The Marcolian Online

Apr. 5, 2007

Letter to the editor:
English spoken by majority of immigrants

Jon Moffett’s “Captain’s Log: Farewell” in the March 22, 2007 Marcolian states that: (1) Rite Aid has packaging in French, (2) Moffett did not like French in high school, and therefore, (3) foreigners in the US are “freeloaders” who are not learning English.

Toward the end of the column, Moffett wonders “what happened to the good old days” when immigrants learned English. While acknowledging the hard work involved in learning English as a second language, Moffett claims that “most” foreigners in the US are not learning the language. This claim is simply false.

According to material collected in the US government census of 2000, 76.4% of people who speak another language at home also speak English “well” or “very well”. Furthermore, studies reported in the web sites of the Population Reference Bureau (www.prb.org) and the Migration Policy Institute (www.migrationinformation.org) show that not only is English spoken by the majority of immigrants, but immigrant families are making the transition to English more rapidly now than was the case in the “good old days” of the early 20th century.

The basis for Moffett’s conclusion that foreigners are “freeloaders” is Rite Aid’s packaging that contains French. In fact, Rite Aid can provide prescription instruction in 11 different languages. This marketing strategy recognizes that not all newcomers to the US may have time to develop advanced English-language skills before they need medical attention and that the consequences of an “English-only” policy are potentially life-threatening.

The column also attacked French as an “effeminate” and “girly” language based solely on Moffett’s unpleasant experience in high school French classes. On the one hand, the choice of “effeminate” and “girly” as generic slurs might receive approval in private conversation among certain kinds of young men, but is no substitute for convincing evidence in a published article read by a more diverse audience.

On the other hand, within a given social context, a language may become associated with a group using it, but no language is inherently masculine or feminine. For example, in the English spoken by Cajuns in Louisiana, French words and expressions are used more by men because French-influenced language is associated within that group with traditionally “manly” pursuits such as hunting and fishing.

It is unfortunate that this article, based as it is on false claims and illogical reasoning, might be taken as representative of the critical thinking skills students should be developing at Marietta College.

Dr. Janie Rees-Miller
Director of English as a Second
Language
Director of International Programs


• Campus News • Viewpoints • Sports • Arts & Living • Greek wrap-up • Ask Marc • Spotlight • New faces at MC • Meet our staff • Staff profiles • Letters to the editor policy • History of the newspaper • Benefits of advertising • Ad rates		Apr. 5, 2007 Letter to the editor: English spoken by majority of immigrants Jon Moffett’s “Captain’s Log: Farewell” in the March 22, 2007 Marcolian states that: (1) Rite Aid has packaging in French, (2) Moffett did not like French in high school, and therefore, (3) foreigners in the US are “freeloaders” who are not learning English. Toward the end of the column, Moffett wonders “what happened to the good old days” when immigrants learned English. While acknowledging the hard work involved in learning English as a second language, Moffett claims that “most” foreigners in the US are not learning the language. This claim is simply false. According to material collected in the US government census of 2000, 76.4% of people who speak another language at home also speak English “well” or “very well”. Furthermore, studies reported in the web sites of the Population Reference Bureau (www.prb.org) and the Migration Policy Institute (www.migrationinformation.org) show that not only is English spoken by the majority of immigrants, but immigrant families are making the transition to English more rapidly now than was the case in the “good old days” of the early 20th century. The basis for Moffett’s conclusion that foreigners are “freeloaders” is Rite Aid’s packaging that contains French. In fact, Rite Aid can provide prescription instruction in 11 different languages. This marketing strategy recognizes that not all newcomers to the US may have time to develop advanced English-language skills before they need medical attention and that the consequences of an “English-only” policy are potentially life-threatening. The column also attacked French as an “effeminate” and “girly” language based solely on Moffett’s unpleasant experience in high school French classes. On the one hand, the choice of “effeminate” and “girly” as generic slurs might receive approval in private conversation among certain kinds of young men, but is no substitute for convincing evidence in a published article read by a more diverse audience. On the other hand, within a given social context, a language may become associated with a group using it, but no language is inherently masculine or feminine. For example, in the English spoken by Cajuns in Louisiana, French words and expressions are used more by men because French-influenced language is associated within that group with traditionally “manly” pursuits such as hunting and fishing. It is unfortunate that this article, based as it is on false claims and illogical reasoning, might be taken as representative of the critical thinking skills students should be developing at Marietta College. Dr. Janie Rees-Miller Director of English as a Second Language Director of International Programs
Mailing address: Marietta College Box A-20, Marietta, Ohio 45750-4000 Physical address: McKinney Media Center, 508 Putnam St, Marietta, Ohio Phone: (740) 376-4555 E-mail: marc@marietta.edu