United States Citizenship.
One of the key requirements that the represent mentioned that
illegal immigrants living in U.S. must fulfill to the path of U.S.
citizenship is learning English. The president's statement reads: "
Those people living here illegally must also be held accountable for
their actions and get on the right side of the law by registering and
undergoing national security and criminal background checks, paying
taxes and a penalty, and learning English before they can get in line
to become eligible for citizenship. Being a citizen of this country
comes not only with rights but also with fundamental responsibilities.
We can create a pathway for legal status that is fair and reflects our
values." Wait a minute! Is Mr. President here trying to have his cake
and eat it too? Since the president favorite sentence in this
immigration debate is "We are a nation of law and a nation of
immigrants", is the president telling us that English is going to
become the fundamental language of American values? How about the 55
millions U.S. Spanish -speakers? Do their language and culture also
contribute to the American Values? Should U.S. citizens working for
Univisions, Telemondo, UNI-MAS, etc. who may also contribute to the
economic competitiveness of U.S. be required to learn English for U.S.
citizenship? According to Stewart (1999:6-7), "The Hispanics are
currently America's fastest growing ethnic community and their numbers
are set to rise to 96.5 million by 2050 (quoting, The Guardian,
16.07.98)." Stewart observes that "This is not without problems as the
United States does not have legislation which states that English is
the official language of the Union; it has always relied on the desire
of immigrants for social assimilation and mobility to consolidate the
pre-eminence of English."
During the 2008 Democratic presidential election primary debate,
President Obama, Senator Obama at that time articulated, when he was
asked by a CNN journalist weather English should be the Official
language of the United States that, "We should not focus on issue that
divide us, instead we should focus on how to fix our broken
immigration system." It has been the politics of escape goat forever
when it comes to regulating language policy in fair and realistic way
in the U.S. President Obama, after winning 75 % of Latino votes
without questioning weather they spoke English or not at the time they
went voting now is suggesting learning English as a requirement for
legal immigration status. If learning a language was an easy task,
most college graduates U.S. would be speaking Spanish fluently. Since
President Obama likes to look at fair game plays, would not t be a
fair game to say all illegal immigrants must learn both English and
Spanish as a requirement to citizenship?
One may infers that requiring learning English alone is a support
to English -Only movement. This approach undermines the substantial
contribution of Hispanic culture to the values of the United States.
The "Latinazization" (Benitez, 2007) of illigal immigrants may also be
a valuable inference if we don't require illegal immigrant to learn
Spanish as well. Will various English dialect speakers be required to
learn American Standard English if that what Mr. President meant? The
"World Englishes" (Mesthrie & Bhatt, 2008) as well as the world
Spanishes (Stewart, 1999; Lorenzo-Dus, 2011) can only be used as
requirement for national immigration legal status after they have been
adopted as Official language of the nation. Otherwise they should not
be mentioned in the fixing broken immigration system.
In Conclusion, It is not only the immigration system that is
broken, it is the entire public policy system that is broken. If Mr.
President wants to start fixing this broken system of public policy
the workable strategy would be looking at the policy of that public or
social sector setting, fix it, that is, make it if it is a
commonsensical argument and truly reflective of U.S. values, a law of
the nation. Since thee is no federal law regulating languages in U.S.,
it would illegal to require a given language learning as a
requirement to U.S. citizenship. Requiring learning English will sound
like a cultural hegemonic strategy and it will not reflect what the
president calls "A smart 21st century" - a century of people and
communities cohesion by consensus, that is people decide their
intercultural democratic rules of governance not bias policy makers.
Either English alone or English and Spanish as co-official languages
for the United States- why not create a referendum on this issue and
stick to what the U.S. diverse population decide. It will make more
sense after people will look at these two global languages - both
spoken by significant numbers of legal U.S. citizens in the ballot and
let the people decide. It is only after that referendum that all
cultural groups will live with the decision weather they like it or
not. Because it will become the law of the land. Leaving the issue on
the policy makers whose bias attitude and cultural hegemony have been
demonstrated through centuries will never lead the U.S. to the Smart
21st century language policy. Should not a true vision for the future
of the United States plan also for a language which the numbers of its
speakers will reach 96.5 million in 2050? Should the U.S. language
policymakers understand that a language policy that reflects the
cultural reality of the country makes the country more prosperous
economically and culturally? May be the example of Luxembourg, South
Africa, Paraguay, and Switzerland will inspire us as we plan for a
"smart 21st century". What do you think?
References
Benitez, C. (2007). Latinization: How Latino culture is transforming
the U.S. New York: Paramount
Market Publishing.
Donnelly, J. (2003). Universal human rights: In theory and practice
(2nd. ed.). New York: Cornell
University Press.
Lorenzo-Dus, N. (ed.) (2011). Spanish at work: Analyzing institutional
discourse across the Spanish-
speaking world. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Mesthirie, R. & Bhatt, R. M. (2008). World Englishes: The study of new
linguistic varieties. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Stewart, M. (1999). The Spanish language today. New York: Routledge.
www.whitehouse.gov/issues/fixing-immigration-system-america-s-21st-century-Economy
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/fixing-immigration-system-america-s-21st-century-Economy
>
--
*David M. Balosa*
*Doctoral Student, PhD Program in Language, Literacy and Culture (LLC)*
Research Focus: Intercultural Communication & Cultural Exchange
Interculturalists GSO President 2012-2013
*University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
**1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250*
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