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In my studies to become a secondary school teacher, there has been a major focus on how to provide for the needs of students who speak – or are learning to speak – English as a second language.  There are federal guidelines to that effect, and every state has its own program for meeting the federal requirements, in accordance with No Child Left Behind, and to continue to receive federal funding.

I’ve long understood that language and thought are two sides of the same coin, meaning that language acquisition is critical to learning.  For students from other countries who come to live and learn in the United States, their ability to speak – and think – in English is vital in determining their success academically and in their future lives as participants in our society.  I have never been of the ethnocentric mindset that non-English speakers should learn English out of some obligation to the country or its citizens.  I think that it is well within a person’s rights to maintain their first language and never learn of bit of English, if they are able to live comfortably while doing so.  Where an inability to speak English inconveniences native English speakers, as happens often enough in customer service scenarios, it is not the fault of the non-English speaker, but of the company that hired the worker in a capacity where speaking English was important.  After all, where customer support lines are outsourced to other countries, it has nothing to do with customer convenience, and everything to do with the company maintaining their bottom line – that is, saving money.

What’s important is that we recognize that all language has equal value within its own cultural context.  For non-English speakers who live in and work in settings where English is not used or even necessary, it certainly should not be required.  Any talk of English being the “official” language of the United States is nothing less than xenophobic nonsense.

However, there is much to be said about the practicality of learning and using English in contemporary American society.  Because of the great cultural plurality that makes up the United States milieu, it can be expected that there would be a common language to allow all of its disparate members to communicate.  English is as good a choice of any, and is in fact the best choice, if only because it is the language of academia and of commerce.  This means that in order for people to have equal access to education, and to be well-positioned to participate in the U.S. economy, it is important for them to learn English – and not just any English, but Standard American English (SAE). This is not about acquiescing to the prejudices of those who devalue other languages, but for the the obvious utility of knowing the language that undergirds American society. (more…)

It could be argued that a quintessential aspect of American culture is obliviousness or indifference towards foreign cultures. This kind of ethnocentricism is particularly interesting because America, as such a young nation, is a homogenization of many of those outside cultures. Indeed it is perhaps even impossible to define “American culture” independent of The Individualy different elements that have blended or clashed here since colonial times. Yet Americans by and large seem comfortably nested within a sort of cultural neutrality, a willful and blissful ignorance of the world around them. It is the reason why most Americans only speak English, whereas other nations either have more than one official language, or legally require their citizens to learn a second language.

I mention all of this not merely to criticize America but to create for the reader a better understanding of my environment, as it is vital to understanding the thesis of this paper. The greatest exception to the American paradigm of cultural ignorance is discovered in the field of anthropology. Anthropology, as a study of all things human, necessarily has to give special treatment to culture, as it is one of the primary distinctions between us and the rest of the animal kingdom. Therefore, those of who study anthropology – particularly cultural anthropology – are also exposed to other cultures. Cultural anthropology, though, is not merely the study of culture, but provides an understanding of how people look at culture. This means that we come face to face with our own indoctrination of western ideology, and the ethnocentrism that almost automatically stems from it. (more…)