Oregon is a becoming a flashpoint in the debate over immigration. Our state may not border Mexico (from which the majority of immigrants enter), but it has become the home for thousands of non-English speakers seeking work opportunities and better lives for themselves.
But there is proposed legislation that would make English Oregon’s official language. Oregon, which already enacted “English plus” (a pedagogical resolution intended to promote bilingual education) in 1989, would become the 26th state to pass English-only legislation.
Rep. Donna Nelson (R-McMinnville) introduced the legislation, which would stop requiring state agencies to provide non-English services. These state agencies include the Oregon University System.
Nelson and her supporters believe that the legislation will, over time, effectively bridge the cultural divide between native Oregonians and non-English speaking immigrants.
“The English language is an important part of our national heritage and our ability as a people to work together,” said David Gulliver, a spokesman for Nelson. “When there are multiple languages and language barriers that exist, it’s divisive. Having a common, official language is a uniting force.”
It is hard to imagine a less effective, a less uniting piece of legislation. The English-only movement that exists in the United States often espouses crypto-xenophobic notions of “unity.” Further, English-only legislation is purely symbolic, and as such it sends an assimilationist message: Speak English, or you’re not welcome here.
Instituting an official languages is often a symbolic exercise – here in the U.S. and elsewhere. For example, the official language of Ireland is Irish, despite only 10 percent of the population speaking it with proficiency. However, the law exists as a symbol of Ireland’s autonomy from the United Kingdom, viewed by many Irish nationalists as an oppressor of Celtic culture.
In the United States, proponents of English-only legislation have come from varied camps. Dr. John Tanton, for example, was a zero population growth proponent and the former President of the Sierra Club’s population committee. A conservationist and environmentalist, Tanton’s anti-immigrant rhetoric was hyperbolic and unreasonable. He wrote a number of books, including “The Immigration Invasion” and “End of the Migration Epoch.” Proponents of English-only legislation are linguistic reductionists, and they come from both conservative and liberal backgrounds. Their symbolic measures are harmful to the traditional American ideal – not always realized to its fullest potential -of inclusivity.
America was shaped by immigrants who sought economic and social freedom. The primitive notion that these people are coming here to suckle from the teat of Uncle Sam’s welfare state is wrong. Americans have often viewed immigrants with derision or scorn but the fact remains, when using the power of hindsight, that they have added, and continue to add, to the cultural and economic significance of our country. Many of your own grandparents or great grandparents came to this country not knowing the English language. Since 1820, the first year of record keeping, America has embraced more than 60 million immigrants.
Immigrants should learn English because that’s the expedient thing to do. Most immigrants come to this country with a tenuous grasp on the language, but they learn quickly because it is in their best interest to do so. The vast majority of immigrants are upwardly mobile, escaping poverty within a decade. It may eventually take a generation, but before long immigrants are living the American dream. And, by definition, there is nothing more American than that.