14 Student Prints Special

And no accents, either, comprende?story l marlee coxwriter

“This is America. Speak English.” This statement, emblazoned across t-shirts, collectible ashtrays, and—probably—the flabby bicep of some middle-aged, beer-sucking trailer park inhabitant, unsettles anyone whose moral compass points even slightly North. Americans, it seems, are as protective of their language as they are of cable television, Big Macs, and the right to stash a 32 caliber rifle under the floorboards “for emergencies”. Well. Listen up, melting pot. The United States of America has never declared English (or anything else) its official language. This is unlikely to change any time soon. So, be ready to keep pushing one for English; el dos para el español.

In a country as vibrantly diverse as America, it is unrealistic to expect all people to speak a single language. In a school like Mehlville, though, that repre-sents just as many cultures and creeds, it is entirely reasonable to require all stu-dents to communicate with one another in a single tongue.

Wait. What?

“We’re one of the most diverse schools in the area, maybe even the state,” said Tom Harper, English teacher and varsity soccer coach. “[Multilingual students speaking their native language within a classroom] doesn’t bother me, person-ally.”

Harper is not alone in his views—Mr. Bill Ebert, psychology teacher, places no more restrictions on students speak-ing foreign languages than he does on students speaking English.

“I’m fine as long as, when being spoken to by a school staff member, they speak in English,” said Ebert. “If they need to speak with someone who speaks their na-tive language, fine with me.”

Both Harper and Ebert believe most students who are fluent in more than one language will often divert to their first—or native—language in an effort to be more comfortable in a school environ-ment.

“Within their peer group, they’ll use what’s most comfortable,” said Harper. “Mostly in a friendly manner.”

Unilingual students—i.e. students who speak only English—often interpret a few foreign mutterings as anything but friendly, though. While teachers worry about students sharing answers in a lan-guage they don’t understand, Unilingual students tend to assume any conversa-tion they don’t understand is, (a) nega-tive, and (b) about them.

This is ridiculous and egocentric, but—perhaps—just human nature.

“…We have an uncomfortable feeling that people are talking about us, or have an opinion if us,” said Ebert. “It goes along with age, and insecurity. It’s not surpris-ing that this issue arises in a high school setting.”

Gossip is a part of life, no matter how old you are or how many languages surround you. And, in reality, there are probably many more English-based rumors than any other kind.

Asmer Halilovic is a junior here at Me-hlville High School. He came to America last year, without knowing a word of English, and immediately enrolled in an English-speaking school. Confused and surrounded by a language he does not fully understand, Asmer said he will often speak in Bosnian to his peers, in the same way and about the same kinds of things English-speaking students converse.

“This is how our country is founded: on different cultures and people,” said Ebert.

How very true. In all honesty, no one is inherently American; since this nation’s beginnings, it has been peopled by immi-grants seeking better opportunities and a better life. Trying to force a single lan-guage upon a magnificently dissimilar—yet essentially united—group of citizens is a heinous display of bigotry. The world’s wisdom and beauty, after all, cannot be contained in the confines of any singular tongue.

For every person talking about you in a foreign language,

there are 5 more talking about you in English.

cartoon l jessie franklin