Kenneth Brown Jr. Brown 1
May 1, 2013
Professor Sodon
Eng. 101-503
Essay 6: Should English be the Official Language of the U.S.
The English language is a language that plays an important role in the United States. The English language’s relevance is not only important in today’s era but also in the overall history of the United States. English is the second most widely spoken language in the world and therefore should be the official language of the United States of America. There are many factors that can and should be considered when making English the official language of the United States of America. These factors include the history of the language, how it would unite the country, and how the amendment would be proposed.
English as a language traces back before the United States even became a country. “English as a language started during the 5th century A.D. with three German tribes who invaded Britain”. (http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm) Before Britain was invaded most inhabitants spoke a Celtic language and it wasn’t until most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north of Britain that these inhabitants began learning the language of English. The name English comes from a tribe called the Angles. Their language was originally called “Englisc” which is where the words England and English come from. Since each of the three invading German tribes spoke similar languages, Britain developed those similar languages
Brown 2
into what we know as “Old English”. Old English lasted in Britain from 500 till 1100 A.D. and it has little semblance with today’s Modern English language with the type of words that were used but in fact more than half of the more widely used Modern English Language words can be traced back to Old English. The country most known for the English speaking language is the United Kingdom better known as Great Britain. Great Britain is the country that introduced the...