English First?

It's been a while since have I seen any coverage in the media about the English First movement. This is a movement made up of folks who fear that foreign languages(primarily Spanish) are encroaching into official government business and who are disturbed when some government entities accommodate non-English speakers by translating forms into various languages. These same people feel that legislation is needed to make English the official language of America and to stop the erosion of its traditional standing as the sole language used in official government business.

I want to share with you one instance in which no legislation is needed to encourage two immigrants to learn English. In recent weeks I have noticed that two of my asylum seeker house mates have been waking up at 5am and leaving the house at 5:30 am. I found out tonight that they recently began free English classes at the Baltimore County Community College in Dundalk just outside of Baltimore City. Instead of taking a bus downtown to catch the number 40 bus to Dundalk, they have been riding their bicycles. I looked up the route on Google map and discovered that it is more than 9 miles on city surface streets and partly by freeway which is undoubtedly a more direct route. Their more circuitous route is very likely more than 10 miles each way. It takes them an hour each way which is about the same length of time by bus and they save the bus fare.

I think this illustrates the folly of measures designed to force immigrants to learn English. Given the opportunity, most new comers will learn English without coercion. Most of them know that the ability to speak English is the first rung on the economic ladder and determines the height to which one can reach. Instead of devising ways to force immigrants to learn English, it would be more productive to increase the availability of English classes to immigrants, especially those who have to work while learning English.