Does Anyone Here Speak American? Language, Race, and Citizenship in the United States

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2007
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Se habla español. Three small words have come to symbolize more than a foreign language. They are dividing words: north vs. south, rich vs. poor, white vs. brown. They represent all that America is, the land of opportunity, and all that America is scared to be, the land of the poor bracero. They chronicle the struggle of a people who have fought to gain, and maintain, their independence from a Northern stronghold. As these words creep deeper into the red, white, and blue heartland, they open up the flood gates of controversy. The presence of Spanish in the United States has become one of the most highly contested issues of the new millennium. With an increase of immigrants from Latin America, the population demands a change in the current language system. Unlike other nations around the world, the United States is not known for its linguistic plurality. Of course there are American citizens who speak different languages, but English still dominates on the national arena. I have always questioned why the United States is so different from Europe when it comes to this issue. Why is it that countries like Belgium or Germany have residents who speak more than one language, yet in the U.S., people are up in arms about seeing Spanish in public places? The difference is that Europeans speak English, French, Italian, languages that invoke sophistication and class. They represent money, power, and progress. Spanish, on the other hand, does not carry the same social weight. It is not the language of art or love, but the language of poverty. Moreover, the champions of the Spanish-speaking world are not Michelangelo's or Monet's, but Guevara's and Garda Mάrquez's. This is not a world of porcelain princes, but bronzed gauchos. This essay explores the racialization of language in the United States. Looking at the English-Only movement and the current tensions surrounding Spanish in the United States, I show that these tensions are not based around linguistic conflicts but racial ones. I argue that unlike the previous immigration waves of the 19th and early 20th century, today's immigrants are more racially diverse, thus bringing about a new set of political, social, and cultural concerns. Negative images of Latin Americans fuel the English-Only movement and other assimilationist programs aimed at "Americanizing" new immigrants. The changing demographics of the American population separate English-Only in the United States from other national language debates because it inevitably links citizenship to race. Language becomes a means to ensure the domination of the white culture in the United States. I begin by looking at the current situation of Latin American immigrants in the United States. How do race and ethnicity influence notions of American citizenship in the 21st century? In comparing this immigrant group with those of the past, did 19th and early 20th century immigrants face similar hardships to the ones faced by today's immigrant population? Are there concurrent trends in discrimination between the past and the present? Distinguishing Latin American immigration as different from others exposes a new narrative distinct to a particular group of people with a particular tie to our nation. Next, I discuss what language is and how it functions in society. Does language play a part in identity construction? Is our access to goods related to which language we speak? What purpose does speaking English serve for American citizens? Following these questions is a discussion on Spanish in America. Does the Spanish language help uphold American ideals? How are its speaker perceived in a national and global context? These questions guide us to English-Only and race. Does the push to make English official reveal tensions surrounding a growing non-white population? Is American citizenship defined in a racial context? How are Spanish-speakers left out or incorporated into the American citizenry because of their race? Lastly, I argue for reconsidering how we use language in the United States. In today's society language is a vehicle to perpetuate racial homogeneity on the political, social, economic, and cultural level. I posit a notion of language as a cultural resource that should be available to all citizens. By placing language in a cultural context instead of a political or economic one, we construct more accurate representations of others and ourselves.
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