English must be protect from cheap foreign imports

[Dennis Baron]

New post on
the Web of Language:

English must be protect from cheap foreign imports...

"English is a language which enjoys a 94 market share in the United  
States, but some Americans seem to think that the language is  
actually in danger.  So to prop it up, four states, West Virginia,  
Kansas, Missouri, and Oregon, want to make English their official  
language, joining the 28 that already have such a law on their books  
and putting an end to competition from less-expensive foreign imports  
like Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi.
Even former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has gone on record  
favoring a law to make English the official language of the U.S.   
Gingrich and other supporters of the latest wave of English-only  
legislation argue that offshoring language weakens the American  
economy: speakers of foreign languages are illegally taking words out  
of Americans’ mouths.  But according to the 2000 U.S. Census,  
foreigners actually use words that English-speakers won’t.

Supporters of English-only laws claim such legislation also strikes a  
blow for world-wide human rights: foreign languages are often  
produced in third-world countries by exploited child laborers working  
long hours, for low wages, under intolerable working conditions.   
Speaking English sends a message to Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and  
Malaysia: if you want our business, you better speak our language.

But the rest of the world isn’t so sure..."  to read more, go to

the Web of Language.

Dennis Baron
Professor of English and Linguistics
Department of English
University of Illinois
608 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801

office: 217-244-0568
fax: 217-333-4321

www.uiuc.edu/goto/debaron

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www.uiuc.edu/goto/weboflanguage

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