Figure 13.2 Total population by nativity and foreign region of birth for 2009, percent distribution
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS, 2009
In considering the history of multilingualism and public fears around it,
Heath et al. noted that “whenever speakers [of other languages] have been
viewed as politically, socially, or economically threatening, their language
has become a focus for arguments in favor of both restrictions of their use
and imposition of Standard American English” (1981: 10).
This is illustrated by the history of German use in the U.S., a language
(and people) which particularly irritated Benjamin Franklin, who
expressed his fears in a letter dated 1753: “Those [Germans] who come
hither are generally the most ignorant Stupid Sort of their own Nation, and
as Ignorance is often attended with Credulity when Knavery would
mislead it, and with Suspicion with Honesty would set it right” (as cited in
Crawford 1992b: 18–19).
The relationship between shifting power bases and the public’s
awareness of language use often focuses on legislation of one type or
another, as in this news report on a vote to repeal an English-Only law in
Florida: