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America’s Voice
Jack Stout
ENGL 1010 Spring 2018
The United States of America is arguably one of the most powerful countries in the world. Our
massive Military contains some of the most highly trained individuals imaginable. Our research and
amazing minds have put men on the moon, broken records, and obtained new science and technology
decades before the rest of the world. The United States is even considered one of the most diverse
places in the world. A melting pot of different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and people. The most
amazing country in the world could still be viewed as being “behind” in one way, however; the amount
of people who speak a second language is very low. Is it time that the U.S. hops on the band-wagon and
Travel to nearly any other country and you will find two languages being taught in the class
room. The second language is most-often English, and learning this fact has made me curious as to why
so many other countries have a standard second language, when the Unites States features only elective
second languages in school. I am also curious about what the standard second language would be if the
The first reason this would be beneficial that comes to mind is the ability to do business much
more efficiently. The Unites States is involved in so many other countries, especially Asian countries. Our
ability to communicate them would be much easier if we were able to learn their native language.
Learning the language of another country is considered a kind gesture by most other Countries, and if
we were able to return this favor it may help us gain the respect of the leaders, businessmen, and all
people.
The second function of learning a second language would be the ability to better infuse
ourselves with other cultures. It is unfortunate that many are forced to learn English if they wish to
communicate with people in the United States. We have much we could learn from other people and
their leaders, and the best way for us to learn from them is to first learn the language that they speak.
Third, and possibly the most interesting: There are proven health benefits from learning a
second language. It has even been reported that “bilingual people show the signs of dementia four to
five years later than those who are not bilingual” (Doyle, 2014). Another study, performed by the
Collective Schools of Waldorf Education states that “learning a second language helps to grow other
sections of the brain visibly and those who keep up proficiency score higher on standardized math,
reading, and vocabulary tests, are more perceptive of others’ points of view, and have better listening
skills.” This study shows that brain scans have shown larger portions of the brain in people who have
learned a second language. This also means that they have a higher learning ability in other areas, and
can be more perceptive of other peoples emotions. In essence, they understand a second language, and
After doing a brief survey I was surprised to learn that many people felt that the United States
does not offer a second language is so that we can get ahead in other subjects, rather than spending
more time with language study. It is factual that the United States contains some of the most
Entrepreneurial and Artistic minds. Could this be a result of the amount of time we are able to spend
studying a variety of subjects? Perhaps the United States school system is seeking a “Jack of all Trades,
but master of none” type of education. What some countries would deem unfocused, and disorganized
may prove to be one of our biggest strong-suits. American students may not have the highest test
According to Secretary Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education from 2009 to 2015, it is time for
the United States to adopt second language study as a standard in American Schools. He writes
passionately about the subject saying: “the United States has relied on other countries for too long to
speak English” in the Foreign Language Summit. Quoting Nelson Mandela, he shared “If you speak to a
man in a language he understands, it will go to his head. If you speak to a man in his language, it will go
With very little time being spent studying a second language, what are U.S. Schools doing with
the extra time? Surely, we are excelling in other subjects such as Math, Science, or English, right?
Wrong. In a recent study by the Huffington Post, a popular World News website, United States Students
are ranked 24th in Mathematics, and do not break the top ten in any of the major subjects. So then,
where is all of the time and energy going? What are American’s good at?
Since the beginning of our country, United States citizens have shown the world that we are
tough, innovative, and business savvy. In a recent study by Inc. Magazine, “nearly 27 Million Americans
have chosen to start their own businesses and follow their dreams” (Buchanon, 2018). Although
American’s are not the most book-smart on paper, we have the grit, determination, and work ethic to
succeed. We are proud of who we are, and what we stand for. Proud to be part of a country that gives
us the liberty of choice, and stand steadfast in the belief that the American Dream is possible. Although
many lessons can be taught in a school classroom, perhaps the lessons learned outside of the classroom
have begun to outshine them. Maybe then, the language barrier is more than just the unavailability of
standard second language in U.S. Schools. “75% of Americans do not speak a second language”
(Noonan, 1982). It appears that American People settled in with English because it is the language of
With others, the decision to offer a standard second language is not a problem, however
deciding which language to offer is. With more than 1,197 Million Chinese Speakers, and 339 Million
Spanish Speakers, it is clear who the stand-out contestants would be. What would the benefits of each
language be?
Chinese: Second only to English as the language of Business, Chinese would be a great candidate
simply because of numbers. The United States trades with Chinese-Speaking countries most often, and
the usability of this language would be high, especially when outside of the U.S. As the United States
expands and we continue to integrate more with Asian technology and Asian influenced infrastructure,
this may prove to be the most usable language to learn in the Unites States in the coming years.
Spanish: Spanish is the second most spoken language here on United States Soil. With many
Immigrants from Mexico, and other South American countries pouring into the United States seeking
opportunity, it may benefit us greatly to be able to speak with them fluently. These immigrants are hard-
working, and bring a great cultural influence into the United States. If one thing is certain, they are here
to stay, and their numbers are growing each year. Most of them are able to learn at least some English,
however learning Spanish would help us to bridge the gap, and tap into the resources that they bring to
our country.
What will the future of language in American Schools be? As Business relationships, and influx of
immigrants continues to rise, will it become a necessity to learn a second language to survive in the
coming years? As American Schools seek to improve, where do we put the most effort? Is it an attempt
to help students become masters of English, and improve our test scores in the other core subjects?
Perhaps the missing component to our lacking scores in other subject is the introduction of a bilingual
school system. All of this will need to be taken into consideration as we ponder this important topic.
Works Cited
Doyle, K. (2014, June 09). A second language may help sustain the brain. Retrieved February 12, 2018,
from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-second-language-may-help-sustain-
the-brain/2014/06/09/d476f536-ec4d-11e3-93d2-edd4be1f5d9e_story.html?utm_term=.f61cda14de54
Buchanan, L. (n.d.). The U.S. Now Has 27 Million Entrepreneurs. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from
https://www.inc.com/leigh-buchanan/us-entrepreneurship-reaches-record-highs.html
Zhao, E. (2012, July 23). U.S. Students Still Lag Behind Foreign Peers, Schools Make Little Progress In
Improving Achievement. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/us-students-still-lag-beh_n_1695516.html
Noonan, C. (1982, December 10). 75% of Americans know no foreign language... Retrieved February 12,
2018, from http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archives/article_93af3e1b-43d4-5c12-9773-
5d4911385903.html
Education and the Language Gap: Secretary Arne Duncan's Remarks at the Foreign Language Summit.
(2010, December 08). Retrieved February 12, 2018, from
https://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/education-and-language-gap-secretary-arne-duncans-remarks-
foreign-language-summit
Amico, B. (2017, August 09). The Importance of Learning a Second Language. Retrieved April 07, 2018,
from http://blog.waldorfeducation.org/2017/08/importance-learning-second-language/