English_Language_in_the_United_States

English Language in the United States Ruben Kelly University of Phoenix COM 150   What language do you speak at home' In the United States alone, there are over 311 different languages spoken in the homes other than English. These languages include Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, and many other languages that are found across the United States. Currently in the world today, there are over 750 million people who speak the English language as their official language, a second language, or as a mixture with other languages such as a creole or pidgin. English is the official language spoken in England, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand however the United States has no official language. The English language is looked upon as a low West Germanic language of the Indo European family of languages. The early history of the Germanic languages is based on reconstruction of a Proto Germanic language that evolved into German, English, Dutch, Afrikaans, Yiddish, and the Scandinavian languages. The most commonly spoken language other than English that is spoken in the U.S. is Spanish. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the U.S. which is spoken by 12% of the population in the United States. According to the 2000 U.S. Census people of German ancestry make up the largest single ethnic group in the U.S. and ranks fifth. Languages from Italy, Poland, and Greek are still spoken among populations descending from immigrants from those countries; however these languages are starting to dwindle as the elder generations become deceased. Tagalog and Vietnamese have over one million speakers in the United States today who are entirely of recent immigrant populations. Both languages along with Korean, Chinese, and Japanese are now used in elections in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Washington. This leads to the importance of speaking another language in the United States. It is critical that foreign language classes be available for all Pre-Kindergarten-12 educational careers. The reasoning behind this is that this will expose all students to knowing other languages and understanding many other cultures as they prepare to live and work in a global society that is well enforce in the U.S. today. The benefits of this basically means no matter what career a student enters, they will interact with others around the world on a routine basis conducting business locally with those whose native language is not English. This implementation which is not just used in the U.S. would not benefit all but the entire world. There are many other countries today that are taught the English language. Countries such as the Philippines, Europe, China, Japan, and Africa and many more have an educational system that teaches the English Language to all of their students. The largest non-U.S. ethnic group that speaks English is Belize. Belize has a diverse society comprising many cultures and languages. Even though creole and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. Belize is bordered to the north by Mexico, south and west by Guatemala, and to the east by the Caribbean Sea. Belize’s mainland is about 290 kilometers long and 110 kilometers wide. In conclusion of my essay, even though with the United States having no official language, and the many different races and cultures spread across the United States, it is amazing that we all have one thing in common, and that is we all speak the English language to communicate and become successful in the best country in the entire world!