Immigrants don't need to speak English to learn American culture and values.

To demonstrate how unimportant the English language is to transmitting our societies most cherished values, please listen to this short audio clip: (It's only :30 seconds long and "safe for work." For this to function properly, right-click the the MP3 icon and save it to your computer first.)

What language do you think that was?

Norwegian? Flemish? Swedish?

Bzzzz! Wrong!

You were listening to English - circa 1390 AD. Specifically, you just heard a few verses of "The Wife of Bath's Prologue" (lines 1- 8) from The Canterbury Tales, in the original Middle English of the period in which it was written.

Middle English was what the barons of Briton spoke when they banded together in 1215 AD and forced King John to sign what would become known as the Magna Carta; a document, written in Latin, that would lead to the concept of constitutional law.

Just because most modern Americans don't speak Middle English or read Latin, does not mean we can't appreciate the Magna Carta and the concepts that it has come to represent. We may not remember the language those feudal nobles spoke in the 13th century, but our society has internalized what they learned and achieved.

The same could be said for the ancient Greeks and Hebrews who wrote the bible, or, the Babylonians who carved the Laws of Hammurabi onto cuneiform.

The point is this: The most important aspects of a civilization transcend language. You don't need to speak English to respect the US Constitution and everything that makes this country great.

Rather than waste our energies on forcing a language onto new-comers, it is far more important to impart values such as equality, tolerance and freedom. The best way to do this is by example; not by legislation or insisting that the national anthem be sung in English.

Who cares what language Americans speak or sing 100 years from now? As long as they live free and let others do the same, the most important achievements of our culture will be preserved.

Read counterpoint here.

Tags: Magna Carta - English - English only - immigration - language - United States

Credits:

• The audio clip was from The Norton Anthology of English Literature.

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