English Should Be the Only Official Language in the U.S.

Right after Qing Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin Dynasty, unified ancient China in 221 B.C, he promoted a series of revolutionary policies. One of them is “Shu Tong Wen”, meaning over the kingdom, all writing should be with the same characters. It was the first time that China has an “official language”. Before then, one Chinese character could be written in several versions and sound extremely different, which was a great obstacle to production activities and governmental administration. The official language policy wiped out the obstacle and had been kept by every ancient Chinese dynasty since then.

It`s not a particular case. Many countries are now carrying out or seeking for the one official language policy. However, lots of countries, including the United States, haven’t decided on a clear language policy. From my point of view, it`s the very time the U.S should declare the English to be the only official language.

The common language

Think about the Internet technology, the world we live now has become a village because of it. The Internet makes everyone interconnected by following a set of clear-stated standardized rules. Just like the Internet, a common language also has such power. In another word, it`s a “unifying force” according to S. I. Hayakawa. In his essay “Bilingualism in America: English Should Be the Only Language”, Hayakawa starts with the example of the new generations of Chinese and Japanese immigrants in California to show the “amicable results of sharing the English language” (575). The two original groups of immigrants who speak different languages used to be at odds with each other, but new generations get along well by sharing English. There is no doubt that a common language makes efficient communication possible and helps to create a perception of affiliation.

Since the U.S is a nation of immigrants, the incredible diversity that can be seen everywhere within this country has inherently brought about tremendous racial,...