Most worldwide citizens can answer that quite easily. They have only a couple of languages to choose from. Now — you in the great United States of America — do you know your Official National Language? The answer: NONE!
Did your heart drop as mine did when learning that? This
powerful country, the only major country in the world to welcome all languages,
the only one to mix many languages with an English base, the only country that
does NOT recognize the uniqueness of its linguistics — the only one listed as
NONE. What a shameful omission!
In order to fulfill that missing piece, I am petitioning the
folks who administer the federal government to issue a proclamation (at the
very least) to recognize USA-English as the Official National Language. Here’s
how that petition reads:
Respectfully asking the United States
Congress to designate USA-English as the Official Language of the United
States, acknowledging the nation’s unique multi-cultural population with varied
ways to write and speak a language based on English. No other nation can make
this claim, and yet the USA is the only major nation without a designated
official language.
Here’s the whole story:
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT to make USA-English, with its
inclusive languages from around the world, flexible to teach and learn, the
official free language of the United States of America.
WHEREAS: The United States of America, a powerful
international leader, has no designated official language;
WHEREAS: Widespread confusion exists over the “rules” of
grammar that should be taught to USA students;
WHEREAS: The United States of America fought and won a war
to be free of control from England, resulting in changes made to the language
to suit the needs of a new nation, free and independent;
WHEREAS: The USA is the only nation in the world composed of
immigrants from around the world, who bring with them their native culture:
foods, music, rituals, art, customs, and language;
WHEREAS: USA is weary of having British English (The
King’s/Queen’s English) foisted on its people as “proper, correct, accurate,
and suitable”;
WHEREAS: U.S. teachers are not being trained to teach
grammar — any kind at all — because of the contradictions in grammar texts;
WHEREAS: The USA has developed its own style of English that
includes words and syntax of every other major language in the world (and a few
not-so-major);
THEREFORE: The time has arrived to offer teachers and
students of the United States an official language that provides guidelines for
global usage, flexible word adaptation, freedom to make appropriate changes,
and the right to be free of complex, outdated “rules” based on the language of
England, from whom we claimed our independence.
If you feel so moved, please join me in forwarding this blog to your Congressional representatives (House and Senate), to the President of the United States, and to any linguistics organization you know.
