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第一篇 A Debate on the English Language A measure declaring English the national language is under intense debate in the United States. The US Senate passed two declarations last week. One calls English the nations official language and the other says it is the common and unifyingtongue. But Americans found themselves divided on the issue. Since people worldwide know that most Americans speak only English, many cant understand why the issue is so controversial. The discussion is related to fears of immigration issues, says Dick Tucker, a social scientist at Pittsburghs Carnegie Mellon University. Its related to a worry about the changing demographyof the US. Its a worry about who will continue to have political and economic influence. In fact, the notion of protecting the language has been kicked around almost since the nations founding. John Adams lobbiedin 1780 for the creation of a national academy to correct and improve the English language. But his proposal died, since lawmakers saw it as a royalistattempt to define personal behavior. Since then, the country hasnt had a national language, but the idea of recognizing the special status of English lived on. The emotions surrounding language resurfacenot because people feel comfortable with English. It is more about the discomfort many Americans feel with the new languages, says Walt Wolfram, a professor at North Carolina State University. | 
