Press "one" for English
Subtitle: language policy, public opinion, and American identity
By: Deborah Schildkraut.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 244
Subjects: Language policy -- United States.; English language -- Political aspects -- United States.; Public opinion -- United States.; Group identity -- United States.; English-only movement.
Description: "Press "One" for English examines how Americans form opinions on language policy issues such as declaring English the official language, printing documents in multiple languages, and bilingual education. Deborah Schildkraut shows that people's conceptions of American national identity play an integral role in shaping their views. Using insights from American political thought and intellectual history, she highlights several components of that identity and shows how they are brought to bear on debates about language. Her analysis expands the range of factors typically thought to explain attitudes in such policy areas, emphasizing in particular the role that civic republicanism's call for active and responsible citizenship plays in shaping opinion on language issues."

"Using focus groups and survey data, Schildkraut develops a model of public conceptions of what it means to be American and demonstrates the complex ways in which people draw on these conceptions when forming and explaining their views. In so doing she illustrates how focus group methodology can help yield vital new insights into opinion formation."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Based on author's thesis (doctoral)--Princeton University, 2000.