Should immigrants learn english

Even if they could not speak English, it is utterly deplorable to intimidate and scorn somebody on the basis of their language. But worse, it demonstrates how the goalposts are constantly shifting for the non-native speaker; not only do they have to meet an arbitrary standard of English set by the listener, woe betide them if they ever slip into their own language for a few moments. Even learning the basics of a language takes dedication, focus, incentive, access to resources, time and some sort of financial commitment, be it funding a course or saying no to a shift in order to attend a class.

While many people do attain a high level of English by these means, some are never really afforded the opportunity to grasp the intricacies particularly grammatical that English contains.

Dowling, Christopher G. Ellison, and David L. Daniel J. Francisco L. Suvarna Alladi et al. Barry R. Chiswick and Paul W. Charles B. Hatton, and Jeffrey G. Immigrants Come from, and Why? Steven Ruggles et al. Department of Commerce, Erik R. Vickstrom et al. Census Bureau, Washington, October It can sound simultaneously like a demand for instant assimilation, an accusation of disloyalty, and a presumption of stubbornness or ignorance.

In some circles, the call for immigrants to speak English has fused with a call for less immigration in general, as though language differences are themselves offensive. Immigrants who learn English improve both their earnings and their acceptance by other Americans. Most immigrants want to learn English, and immigration advocates think it should be easier for them to do so.

I know firsthand the bewilderment of living in a new culture with no language skills. Read: Do language apps like Duolingo work? In the U. Overall, immigrants make up a sixth of the American workforce, and immigrants who learn English earn more , mostly because they become eligible for higher-paying jobs.

I learned in school. A majority of Americans believe that a person must speak English to be considered American. Though Republicans are more likely to strongly endorse this view, even majorities of first-generation immigrants and liberal Democrats believe that English fluency is necessary for integration into American society. But her convictions are neither new nor out of place in U. This country and this people seemed to have been made for each other. Irish English, Italian, Yiddish, Creole, Appalachian English and Chinese-speaking peoples were considered imperfect specimens of the American birthright.

The Eugenics movement of the s tried to perfect them, while Jim Crow kept them separate and incomplete. Americans are under the impression that English is both a founding principle of the United States, and a marker for upright, good and responsible citizenship.

For them, English is not American culture, and neither American culture nor democratic values are exhausted by English.