Tu Hable Ingles?

 

  

English was recently declared the official language for the United States by President Donald Trump. One may ask: Isn’t that already the case? Surprisingly, no, but the nation runs on English. 

Though the United States, since its inception in 1776, has not had any legislation or executive orders to state English, the mother tongue of the British who ran Colonial America, as our country's language, we have acted as if that’s the case.  

However, what did change was about 30 years ago President Bill Clinton said all government  forms had to supply alternate languages, such as our next, most popularly spoken, one, Spanish.. President Trump has also rescinded that requirement.  

On the one hand, all Americans need to be able to communicate with each other, and that comes with the use of one language, which in this case is English. Those who speak other languages are at a disadvantage if they can’t navigate basic situations and we all lose out if we are walled off from each other due to language.  

On the other hand, knowing a second language is so cool and allows one to keep their cultural heritage while adopting English. We just don’t want so many people relegating English to second class, and instead relying on another language.  

If we placate people, they will never feel the urge or need to learn English - but if we dismiss them by not putting things in their language, they will feel isolated and ignored. 

What are we to do? 

English should be our official language and we should support others to help them learn it. There will always be a clear advantage to English-speaking people but we don’t want to leave others behind. We want everyone to bring diverse backgrounds and views to America, but if we can lessen the degree that they rely on their foreign language, and increase their use and understanding of English, the better. 

Bi-lingulism is not a bad thing at all. We need it for travel, international trade and global political affairs. There’s scientific evidence that bi-lingual speakers use more of their brain. We can continue to speak multiple languages, as a choice, but as an act of necessity, everyone needs to have a command of the English language.  

Further, the residents of this country, many of whom trace back to being immigrant descendants or themselves are immigrants, need to improve their literacy skills. We need people who can write, and speak our language with some proficiency. Some Americans who think they are red-blooded owners of this nation are the ones who are ignorant, both with their English-speaking skills, and in their modes of thinking.  

Language plays a role in uniting the country, and making English the official language is just a symbolic gesture. We need to help others to learn the language and not to be nasty or judgmental about it. We all win when we are all on the same page - and can understand the words on it without needing Google Translate. 

 

 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum