Immigrants’ adoption of English as their primary language is one measure of assimilation into
the larger United States society.
Generally languages define social groups and provide justification for social structures.
Hence, a distinctive language sets a cultural group
off from the dominant language group. Throughout United States history this pattern has
resulted in one consistent, unhappy consequence, discrimination against members of the cultural
minority. Language differences
provide both a way to rationalize subordination and a
ready means for achieving it.
Traditionally, English has replaced the native language of immigrant groups by the second or third
generation. Some characteristics of today’s Spanish-speaking population, however,
suggest the possibility of a departure from this historical pattern. Many families retain
ties in Latin America and move back and forth between their present and former communities.
This “revolving door” phenomenon, along with the high probability of additional immigrants from
the south, means that large Spanish-speaking communities are likely to exist in the United States
for the indefinite future.
This expectation underlies the call for national support for bilingual education in Spanish-speaking
communities’ public schools. Bilingual education can serve different purposes, however. In the
1960s, such programs were established to facilitate the learning of English
so as to avoid disadvantaging children in their other subjects because of their limited English.
More recently, many advocates have viewed bilingual education as a means to maintain children’s
native languages and cultures.The issue is important for people with different
political agendas, from absorption at one pole to separatism at the other.
To date, the evaluations of bilingual education’s impact on learning have been inconclusive.
The issue of bilingual education has, nevertheless, served to unite the leadership of the nation’s
Hispanic communities. Grounded in concerns about status that are directly traceable
to the United States history of discrimination against Hispanics, the demand for maintenance of
the Spanish language in the schools is an assertion of the worth of a people and their culture.
If the United States is truly a multicultural nation—that is, if it is one culture
reflecting the contributions of many—this demand should be seen as a demand not for separation
but for inclusion.
More direct efforts to force inclusion can be misguided. For example, movements to declare
English the official language do not truly advance the cohesion of a multicultural nation. They
alienate the twenty million people who do not speak English as their mother tongue. They
are unnecessary since the public’s business is already conducted largely in English. Further,
given the present state of understanding about the effects of bilingual education on learning,
it would be unwise to require the universal use of English. Finally, it is for parents and
local communities to choose the path they will follow, including how much of their culture they
want to maintain for their children.