Attitudes Toward Bilingualism in the United States by Denise Carr-DeRamus Bilingualism has been a factor in this country since its inception, yet Bilingualism found its most widespread acceptance in the United States around the period just prior to World War II. This was particularly true within German immigrant communities in which schools were taught in the German language and German culture was valued. In the advent of World War 11, there was less tolerance of Bilingualism and English became the mandated language of education. To be speaking a language other than English was perceived to be unpatriotic. In the 1960's there was a drive to return to tolerance, if not full acceptance toward Bilingualism but the emphasis was placed on assimilation into the wider English-speaking community. Yet, with the advent of more Spanish speakers living within the United States and the prediction that by the year 2001 the school system in the United States will be more than fifty percent language minority students, it has been seen by some as preferable that more culture-specific practices come into place, to include Bilingualism. Still, there are many advocates of English becoming the official language of the United States in what seems to be a backlash attempt to ward off the influx of language minority groups coming to the United States at this time. This was most recently evidenced in June of 1998 when California voters voted in favor of Proposition 227 which mandates English-only instruction in public schools. Since that time, similar proposals have been found in Arizona, Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts. Since language and culture is found at the core of one's identity, it should not come as a surprise that factors such as politics, economics, race, religion, and self-concept will distinguish in what ways a particularly minority language will be viewed, both by the dominant culture and by each-other. ATTITUDES TOWARD BILINGUALISM Within the global community, some people perceive monolingualism as being the only desirable state. Others see multilingualism as being the only desirable state. yet, there is a whole array of attitudes between these two spectrums. Most European colonized countries lean toward monolingualism in the direction of the language of the colonizers. The United State is one such country. "In the United States, growing up bilingual was a reason for discrimination. Being bilingual has ... in the United States ... been used almost as a synonym for being poor, stupid, and uneducated ... Interactions between educators... minorities ... and the community ... reflect the power structure in the wider society where minority communities are disempowered" (Minority Education; Skutnabb-Kangas & Cummins; 1988; p2). Additionally, in the United States, attitudes toward bilinguals depended on the "political and social status of a particular language minority group: (Minority Education; Skutnabb-Kangas & Cummins; pg. 48). If a group was not favored, their language would be devalued and legislation would be instated to take the rights of the language minority group away. Attempts to curb voting practices were linked to English literacy requirements. From the Second World War until the 1960's, English was the language used for education. Even today, the goals of Bilingual education in the United States are to assimilate language minorities into the mainstream culture. It is also no surprise that English language proficiency in the United States is linked to upward mobility. Therefore, you must have some mastery over the English language to get a job. Therefore, basic survival in the United States depends on the degree of a person's ability to speak English. Due to this factor, "learners [of English] may be motivated by more pragmatic reasons that a desire to be liked by members of the target group. Even those whose attitudes toward language are mainly negative, because of the social conditions imposed on them by members of the dominant society, may want to learn the language of that society" (Second Language Acquisition in Childhood, V2; McLaughlin; p. 87). In this case, one reason for discrimination by the majority culture may be that they perceive immigrants as rivals for their jobs. When the linguistic minority internalizes the negative stereotypes that the majority culture heaps on them, they may give up their language. In these cases, their culture may be destroyed and familial relationships ruined because older relatives may not know the dominant culture's language. Also, the linguistic minority may perceive their choices as returning to their culture of origin or complete assimilation into the dominant culture. Therefore, we can see that "Languages have more than a mere pragmatic role in people's lives; they have symbolic connotation. The first language is likely to symbolize the home, friends, religion, warmth, and leisure; whereas the second language is the language of the workplace and the language used to deal with impersonal authorities and institutions ... There is a fear that in learning the dominant language, one runs the risk of losing part of the core of one's personal identity ... A compromise solution [to the dilemma of being forced to learn the dominant group's language while maintaining one's own cultural identity] is to use various linguistic strategies such as code-switching, accented speech in the target language and control dialects" (Second Language Acquisition in Childhood, pg. 87, 88, 256), although many people associate accents with denial of education and economic opportunities. yet, for others "the attitudes of learners toward the cultural group that speaks the second language and their desire to participate in this group can compensate ... for a lack of natural aptitude in second language learning. In general, the tendency of recent research has been to de-emphasize native language learning abilities and to emphasize the role of social and cultural factors" (Second Language Acquisition, V2, p. 2 1). and, we must never forget that people use language as a means of socialization. Some people may perceive Bilingualism as negative. The language minority then may be urged to use the 'dominant language. "When there is ambivalence or hostility toward the majority cultural group and insecurity about one's own language and culture, members of minority-language groups tend to perform poorly (within their respective settings.)" (Second Language Acquisition, V2, pg. 188). If the language minority internalizes the negative stereotypes, their self-esteem will often be lowered. One major factor that would affect a language minority in teaming the dominant language would be their attitude toward the speakers of the dominant language. If his/her attitude is positive, he or she may be more amenable to teaming and using the second language. Others may be resentful of the discrimination heaped upon them by the dominant culture, but perceive learning the dominant language as a means of economic advancement. Studies have shown that "language and culture are closely related and that culture could not be preserved without language..." there are some people who believe that "if you stop speaking your own language, then you leave your culture." There are also implications that "people who have lost their language have lost their identity" (Bilingualism: Romaine; pg 271). Other reasons that some people choose to keep their language of origin include: "Plans to return to their country of origin; ability to speak to extended family; and group identity" (Minority Education, pg 70). When asked reasons why some people support Bilingualism answers included: "tradition and more abstractly that it is broadening to have more than one language (Bilingualism; Romaine; pg 279). Some groups may be more amenable to learning the language of the dominant culture if there is little cultural conflict between the two groups. With the future trends in US population trending towards minorities, the problems of bilingual speakers will continue to be an ongoing issue with no easy answer.

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