Early last week state Rep. Courtney Combs said he is planning to introduce the Ohio English Unity Act – a discriminatory and harmful bill – in the House by the end of the year. If passed the act would make English the official language of Ohio and require state agencies to do their record keeping in English.
In an Oct. 31 Columbus Dispatch article, Combs is quoted saying that he does not want the U.S. to be bilingual and that speaking multiple languages divides the nation. Combs also said that the U.S. business language is English.
Unfortunately, what Combs forgot to mention was that a majority of the people in the world do not speak English as their first languages. For America to remain competitive in the world market, it necessarily needs to be a bilingual nation. The running joke of Americans only speaking one language has its truths.
Though some find it offensive that individuals immigrate to the U.S. without being able to speak English, it is equally offensive to suggest a group of individuals should give up a part of their culture that is incredibly defining – their language.
Ohio citizens who see the bill as white America imposing itself on immigrants should consider that although English is part of American culture, so is the belief that America is a melting pot that absorbs culture to build upon its own.
This bill can be viewed as hampering the growth of our nation in terms of world globalization.
Instead of requiring English to be Ohio’s first language, why not require more intensive study of foreign languages to place American students on more even ground with their ethnically-growing surroundings?
An argument for the bill is that to be a naturalized citizen individuals must read, write, speak and understand words in common usage in the English language. This would mean that at least, on some level, immigrants should be able to understand English.
The three major cities in Ohio – Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati – offer a wide range of diversity and culture. Columbus is home to large gay, Somalian, Hispanic and black populations. State laws should reflect that diversity.
Although it might be easier if all immigrants made a valid attempt to learn and use English, it is unrealistic. The legislative process should not be used to force culture on others. It should be particularly worrisome that if the law passes it would affect an amendment of civil-rights law that mandates government agencies insure those who do not speak English well are given the opportunity to learn.
