On March 1, President Donald Trump signed an executive order formally declaring English as the official language of the United States. “The text of the executive order rescinds a previous Bill Clinton-era executive order signed in 2000,” said Timothy Burge, director of international programs at Doane. That order had been issued to improve the ability and access of non-English speakers in federal spaces. Despite this, many were surprised to find that English was not the official language of the United States. In fact, in 1780, Congress rejected a proposal to designate it as such, calling it “undemocratic and a threat to individual liberty.”
However, Timothy Burge doesn’t see a way for this order to impact students. “For example, [the order] does not require businesses to operate in English, nor does it require schools to instruct students in a particular language,” Burge said. “This also does not impact any laws that individual states might have for offering state and local level services in multiple languages.”
Doane has already established a requirement for a certain level of English proficiency among its students. International students are also required “to demonstrate English language proficiency by taking an approved standardized test if they come from a non-English language speaking country,” according to Burge. Those practices remain unchanged by this order.
While Burge believes this will not impact students, Joshua Pope, professor of Spanish and department chair of Modern Languages, thinks this could devalue languages other than English. “For example, if the U.S. makes English an official language but not Spanish, it is showing more value for English than Spanish,” Pope said. More than 56 million Americans have some proficiency in Spanish, which is more than in any country except Mexico.
“Having English as a national official language may devalue other languages to the point where it could create a barrier to language programs,” Pope said. This was something which Burge had also theorized about. “The biggest impacts will likely be outside of our nation’s university communities, such as with immigrants or refugees who have resettled in the U.S. who need extra language support,” Burge said. “This could impact, for example, Spanish language services.” Burge also pointed out the Afghanistan and Somalia refugee resettlement communities in Lincoln and Omaha, which the order could impact.
Pope, however, sees this as an opportunity to learn new languages. He encourages students to become bilingual or multilingual, saying it opens many doors. “I’m not just talking about the people I encounter abroad but also people in Crete and members of my extended family,” Pope said.
He acknowledged that learning a new language can come with many challenges, such as anxiety or messing up. As a balm, Pope recommends finding a speaking buddy. “There will be errors in your language, but they’re not going to make your conversation buddy think any less of you,” Pope said. “It’s commendable because it means you’re trying to learn a new language.”
