Columnist’s fails to see benefits of foreign language

Thomas Wachtel’s unoriginal column “Talk English; you’re in America,” (Feb. 1) is full of stilted logic, horrible rhetorical skills, and poor English (with “simple rules ... constantly flaunted”). It does not belong in this high-quality student paper.\nEmbracing cultural pluralism and encouraging immigrants to learn English are not mutually exclusive aims. English is the most widely taught and understood language in today’s world, the new lingua franca. This makes it a powerful tool anywhere, especially America, where it is the primary language. These are simple facts.\nWe shouldn’t name English our official language. However, immigrants should feel obligated to learn English: not for the benefit of American-born citizens, but for themselves and their children. English skills provide opportunities for success. Learning English doesn’t require anyone to stop speaking their worthy primary language or practicing their customs.\nMy ancestors came from Norway to settle in Dakota Territory and Minnesota. Norwegian immigrants in that region realized the necessity of some assimilation, so they founded St. Olaf College (my alma mater) in Northfield, Minn., to train Norwegian farmers’ children as citizens in a new country. Tragically, some from the first and second generation abandoned the old language and customs out of a desire or pressure to become “more American.” But many did not, and today my family sings the same songs, eats the same foods, and performs the same customs as our ancestors. Many still speak Norwegian. I am learning it.\nWhile recognizing the obvious differences between my ancestors and today’s immigrants (my ancestors were white, lived in a rural area, etc.), today’s immigrants need not build a school. I have taught English as a Second Language courses in Minnesota. These are broadly available, as are free public libraries, public schools, etc. Also, technology lets immigrants retain contact with their native countries in a way my ancestors couldn’t.\nWachtel misses the point of programs like U.S. English Inc. They are not racist. Are people in the U.S. racist and/or xenophobic? Some are. But by not encouraging immigrants to learn English, thereby disabling possibilities for dialogue, we only perpetuate hate.\nMatthew Peterson\nGraduate student