Background Information on English-only

The proposed Metro Charter amendment reads: “English is the official language of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. Official actions which bind or commit the government shall be taken only in the English language, and all official government communications and publications shall be in English. No person shall have a right to government services in any other language. All meetings of the Metro Council, Boards, and Commissions of the Metropolitan Government shall be conducted in English. The Metro Council may make specific exceptions to protect public health and safety. Nothing in this measure shall be interpreted to conflict with federal or state law."

• The proposed charter amendment is “English-only,” not “English-first.” The initiative is an attempt to eliminate the use of all non-English languages by Metro government. The word “only” appears in the proposed language, and not the word “first.” People are understandably less supportive of English-only measures because an outright prohibition against non-English languages is excessive and dangerous.

• English-only laws are not about the importance of learning English; they are about how we treat immigrants in transition. Many people who express support for this type of initiative really just want to affirm the importance of the English language in times of cultural change and insecurity. The truth is, immigrants understand the importance of learning English better than anyone, and they are learning just like our grandparents did. It serves everyone's interests that they be able to interact with the government in the meantime.

• City leaders have decided overwhelmingly that English-only is bad for Nashville. On August 7, 2008, the Metro Council voted 25-8 urging voters to oppose an English-only charter amendment. Mayor Dean himself addressed the council: “I wanted to take this time, this opportunity to make sure my voice, as mayor of this city, is heard on this issue, and to assure that everyone fully understands the consequences of passing a law that will tie our hands in the global economy, that will detract from our appeal as an international tourist destination, and that will damage our reputation as a welcoming and friendly city.”th

The proposed English-only charter amendment is:
Unnecessary, and Actually Bad for English

• English is already the “official and legal language” of Tennessee. In November of 2006, the Nashville Metro Council passed resolution RS2006-1650, clarifying that TN state law already establishes English as the official language, and expressing concern that further English-only legislation could actually be bad for English acquisition.

• Today's immigrants are learning English the same way our grandparents did—by getting out into the community and interacting with native speakers of the language. This proposed charter amendment seeks to further isolate immigrants, making it much more difficult to learn English. If the concern is that immigrants are not learning English quickly enough, we should create more opportunities for them to learn.

• Research indicates that 98% of Latinos think it is “essential” that their children learn English. In fact, 80% of foreign-born children from Mexico learn English "well" or "very well," and 92 percent of second-generation Latinos are fully fluent in English. By the third generation, only 28% of Latinos are still proficient in Spanish (Migration Policy Institute).

• Immigrants are required to demonstrate English proficiency before they become U.S. citizens, with only a few exceptions for older people. However, the citizenship process is long and arduous, and immigrants must interact with government agencies while they are still learning English. When refugees come to Tennessee from Sudan, they don’t learn English in a refugee camp in Chad. They learn English once they get here. There are over 45,000 foreign-born individuals in Davidson County who are still working towards their citizenship.

• When the Metro Council passed its pro-English resolution in 2006, it found that English-only legislation has a “potentially detrimental impact on those who are already linguistically isolated; and…increased linguistic isolation for LEP individuals may have the unintended consequence of slowing their rate of English acquisition.”

Costly to Taxpayers

• This unnecessary ballot initiative will cost Nashville taxpayers approximately $500,000, during a time when the nation is facing a financial crisis and local governments are being forced to cut essential services.