American Language Authority

Jonathan Dishon

ENGL 1101

Dr. Hughes

September 25, 2009

The United States has no official language to date. It also has no authority to consult when new words are formed. So as a citizen I believe that a national language should be developed, but at the same time we should not get rid of the diversity of languages we already have in existence in the United States. So a language authority in the United States that could establish a standard, but not obliterate the other languages, would greatly benefit the country.

Quote 1: “Every country struggles with the issue of “good language”- what constitutes the standard by which people can model their speech and writing, and judge that of others. Some countries have established official bodies, such as an academy or government agency, to provide guidance through pronouncements and publications.” (“Language Authority in America: In Grammar and Webster We Trust” by Russell Tabbert)

I will use this quote to back-up my decision to have a language authority established. The language authorities of other countries do not get rid of languages, but only set the standard of their own. They also establish pronunciations for words that are new so that they can incorporate them into their language.

Quote 2: “In the United States we have not followed this route, but have instead evolved something of a free-market academy. It operates through two highly competitive segments of the publishing industry. One of them produces monolingual dictionaries, many of which have Webster in their titles. The other publishes numerous books, articles, and columns dealing with the points of usage, that is, the sorts of things that many people refer to with the term grammar.” (“Language Authority in America: In Grammar and Webster We Trust” by Russell Tabbert)

This quote will allow me to show that the United States is already on the way to establishing an authority over language. While it is in the very early stages, it is a good start to becoming an academy or agency that could regulate the language.

Quote 3: “Today English is governed by a loose network of “language authorities,” whom linguist Steven Pinker calls “language mavens”: English teachers, editors, journalists, columnists on language, authors/editors of dictionaries, grammar and usage books, and style guides.”("Language and Authority" by Curzan)

This is another quote that shows how the United States is trying to establish an authority over its language. This shows the type of people who would most likely be considered to be assigned to the academy or agency that would govern the language of the United States.