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<header class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title"> The English Language Is Under Stress</h1>
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<span class="gmail-wpdev-post-meta-date gmail-wpdev-main-post-date gmail-wpdev-side-post-date">July 30th, 2018</span>
<span class="gmail-wpdev-post-meta-author gmail-wpdev-main-post-author gmail-wpdev-side-post-author"><a href="https://thehayride.com/author/colton-hveem/">Colton Hveem</a></span>
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<div class="essb_links essb_counters essb_displayed_shortcode essb_share essb_template_circles-retina essb_798214428 essb_width_flex essb_links_center gmail-print-no" id="essb_displayed_shortcode_798214428"><ul class="essb_links_list"><li class="essb_item essb_totalcount_item"><span class="essb_totalcount essb_t_l_big" title=""><span class="essb_t_nb">69<span class="essb_t_nb_after">shares</span></span></span></li><li class="essb_item essb_link_facebook gmail-nolightbox"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://thehayride.com/2018/07/hveem-the-english-language-is-under-stress/&t=HVEEM%3A+The+English+Language+Is+Under+Stress" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="essb_icon essb_icon_facebook"></span><span class="essb_network_name">Share</span></a><span class="essb_counter_hidden"></span></li><li class="essb_item essb_link_twitter gmail-nolightbox"> <a href="https://thehayride.com/2018/07/hveem-the-english-language-is-under-stress/#" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="essb_icon essb_icon_twitter"></span><span class="essb_network_name">Tweet</span></a></li><li class="essb_item essb_link_google gmail-nolightbox"> <a href="https://plus.google.com/share?url=https://thehayride.com/2018/07/hveem-the-english-language-is-under-stress/" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="essb_icon essb_icon_google"></span><span class="essb_network_name">Plus</span></a><span class="essb_counter_hidden"></span></li><li class="essb_item essb_link_comments gmail-nolightbox"> <a href="https://thehayride.com/2018/07/hveem-the-english-language-is-under-stress/#wpdev-facebook-comments" title="" target="_self" rel="nofollow"><span class="essb_icon essb_icon_comments"></span><span class="essb_network_name">Comment</span></a><span class="essb_counter_hidden"></span></li></ul></div> <p></p><p>Immigration
advocates once referenced America as a great melting pot. This
impressive pot could take in a variety of ingredients and assimilate
each an every addition into the broader American culture. This process
acted as transformation. Those who migrated to this country embraced a
new identity, an American identity.</p>
<p>Thus, to be American once was a unifying descriptor. The populous at
large united around common values and norms. One such norm that is
paramount for a collective cohesion is language. This is the glue for
all social interaction. If fellow citizens cannot talk to one another,
socialization is quickly replaced with separation. Society then
fractures at the seams.</p>
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</div><p>Any intelligent policy would be wise to preserve the element of
communication. Yet, the standard practice of English is under stress
today. A robust 22% of the US population does not speak English at <span id="gmail-IL_AD1" class="gmail-IL_AD">home</span>. But this is far from contained behind closed doors.</p>
<p>Existing in the public space, one would need to lack both eyes and
ears to miss the emergence of a foreign language into society.
Billboards are popping up, unintelligible to the English speaking
community. A night out on the town with the family will likely pass by
conversations that cannot be deciphered. Countless experiences in the
daily lives of Americans reveals the fading prominence of a common
tongue. How did it come to this?</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/immigrants-us-states-fastest-growing-foreign-born-populations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Migration Policy Institute found that 13.5% of people living within our borders today are foreign born</a>.
This is the highest percentage since 1910. It is important to note that
in 1910 the population was just north of 92 million. That means the
immigrant portion was right about 12.5 million. Today, there are 44
million immigrants living in the United States. This sizable mass,
nearly 50% of the 1910 population, is the highest number ever recorded.
Nevertheless, thousands more are coming in daily.</p>
<p>Pair these numbers with our lax immigration policy, and the issue
becomes quite plain. No real effort has been made to preserve the
English language when America weighs the suitability of modern day
immigrants. The voting public may not often make this connection – but
polls show Americans are in chorus when expressing the desire for a
national language.</p>
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<p>A Rasmussen Reports survey from April 2018 revealed that <a href="http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/april_2018/americans_strongly_favor_english_as_official_language">81% of American Adults think English should be the official language of the United States</a>.
Only 12% are opposed to this notion. Such overwhelming agreement on an
issue is rarely found, especially in the polarized state we live in
today.</p>
<p>Congress would do the populace a great favor by turning this into
legislation. A national language would naturally dictate immigration
policy to respond in turn. This could be a real legislative domino to
help the United States regain some of its former glory and a united
national culture.</p>
<p style="min-height:355px" class="gmail-IL_IC_MIN">Cultural wounds have
too long festered on the homefront. Citizens are united when it comes to
what language they want spoken by their neighbors. It is about time
that they were heard.</p></div>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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