Essay Sample on Immigrants: Speak English to Experience USA Culture

Paper Type:  Essay
Pages:  6
Wordcount:  1644 Words
Date:  2023-02-12

Introduction

As the wise sages always say, when you go to Rome, do as the Romans do. When an individual comes to the United States of America, they are ready and willing to experience the American culture, and as a result, it is equally fair or rather convenient if this immigrant can speak English for their sake and the sake of the Americans who they will come across. Many individuals may consider this as kind of politically incorrect since a particular minority is being looked down upon, the fact that one does not know English and doesn't want to have an interest in learning is quite ironic since their interest should empathize as well with the people they are going to indulge themselves ("Should Immigrants to the USA Be Forced to Learn English?"). The smooth interaction of neighbors and participate in social occasions since one knows the language is the least American they could try and be to at least blend in.

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American rights are one of the freest countries on earth. Therefore, it is essential that if one is an American immigrant, they should know their rights so that they can follow by them and enjoy every one of them. Some Americans however, nowadays claim that the immigrants are coming to take all their jobs (Benedetti and Zimmerman 16). It is expected that if someone moves from someplace to go and settle in the United States, it means that they will adapt to the lifestyle that including getting a job to the pay the bills and taxes. Also, not all the words can be translated, and it would be absurd to write foreign names in all restaurants or joints since most of the individuals speak English.

Another reason that says it is essential that immigrants learn English is the fact that Americans voted for this notion. It was stated loud and clear that immigrants learn English, and the majority accepted this notion since, to flourish in new places, it is wise to respect the country, and the specifications are given. In some states, it is essential that one may do something specific or unique like worship their gods ("Should Immigrants to the USA Be Forced to Learn English?"). Failure to this would show a great sign of disrespect, and this is usually not handled well-, meaning that the immigrants stay might be quite short-lived due to the pressure they will be put through.

For an immigrant to come to the United States, they go through a lot indeed from racial profiling to general discrimination along the way, but when they finally reach the country, the least they can do is learn Basic English (Talwar 15). Also, some reforms are changed involving immigrants policies upon the raising of a valid issue which would be better if changed. This means that it would be necessary if the immigrants would understand English so that if there were a burning question, they would raise it and get relevant assistance. That unity factor that is brought about by speaking the same language is a crucial reason for insisting on immigrants speaking English.

Some requirements involved in the US naturalization require oral testing, and the paramount language used is English both in Civics and English. Without passing the test, there is no granting of citizenship to the United States hence the core value of being able to speak and understand English. It is every individual's passion to give their kids the best life possible and if learning English no matter how old one is will make their children's experience better, then the immigrants strive all they cannot for themselves but in order to make sure they make the cut I entering the US for the sake of their kids (Talwar 15). This usually is a considerable motivation since some immigrants see the requirement for understanding English being a burden, but when they are told their children can also not enter, they decide to let their arrogance and laziness aside and work hard to understand English and ensure their kids live the American dream.

Most of Americans have respect for households and other private entities to speak whatever language they prefer, their native languages mostly. However, it is essential for them to recognize the struggle for integration in the society and in 2000; Bill Clinton went ahead and signed an executive order to provide money for service in any languages. This meant that he paved the way for speaking of foreign languages, and as a result, multilingualism became popular in the United States. The idea of having a language barrier over a coffee in Starbucks is intoxicating considering this individual has come to the US to seek better lives; it would be equally fair enough if they would learn English so as not to inconvenience others and themselves.

Today citizens have to learn Mexican since it has started being slang throughout the country. This is appreciated as diversity and also another means of uniting the citizens. In respect to this, it is also fair enough if the immigrants speak the citizens' language even though there would not have considered it as a compulsory requirement ("U.S. Should Require All Immigrants To Learn English: 10 Reasons Why"). There once came up with the notion that people prefer to choose Mexicans to work for them since they will work cheaper and harder than the whites. This was true, but as a result, it made many foreigners enter the country without even prior knowledge of English. This caused the workforce industry to be robust, but language barrier began to become an issue. One would go to a market to buy groceries from a foreigner, and they would eventually end up shouting or even not making a successful purchase due to the language barrier. This is why it becomes a crucial requirement to become a citizen of the country.

According to the Business Week newspaper, learning English is necessary for full assimilation into the American culture. It is the confirmation that you are willing to stay there and relate with people positively hence its essence. Also, absorption gives immigrants the chance to feel truly American. Many critics like to insist that it is not a requirement for other countries that you know their language, so why the United States any different? Since World War II, many war veterans originated from many different countries that allied with the US, and in return, they would become US citizens ("Why "Make Them Learn English" Is the Key to Immigration Reform"). After millions of diverse individuals settled, the next step was seeking a form of unity for people to communicate. This progression has led America to become a great nation as compared to others, that is why many people go there seeking greener pastures. It is a land of opportunities.

The international currency is the dollar, America's national currency. This shows the nation's superiority, and that is yet another reason as to why there is a necessity for a common language just like the currency. When you go to countries like the Netherlands that speak Dutch mainly or even Mexico where Spanish is the national language, one wouldn't require prior knowledge or that language but can learn while living there. However, for the United States, it is a requirement that was voted b the majority and made to be paramount. People insist that this is burdening the old or short lining the illiterate, and sadly, this fact is actual.

For a country to be stable, the number of people working should be almost equal to the number of resources being consumed. If one is too much or too little, there will be instability, and if the country becomes unstable, there will be issues going wrong. This is specifically why America has to find strategies to ensure that the people coming to their country are of benefit to the economy in general. This is why when most people enter the country; they get a job or even more than one job. Lucky for the immigrants, numerous English speaking classes have been opened that are not as costly as they used to be, and they integrate English reading, writing, and speaking. For those that don't know any English at all, these classes are the most recommendable ways of beginning to learn it since without this knowledge, earning citizenship to the United States is illegal.

Conclusion

Despite the critics claiming that learning basic English is not a requirement for the immigrant seeking citizenship, the majority decides that it was a critical part and so it has been integrated to the provisions of becoming an American citizen. There were numerous activists and free thinkers that thought otherwise of this decision, but in all categories, there were majority individuals that saw this sense. A reason as to why every immigrant doesn't need to learn English is because every wave of immigrant that comes is the same from the last meaning that the middle-aged population comes to seek a job to take care of the family. On the other hand, the reason as to why English will be essential is that no the next generations of the immigrants will have their children bilingual. This bilingualism will help them in life, and therefore, the language barrier issue will be eradicated.

Works Cited

Benedetti, Mary, and Daniel Zimmerman. "FREIRE REVISITED: DEVELOPING AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING PROGRAM FOR AND WITH LOW- OR NO-PROFICIENCY REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS." EDULEARN18 Proceedings, 2018.

"Should Immigrants to the USA Be Forced to Learn English?" The Premier Online Debate Website | Debate.org, www.debate.org/opinions/should-immigrants-to-the-usa-be-forced-to-learn-english.

Talwar, Jennifer P. "Searching for the American Dream." Fast Food, Fast Track, 2018, pp. 1-15.

"U.S. Should Require All Immigrants To Learn English: 10 Reasons Why." I Love My Freedom, 24 Mar. 2016, ilovemyfreedom.org/u-s-require-immigrants-learn-english-10-reasons/3/.

"Why "Make Them Learn English" Is the Key to Immigration Reform." The American Prospect, prospect.org/article/why-make-them-learn-english-key-immigration-reform.

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Essay Sample on Immigrants: Speak English to Experience USA Culture. (2023, Feb 12). Retrieved from https://proessays.net/essays/essay-sample-on-immigrants-speak-english-to-experience-usa-culture

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