Column #1: Linguistically Malnourished

It was a bleak time for a city divided by the struggle between communism and democracy when President John F. Kennedy delivered what arguably became his best speech to a crowd of over a million West Berliners on June 26, 1963. In the midst of the Cold War, Kennedy’s address spread hope among the Germans and built unity among American Allies. However, his infamous speech would be remembered for something far sweeter than its efforts to emphasize the failures of communism.

The highlight of his speech, “Ich bin ein Berliner,” an attempt to say, “I am a Berliner,” to most Germans translates to “I am a jelly donut.” To Kennedy’s credit, this almost epic language blunder was soothed by an approving roar from the crowd. He proceeded to thank his interpreter for translating his German and light was made of his remark. But on this global stage, the spotlight caught glimpse of something other than the U.S. underlining its support for West Germany. It shined light on the malnourished condition of multilingualism in the U.S. Had Kennedy been a known fluent German speaker, his patriotic German rhetoric would not have been associated with German dessert.

Despite being spotlighted in the 1960’s this lack of linguistic development remains an issue today. Being the melting pot that it is, the U.S. has somehow forgotten about the diversity of ingredients in its brewing stew and remains as a monolingual capital of the world. In 2000 the U.S. Census Bureau reported data on 30 different languages that were spoken throughout U.S. homes. This rich and varied list includes such languages as Arabic, Russian, Chinese, and Italian. All of which are spoken by half a million or more Americans. The 2010 U.S. Census is likely to further increase and vary languages spoken throughout the nation. In spite of this wide-ranging collection of languages, the U.S. holds a 9 percent bilingual rate compared with the rest of the world's 52 percent.

Perhaps geographical isolation puts the U.S. at a disadvantage when compared to the rest of the world. Other regions of the world tend to have nations with multiple international borders and consequently, more diversity in languages. Vast oceans separate the U.S. from any other country on either of its coasts. To the credit of the U.S., southern folks do tend to speak more Spanish due to Mexican influences but that quickly fades the further north you go. The same applies to Florida due to its proximity to the Caribbean. However, the geography has not prevented the U.S. from influencing every corner of the world, geographically secluded and all. Communication is not a one way process.

While the U.S. has been clenching down its jaw on English, the rest of the world has expanded its linguistic palate. In many countries people aren’t considered fully educated unless they speak two or more languages. Many times the second language they learn is English. Reasonable, considering English does dominate the business world. And that’s just it. While the rest of the world is making an effort to speak English, the U.S. has managed to get by with putting the melting pot on the back burner.

Well, the world will not always cater to the U.S. Besides, we have an abundance to work with. It’s time to fire up the goods in the pot. They have brewed long enough and our tongues are in dire need of nourishment.