House Editorial: Language is as American as apple pie and sesame chicken
Nashville controversy provides nothing nice to say about English-only movement
Posted on February 15, 2007

Some 80-odd years ago, Texas’ first female governor, Miriam “Ma” Ferguson took up the perennial question of “foreign” languages in America. Regarding teaching language, she justified her opposition to such learning by stating, quite simply, “If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it’s good enough for us.”

Over three-quarters of a century later, the debate over codified language has only increased, though many of the arguments surrounding it have remained just as absurd.

Mayor Bill Purcell of Nashville, Tenn., made headlines on Monday when he vetoed a measure passed through the Metro Council to make English the official language of Nashville, saying it was unconstitutional, unwarranted and unfair.

“If the ordinance becomes law, Nashville will become a less safe, less friendly and less successful city,” Purcell said. “And as mayor, I cannot allow that to happen.”

We agree with Purcell that the city of Nashville, with the nation’s largest Kurdish community and a booming Latino population, would not have benefited from such a draconian and heavy-handed law. But the controversy surrounding the mayor’s decision is one more demonstration of the xenophobic and hegemonic currents of American thought that have kept the English-only coals smoldering for so long.

The United States is one of the few countries in the world — including the United Kingdom, from where much of our legal code is adopted — that does not have an official language. It is true that Americans have spoken English, in various forms, since the inception of the country, and have certain codes proscribing the use of the language in certain official situations. But our country does not privilege the use of English in many other, less formal contexts.

And though the majority of Americans speak some dialect of English, the majority does not by default determine the law. Our Bill of Rights was designed in part to protect the voices of the minority from being stifled by the majority; and the language in which one speaks a message deserves as much protection as the message itself.

As a result, it would be misguided at best and intolerant at worst to disparage those who cannot speak English, regardless of how much it complicates a situation or causes frustration. The Ukrainian D-hall employee is not legally compelled to speak English any more than we are legally compelled to speak Ukrainian. Going to a Vietnamese nail boutique or a Mexican restaurant tips the scales even more.

Different cultures and different languages are not something to be abhorred. Rather, we would contend that the absence of an official language in the United States has contributed immeasurably to the progression of our society. Having to point to a number on a menu at the Chinese restaurant in Nashville is a very small price to pay for diversity.