III

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 236

To express the sense of the Senate regarding English plus other languages.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 22, 1998

Mr. DOMENICI (for himself, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. HATCH, Mr. DEWINE, Mr.

Chafee, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. HAGEL, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. ABRAHAM, and

Mrs. HUTCHISON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

RESOLUTION

To express the sense of the Senate regarding English plus

other languages.

Whereas English is the most widely used language in the

areas of finance, trade, technology, diplomacy, and entertainment, and is the living library of the last 100 years

of scientific and technological advance;

Whereas there are more speakers of English as a second language in the world than there are native English speakers, and the large number of English language schools

around the world demonstrates that English is as close

as any language has been to becoming the world’s common language;

Whereas English is the common language of the United

States, is important to American life and individual suc-
2

•SRES 236 IS

cess, and 94 percent of United States residents speak

English according to the 1990 decennial census;

Whereas immigrants to the United States have powerful incentives to learn English in order to fully participate in

American society and the Nation’s economy, and 90 percent of all immigrant families become fluent in English

within the second generation;

Whereas a common language promotes unity among citizens,

and fosters greater communication;

Whereas there is a renaissance in cultural assertiveness

around the world, noting that the more interdependent

nations become economically, the more interested the nations are in preserving and sharing cultural identity;

Whereas the reality of a global economy is an ever-present

international development that is fostered by international trade and the creation of regional trading blocs,

such as the European Union, Mercosur, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Association of

Southeast Asian Nations;

Whereas knowledge of English, Spanish, French, Italian,

German, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, African

languages, Farsi, sign language, and the many other languages of the world, enhances competitiveness and tremendous growth in world trade;

Whereas the United States is well postured for the global

economy and international development with the United

States’ diverse population and rich heritage of languages

from all around the world;

Whereas many American Indian languages are indigenous to

the United States, and should be preserved, encouraged,

and utilized, as the languages were used during World
3

•SRES 236 IS

War II when the Navajo Code Talkers created a code

that could not be broken by the Japanese or the Germans;

Whereas Spanish exploration in the New World began in

1512 when Ponce de Leon explored the Florida peninsula, and included the expeditions of Francisco Coronado

throughout California to Kansas and across Arizona,

New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma from 1540 to 1542;

Whereas the Nation will commemorate the 400th anniversary

of the first Spanish Settlement of the Southwest (Ohkay

Yunge at San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico) with official

visits from Spain, parades, fiestas, masses, and other

celebrations to emphasize the importance of the first encounters with American Indian cultures and the subsequent importance of encounters with other European cultures;

Whereas Hispanic culture, customs, and the Spanish language are a vital source of familial and individual

strength;

Whereas the Bureau of the Census estimates that 1 in 5

Americans will be of Hispanic descent by the year 2030,

and the future cultural, political, and economic strengths

of this country are clearly dependent upon our Nation’s

ability to harness the talents and skills of this large and

growing segment of the American population;

Whereas it is clearly in the interest of the United States to

encourage educational opportunity for and the human potential of all citizens, and to take steps to realize the opportunity and potential;

Whereas a skilled labor force is crucial to the competitiveness

of the Nation in today’s global economy, foreign language
4

•SRES 236 IS

skills are a tremendous resource to the United States,

and such foreign language skill enhances American competitiveness in global markets by permitting improved

communication and understanding;

Whereas one of the common bonds of Hispanic people is the

Spanish language, and promoting the use of Spanish at

home and in cultural affairs will benefit not only the

growing Hispanic population of the United States but

also the economic interests of the entire Nation; and

Whereas knowledge of other languages and other cultures is

known to enhance the United States diplomatic efforts by

fostering greater communication and understanding between nations, and can promote greater understanding

between different ethnic and racial groups within the

United States: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the United States Government should

2 pursue policies that—

3 (1) support and encourage Americans to master

4 the English language plus other languages of the

5 world;

6 (2) recognize the importance of English as the

7 unifying language of the United States, and the im8 portance of English fluency for individuals who want

9 to succeed in American society;

10 (3) recognize that command of the English lan11 guage is a critical component of the success and pro12 ductivity of our Nation’s children, and should be en13 couraged at every age;
5

•SRES 236 IS

1 (4) recognize that a skilled labor force is crucial

2 to United States competitiveness in a global econ3 omy, and the ability to speak 1 or more languages

4 in addition to English is a significant skill;

5 (5) recognize that knowledge of Spanish, in

6 particular, is vital for building future cultural and

7 economic bridges to Latin America;

8 (6) support literacy programs, including pro9 grams designed to teach English, as well as those

10 dedicated to helping Americans learn and maintain

11 other languages in addition to English; and

12 (7) develop our Nation’s linguistic resources by

13 encouraging citizens of the United States to learn

14 and maintain Spanish, French, German, Japanese,

15 Chinese, Italian, Korean, Vietnamese, Farsi, African

16 languages, sign language, and the many other lan17 guages of the world, in addition to English.

Æ