Heritage Language Loss

The United States is made up of tons of people who speak different languages. Walking down the street or going to the grocery store, I'm sure you'll hear some sort of language that sounds like gibberish to you. That is the beauty of our country, that there is not official language. It is a place where anyone can freely enjoy and spread their culture, or is it?

My research paper revolves around heritage language loss and how it is influenced by nationalistic views in the United States. English is not the official language of the United States, but it is the primary language spoken and there is obvious sentiments against the use of other languages. It is not hard to find political articles online that argue that the strict use of English is the only way to guarantee effective communication in the country or that the use of different language only creates more barriers between groups of people. On the other hand, some state that the United States is accepting of diversity and new cultures, but that is not the case.

English nationalism can be seen and experienced by anyone. Coming from a town that is extremely economically and culturally diverse, it is very common to hear different languages, especially Spanish. I live in a location that is a vacation spot to some of the wealthiest people in the world. However, many immigrant families, including my own family, live there year round to take jobs provided by the wealthy, such as landscaping and cleaning houses. Most of these immigrants speak Spanish and often are discriminated for using their language. I can not tell you how many times I've heard irrelevant wealthy white people complaining to store managers about how the staff cannot properly speak English. It is so frustrating and upsetting to see, as the people that do these jobs are just trying their best of support their families. This outburst of privilege and nationalistic ideas is what causes heritage languages loss. Of course immigrant parents are not going to teach their first generation children their language, as they will only face criticism and disadvantage. Instead of fighting others over their culture, we need to understand them and promote their diversity. Bilingualism is a gift and allows an individuals to see the world in different ways. Nationalism in the United States is destroying this, as it has only caused discrimination and native language loss.