The American Identity: Language

While I sincerely understand the viewpoint of these opposing opinions, I respectfully disagree with their assessment. I think a very core issue in this discussion is the topic of identity. Firstly we must ask what really constitutes as an American? I think a great number of people have a specific picture of what an American is supposed to be. Possibly, they have a vivid picture of an American as the Anglo-Saxon Protestant who votes, participates in the social sphere, understand local customs, and is integrated into the social fabric of America. Importantly, they speak English. For me, I think an American is a much less rigidly defined identity. Just because the majority of the population fits the prior-mentioned picture, does not mean the rest of the minority populations are excluded.

If we want to be completely technical, the majority of Anglo-Saxons would not be true Americans. Rather, technically, true Americans are native Americans - the original inhabitants of this land we inhabit. And no, the REAL Americans do not speak English, they speak one of the hundreds of indigenous native American languages. But I digress; no one these days will recognize this sort of extremist definition. We have moved beyond this rigid kind of thinking. Even though the prior-mentioned definition is the de facto definition of what an American is, today’s “proper” definition does not require ancestry as a necessity in the American identity. Today’s definition of American is based on inhabitance. Those who inhabit this land are Americans, specifically; those who are born in this land or have lived here long enough and can/wish to fulfill naturalization requirements are Americans.

This may seem rather natural to us but it is in fact not the norm worldwide. Let’s take a look at some foreign examples. In the world, the American practice of naturalization by birth is in the minority. In most of the “Old World,” birth does not necessarily grant you the title of a national. Rather, you must be borne of at least one national or can claim a lineage of ancestry to be a citizen. Furthermore, unlike the US, naturalization is not automatic. For example, it is completely possible that you could be born in France, lived there all your life, speak only French, but not be a Frenchman.

The situation in other countries is even more complicated. While most countries have some sort of methodology and criteria for the naturalization of foreigners into political citizens, the social acceptance of these foreigners is even more complicated. You could be born in France, lived there all your life, hold a French passport and citizenship, but because you are black or middle eastern, you are not socially accepted as French. This is because ethnicity and nationhood does not always correlate with political citizenship and statehood. I should note that there is a difference between a "nation" and a "state," the former being referring to people and the later being a political determination of place. A "nation" is a group of people with similar culture, language, and social practices. A "state" is a political organization headed by a government with defined borders and exercises political power. Often we confused the two words and interchange them as if they were the same. For example, we often refer to countries (such as America) as a nation but in reality by definition it is not, it is a country, a state. Japan is actually one of the FEW places in the world that is both a "nation” and a “state." In Japan, 99% of the population is ETHNICALLY Japanese. This is primarily due to the fact it is an island nation and its history of being socially and politically closed off. Japanese citizens and nationals, therefore happen to overlap serendipitously be the same thing.

Coincidentally, there are also examples of the opposite happening as well. There are some "nations" without "states." The nation of Palestine for example, has no state or political borders. The nation of Palestine (the Palestinian people) extends into Israel, Jordan, Egypt, etc. The Palestinian people are therefore subject the laws and authorities of different governments but are still unified with one common heritage, language, culture, and social pattern. (Another example of this phenomenon is the Kurds.)

The American experience is very different. We are a country of immigrants. So much so, that the immigrant populations (your Anglo-Saxons) have superseded over the de facto, world nominal, definition of national identity. In essence, the immigrants of America, have (because of our numerical majority) become more American than the actual Americans. However, America is far from a nation because we are all of different ethnic backgrounds. We have Caucasians, Asians, Africans, every mix of European, and Hispanics and we are all called and accepted as Americans both politically as citizens and socially as nationals.

America therefore is a mixture of people, cultures, languages, and lifestyles. There is no unifying definition of what is an American. We cannot be defined by ancestry, by color, by status, by sex, and importantly - by language. This is reflected by the fact that America has no official language. This may surprise a lot of people, but Congress has tried to push a measure to certify English as the official language many times in history but every time it has failed because our leaders have recognized the diversity of our ethnic and vernacular differences. An American has no cultural, ancestral, or vernacular definition. Americans are untraditional in every sense of the word. We are world aberrations in many ways and even in our identity. We are people from all different backgrounds that are united only by the founding declarations by which this country was founded: of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

American is not a “melting pot” of people and cultures, but rather a “salad bowl” or “patchwork quilt” – we live, work, play, and speak differently but together we make the whole blanket or bowl of a greater American identity. Our similarities lie in our differences. In the New York Metro area I can within a day, visit Latino neighborhoods, Irish areas, Chinatown, Korea-town, Indian communities, Italian streets, and Japanese shopping centers and each area with a whole new language being spoken and used NATRUALLY. Yet in these areas, you will find Mexican flags drawn on windows of houses with American flags waving overhead. You will find Asian fusion restraints. You will find Irish kids speaking Spanish to their Hispanic friends. You will hear Hip Hop mixed with Indian beats. You will find Muslim mosques built on the same block as a Catholic cathedral. And you will find families with different shades of skin colors, hair colors, and shapes of eyes. This is the essence of freedom. Of liberty. Of choice to life-style. Of pursuit of happiness.

All of these communities are American communities. Some of them are citizens, some are transitioning to be citizens, and some are not citizens but have children who are citizens. But as an immigrant you must start somewhere. The important part is that all of these people love the country that they live in and are thankful for the opportunity for a new life that they were given when they came here. These people may not speak English but they work, participate in American society, participate in the election process, pay their taxes and contribute to the economy. While not everyone may speak English, their children will no doutably be fluent English speakers. Statistics show that nearly 95% of the offspring of first generation immigrants are fluent in English. I am not so extreme as to ask everyone pick up another language, (or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5). I will not argue the fact that English is the dominant language. Almost all immigrants attempt to learn English, however anyone who is an adult and whose individual identity is already established will have difficulty in learning a second language and assimilating into a new life. Therefore, they may choose to live in ethnic enclaves where they are comfortable with their culture, surroundings, services, people, and language. It may take a second generation of their offspring to venture out of these enclaves and become “nominal” Americans.

On the question of loyalty, currently, minorities make up 30% of the country’s armed forces when they only represent 19% of the total national population, meaning that minorities disproportionally elect to serve more in this country's defence with their lives than their Caucasian counterparts. I personally, like most other Americans males my age, am enrolled in the Selective Service – America’s emergency draft system. I will defend this country with the last fiber of my being if my country decides it is necessary to call upon me to do so. And no, I was not born here, I was born in Beijing, China. I became a naturalized American citizen over 6 years ago but I have lived here for over 18 years of my life.

 
These are her parents:

Her name is Addison Shiloh MeiLing Goldstein. Shiloh is Hebrew. MeiLing is Chinese. Even though Addie's tiny feet have never set forth on American soil, she has full fledged American citizenship. Even though she was born in London, the United Kingdom's laws say she cannot be considered an English girl because her parents are are Americans.

Addison is the face and future of an American.