English's place in Iowa is secure
By MADDIE BORA
Courier Political Writer
Mark Twain once told an Englishman, "I didn't speak English at all, -- I only spoke American."
Though there exists a little tension across the Atlantic about how the language should be used, Twain's idea did not quite take off. The language most spoken in the United States is still called English.
And the language is doing very well indeed. More than 100 years after Twain, Iowa is now poised to make English the official language of the state, joining 26 other states. If one went around the state, one would find it hard to demonstrate that English isn't the official language.
All road signs, and most billboards are in English. One can turn into one of the corners of Des Moines or Waterloo and visit an Asian grocery store, and there too, the lingua franca is English. Needless to say, English is what binds everyone together in Iowa, and verily the entire country. Under the bill, that binding would become official.
"America is a melting pot and we need one language to unite and assimilate all Americans," said Sen. Steve King, R-Kiron, lead supporter of a bill that will make English the language of government and all political subdivisions in the state.
Even though the bill emphasizes the use of English, it makes certain exceptions. Driver's license tests can still be administered in six different languages, including English. Public officials may also use a language other than English if they deem it necessary and interpretations of official documents could be made when the situation arises. But the official language will be English.
One of the many reasons why English succeeds so well as a common language, not just in the United States, but elsewhere in the world is because the language belongs to no one in particular. When the people of the Caribbean speak the language, they speak it as their own, bringing to it their own characteristics and bending it to their own needs.
Mark Twain too saw the language evolve on its own in the United States, and resented being corrected by an Englishman.
Possibly it is a similar resentment that prompts immigrant groups to protest the bill. With the advocacy of an official language, English seems to have become a language that belongs more to some groups of Iowans than to the others.
"Legislative efforts to make English the official language of the state neither pays tribute to our rich heritage nor acknowledges realities of Iowa's future in the global economy," said Alba Bassett-Armijo of the Greater Des Moines Partnership at a press conference held by bill opponents. Ironically, instead of uniting people, the bill seems to be dividing people.
There are a few who fear the hint of intolerance the bill carries will ward off new Iowans.
"The issue of our official language in Iowa shouldn't be under question," said Sen. Pat Harper, D-Waterloo. "It would be impossible for any other language to be the official language. This sends a very unwelcoming message to people and it does not make any sense."
Most Democrats oppose the bill and while discussing their strategy in the caucus one of the Democratic senators came up with an idea. Someone will ask King to yield to questions and then address him in a language other than English. This was to drive in the point that someone who has another language thrust on him will surely resent the language, as would most likely King.
The only snag was that none of the legislators knew any language other than English. Harper expressed frustration and said, "It's embarrassing because we claim to be the educated, cultured leaders of the people and there's not even one among us who can speak a second language."
That English is the official language of the state is undisputed. One of the legislators had said the bill is important because it will give Iowans a sense of comfort that their government will always be conducted in English.
But it seems it is very difficult to use some other language even to make a political point, let alone conduct the government.
Iowa is, therefore, ready to join the other 26 states. English will become the official language of Iowans, unless the governor decides to veto the bill. Being a student of the English language all my life, it is natural to be tremendously enthusiastic about the language.
Hopefully this measure will spur all of us to learn the language, in its many hues, in the grandeur of its expansive sweep.
Maddie Bora covers politics for the Courier.
