Praise Of A Bilingual Country Essay, Research Paper

Praise of a Bilingual Country

In the essay English as Second Language, English as First Love , Stephen Baker, the author, suggests that the United States should adopt English as its official language. He does not like the idea of the United States not having an official language, and does not want the United States to become bilingual. He argues, that English is the best language, and is the only choice for an official language of the United States of America.

It is this writer s opinion, that it would be a huge mistake for the United States to establish English as its official language, as Mr. Baker suggests. The United States would be better off with declaring the country officially bilingual. Many bilingual countries enjoy special advantages that countries with only one official language do not have. Using Canada for example, since the country is bilingual, Canada is more cultured, has a richer vocabulary, and has advantages in global trade and tourism.

The official languages of Canada are English and French. The wide use of these two languages ensure that Canada is extremely cultured. In a country with one official language, it is usually true that the people who live in the country are all of the same general culture and language. In Canada however, there lives two distinct cultures, the French and the English. Each of these cultures is unique, and each adds to the richness of overall Canadian culture. Each culture lends its own enhancement to Canada s art, music, literature, film, photography, and theater. If the United States decides to declare English as its only official language, its culture will only be defined through one perspective. However, if the United States decides to become a bilingual country, its culture will be defined through two very different and remarkable cultures.

Although the English language contains more words then any other language, it is still only one language. If the United States makes English its official language, then the official vocabulary will be limited to one language. If on the other hand, the United States becomes a bilingual country, then it will be able to draw its vocabulary from to languages. In Canada for example, a bilingual person possesses an extensive vocabulary consisting of two very large and very exquisite languages. This is extremely useful, as there are some things that are better described using words from a different language, and a bilingual country offers two languages to choose from.

Besides just improving a country s culture and vocabulary, bilingualism also helps a country economically. A country with two official languages has advantages in global trade and in global tourism. Since the country is able to speak two languages, it is easier to communicate with many different countries, which leads to an increase in global trading. If a country only has one official language, it is much more difficult to do business in many foreign countries. Another economic advantage for a bilingual country is tourism. If a country has only one official language, then it will generally only get tourists who are able to speak that one language. However, if a country is bilingual then tourists from many foreign countries feel comfortable visiting that country. The more tourists a country gets, the more the country s economy grows.

As was proven, a bilingual country has many advantages over a country with only one official language. A bilingual country has a richer culture, a larger vocabulary, and a better economy. This is in complete contradiction of Mr. Baker s essay, and illustrates that the United States would be better off with two official languages than with only one.