Official Language...One, Two or None?

The debate about establishing an official language in the States has been going on for a long time. English only? Or Spanish too? Should we have an official language at all?

Truly, this topic has two parts. The first part is, should we even have an official language? I think we  should. It makes sense to have a common and unifying language with which everyone can communicate, and which one must know how to speak upon becoming a citizen. Some people think it's racist, like Krauthammer pointed out, but having an official language doesn't mean other languages are any less, or that anyone is restricted to speaking only that language - it just means that to be naturalized into the country, one must know how to speak and understand it. Most immigrants end up learning the language anyway - how else are they going to communicate in this country? - so making it official just gives more incentive to learn it.

So we have established that English should be made the official language. Should Spanish be included too? This is where I disagree with Krauthammer. I think it should. The primary argument against this is if we make Spanish official, why not other languages too? Spanish is the second most spoken language in the US, with a total of 52.6 million Spanish speakers (4.1 million native speakers, and another 11.6 million who are bilingual) - more than Spain itself, and second only to Mexico. That's kinda significant. But there is another reason too - contrary to what Krauthammer implies, Spain did have a role in the development of America. Yes, their role was smaller than the French did in Canada, but still. I'm not an APUSH expert, but most people now agree that Columbus was Spanish, not Italian. Either way, he was representing Spain when he discovered the Americas. Fast-forward a few centuries: nine states were part of New Spain, then Mexico, before the U.S took them over. Even the U.S. dollar has Spanish roots. Point is, Spanish had, has and will always have a large influence on the country. Why not recognize that?


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