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Hunter Moreno

Dr. Bruce

English 301

11 December 2017

Annotated Bibliography

Working Title:

Multilingual America

Research Question:

Should English be the official language of the United States?

Working Thesis:

Although English-only laws have been put into place all across America, English

should not be the official language of the United States because it would marginalize the

countrys diverse population and force conformation, adding to the countrys inequalities.

Introduction:

Last year, California voted to repeal the 1998 English-only law that required the

states schools to enforce English-immersion on their students. However, more than thirty

states still enforce their English-only laws. By enforcing this law, the states promote

inequity amongst their citizens and discriminate against those who do not speak English

fluently. In repealing the law, California took initiative in promoting and modeling dual-

immersion in both education and legislature, other states should take note. Being

bilingual or multilingual should be celebrated and encouraged, not suppressed and

advised against. English should not be the official language of the United States because
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it would marginalize the countrys diverse population and force conformation, aiding the

countrys inequities.

Annotations:

1. Farr, Samuel. In Opposition to Making English the Official Language of the U.S.

Government. Modern Language Journal, vol. 81, no. 3, 1997, p. 438.

A) Samuel Farr, a California Representative, argues that English should not be the

official language for the U.S. because the importance of language variety in this

culturally diverse country.

B) The author of this article argues in agreement with my stance on this issue. It is

an older article, from 1997. I will use it to demonstrate how, today, we are still dealing

with the same moral issue of the enforcement of English on the entirety of the

multicultural country of the United States. This article articulates the importance of

language diversity and emphasizes the strengths of a multilingual society.

2. Gershon, Sarah Allen, and Adrian D. Pantoja. Patriotism and Language

Loyalties: Comparing Latino and Anglo Attitudes toward English-Only

Legislation. Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 34, no. 9, 2011, pp. 1522

1542.

A) This study looks at both the role and effects of patriotism in the push for

English-Only legislation in the United States.

B) I will use this study to support my argument against proposed and endorsed

English-only legislature in the U.S. The social survey used in this study examines the

impact of Patriotism on Latinos and Anglos, looking into socio-demographic variables,

differentially structure Latino and Anglos attitudes towards linguistic policies. I will use
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this as further evidence of linguistic prejudice and the inequities that already plague the

minorities in the United States.

3. Schmid, Carol L. The Politics of Language: Conflict, Identity and Cultural

Pluralism in Comparative Perspective. Oxford ; New York, Oxford

University Press, 2001.

A) This article explores the history of both language protection and language

restriction in the U.S., and looks at the countrys future of language politics.

B) The author of the article demonstrates and analyzes how language is much

more complex concept than just a means of communication. I will use this to articulate

how language represents the experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of its speakers. I will also

use Schmids article to connect the line between language and political influence and

power, through the historical background content that she provides, as well as the

statistics that she presents.

4. Wiley, Terrence G, et al. Language Policy, Politics, and Diversity in Education.

Review of Research in Education, vol. 38, no. 1, 2014, pp. vii-xxiii.

A) Throughout this journal, Wiley explores the role educational language policies

and its impact on educational equity, achievement, and students sense of identity.

B) This article discusses whether language minorities should have linguistic

accommodation. I will use the article and the provided linguistic statistics to support of

my argument of promoting minority languages as a means of positive identification with

own languages and cultures. This article will aid me in identifying and anticipating

counterarguments such as the attempt to neutralize linguistic diversity by having a

national language.