Bilingualism in America

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the commonly held belief that the United States is a monolingual nation. The paper challenges this notion and discusses the importance of bilingualism. In particular, the paper discusses the importance of bilingualism in terms of education and describes how official bilingualism within the educational system will benefit students and therefore society as a whole.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Historical Background
Monolingualism vs. Bilingualism
Bilingual Education Options
The Controversy
A National In-Decision
My Proposal
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"As far as bilingual education goes, it is clear that the results of studies are somewhat inconclusive when lumped together. However, the people being affected by the decisions should be the ones who vote on which way to go. Is this not a democracy? As a future educator, I feel that if the people decide which form should be used in their state and/or in their school district and they have the option to switch school districts, it would alleviate much stress. Although these proposals may be hard to implement and may cause much headache until they are sorted, the end result would truly be worth it. The world is getting smaller everyday and if the US wants to continue to hold such a strong position, then knowing other languages is essential. English may keep us unified, but knowing other languages will keep us powerful."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cashman, Holly R. "Who Wins in Research on Bilingualism in an Anti-bilingual State?." Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development 27.1 (2006): 42-60. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. UMUC Library, Online. 7 July 2007. <http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=19855369&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.
• Pavlenko, Aneta. "'Language of the Enemy': Foreign Language Education and National Identity." International Journal of Bilingual Education & Bilingualism 6.5 (2003): 313-331. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. UMUC Library, Online. 7 July 2007. <http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=12416220&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.
• Porter, Rosalie Pedalino. "The case against bilingual education." Atlantic Monthly (1072-7825) 281.5 (May 1998): 28. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. UMUC Library, Online. 7 July 2007. <http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=757633&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.
• Seligman, Daniel, and Patty de Llosa. "THE COMEBACK OF ENGLISH." Fortune 131.6 (03 Apr. 1995): 141-141. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. UMUC Library, Online. 7 July 2007. <http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9503177745&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.
• Terry, Don. "Bilingual Education lives after all." New York Times 148.51299 (03 Oct. 1998): A7. Lexis-Nexis. EBSCO. UMUC Library, Online. 7 July 2007. <http://web.lexis-nexis.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/universe/document?_m=4c9620e1ce47818a06ea37790f308e92&_docnum=1&wchp=dGLbVzb-zSkVb&_md5=cada6b7e9083634c98e5bba419bc10d2>.

More papers on Bilingualism in America:

• Argumentative Essay # 42804 : "Bilingual Education in High Schools"
• Argumentative Essay # 85244 : "Bilingual Education in the USA"
• Essay # 28574 : "The Role of Language in Cultural Identity"

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