RJA 11: Argument

America Would Do Well to Become Multilingual

Reasons

1. We are losing jobs to people from overseas.  For example, the reconstruction and renovation of the crumbling Alexander Hamilton Bridge in New York is being outsourced to a team of Chinese construction workers!
   Cuomo, Chris, Joseph Rhee, and Tran Linh. "Bringing America Back: Are Infrastructure Jobs Being Shipped to China?." ABC World News. 23 Sep 2011: n. page. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. <http://abcnews.go.com/US/bringing_america_back/american-infrastructure-jobs-shipped-china/story?id=14592567>
2. Others in the world understand the world around them and thus are cultured and worldly, areas in which Americans have for decades been chastised.  People across Europe have always made of fun how lacking in knowledge of general facts about the world Americans are.
   Dicker, Susan. Languages in America: A Pluralist View. 2nd. Multilingual Matters LTD, 2003. 298-302. Print.Bawer, Bruce. "Hating America." Hudson Review. (2004): n. page. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://www.hudsonreview.com/BawerSp04.html>
3. Multilingual children do much better in cognitive reasoning and on tests overall.Krashen, Steven. "Bilingual Education Works." Rethinking Schools. n.d. n. page. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. <http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_reports/bilingual/Bi152.shtml>

Objections

1. Americans do not need any other languages besides English to conduct business and live in this country.  In fact, immigrants ought to learn proper English!Arguements Against Learning Spanish - http://www.ehow.com/info_8054932_arguments-against-learning-spanish.html
   Official English Will Encourage Immigrants to Learn English - http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/official-english-will-encourage-immigrants-to-learn-english
2. English will cease to be spoken if we allow immigrants to bring their languages to America.  It is already happening; English is under attach as we speak.
   Linguistic Unity Is Critical to an Increasingly Diverse Society - http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/linguistic-unity-is-critical-in-an-increasingly-diverse-society

Refutations

1. The fact of the matter is that we will always have people in this country who do not speak English because America has allowed such a tradition since its inception.  Forcing them to speak English won't solve anything, but learning their languages would mean better business.
   http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/linguistic-unity-is-critical-in-an-increasingly-diverse-society (in the comments)
2. This simply is not true.  Allowing minority languages to thrive would have no effect on the overwhelmingly dominant status of the English language in America.
   http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/linguistic-unity-is-critical-in-an-increasingly-diverse-society (6th paragraph)