Hola. Mi nombre es Masón . Tengo veinte años uno, y hablo Inglés, pero un poco de español. Hi, my name is Mason. I am twenty-one years old, and I speak English but only a little Spanish.
Rudimentary as that passage is, the points come across and the translation is there. Language is among the most used forms of communication, being incorporated into our speech and writings. Body language can only convey so much, whereas language utilizes more refined and specific indications of what is being discussed or is the subject. The vast majority of American citizens are capable of only speaking a single language fluidly, though most agree a second language can be a valuable, although not always essential, skill.
According to Gallup polls, about one in four Americans is capable of speaking a language other than English coherently enough to hold a conversation. Not too surprisingly, Spanish is the most frequently spoken second language, followed by French and German. One in four might seem reasonable at first glance, but compared to multilingualism rates in European nations of 40% or higher; it’s quite poor.
The United States has a language problem. More to the point, Americans have a pervasive apathy when it comes to adopting other languages or learning them. Again according to Gallup, more than three-quarters of Americans believe it’s imperative for immigrants to learn English. Similar numbers believe visitors or those on vacations need to also know our language, but how few of us can fluently speak Spanish while going to Cancun? How about French while honeymooning in Paris, or Italian in Rome? What small percentages of Americans, who are non-Native, can speak Navajo, Cree, Ojibwa, or Cherokee, some of the actual native languages?
Of course, countries tend to have standardized national languages, which for the United States is obviously English. The language has a prominent significance in our country’s history, and the majority of our citizens can speak and write it. English is an unalterable choice that is sensical, efficient, and simple for Americans. If we were citizens who were raised in another nation, we’d be more attuned to that national language.
But English, oh thrice damned English, is pervasive by overbearing quantities. While beneath Mandarin and Spanish in the number of people who speak it, it is one of five official languages for the United Nations, among the most common second languages learned outside of nations where it is the official language, and is the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and in professional contexts such as science, navigation, and law. Those who have grown up learning English have a great deal of privilege, privilege that non native speakers work diligently to achieve in the most minuscule margins.
Regardless of what language we speak, we are all human, requiring basic necessities and additionally having a need for communication. Humans want to be acknowledged, accepted and understood, and to do that we must communicate on a level field. If we can’t achieve those things in our lifetime, then we lack a purpose to direct us. To understand another language is not only to convey an understanding and increase one’s linguistic capability, but show respect to other cultures and nationalities. By making the effort to communicate with people outside our home country, and by attempting to coexist, we move toward a more embracing, understanding planet of people.
