A common ignorant viewpoint of many anti-immigration proponents is that too much immigration into this country will change our environment and culture linguistically, possibly making English less widely spoken than Spanish or Chinese, for example. The United States is part of a list of countries with the most spoken languages within their borders, more than 300, and while some may find this to be evidence of corruption due to immigration or globalization, the psychological and economic effects of such diversity are more than worth it. There is so much to gain and absolutely nothing to lose when we embrace linguistic diversity, a fact that shows in the benefits of bilingualism academically, culturally and psychologically.
Spanish is the most spoken language other than English in the U.S., with 37.6 million speakers, followed closely by Chinese, Hindi and Urdu, Tagalog, and French. These languages are in the homes of our peers, teachers, doctors and law enforcement officials. This type of diversity is not constrained to a certain neighborhood full of immigrants. The truth is that English is no longer the language of solely those who grew up here, and vice versa. Almost 20 percent of our population is bilingual, meaning 55 million individuals speak a language other than English in their homes. In turn, that language is mixed with English, oftentimes to create a distinct dialect specific to individuals.
The benefits of this skill set, which is becoming less and less rare in our society, are innumerable. Along with the undoubtedly creative exchange of ideas that occurs when two people share a language and, therefore, a culture, bilingualism also promotes a sort of unity that is hard to find elsewhere. It is crucial to understand that this influx of languages does not just benefit those who speak it. Even an individual who only speaks English will be positively impacted by linguistic variety. Studies show that just hearing a language over and over again can help you further understand not just words of that language, but inflections and tones that go with it. Living in an environment where there is literally no shortage of different dialects gives everyone the opportunity to learn and thrive just by being aware of the conversations happening around you at the store, in class or on the bus.
In addition, linguistic diversity impacts our businesses, foreign relations and U.S. economy. If we lived in a country in which strict English was enforced and new languages were not welcome, it would be impossible to create an environment of global connectedness, both politically and economically. It is because of our acceptance of languages other than English that we are able to communicate both verbally and culturally (such as social cues/customs that are learnt with language). At the U, I see people from extremely varied walks of life each day. I have heard countless languages from Spanish to South Asian to Pacific Islander origin and each one is intrinsically unique and expressive. Being in a place where this assortment of linguistic traditions is embraced is a benefit that should be recognized by everyone.