The English-Only Movement: A Communication Analysis of Changing Perceptions of Language Vitality

This paper reexamines the potential impact of the English-only movement on linguistic minorities and Anglos’ perceptions of their own and minority groups’ language vitality. Of particular interest is the Hispanic population—the fastest growing minority in the U.S. Communication scholars have paid only scant attention to the English-only movement and how it affects the social and communication climate for Latinos. However, literature reviews prepared for the American Psychological Association and for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (in 1991 and 1995, respectively) concluded that English-only initiatives have negative consequences for limited-English proficiency groups. Revisiting this still-growing issue in the light of more recent studies across disciplines and media reports, we examine how Anglo support for English-only policies limits the use, promotion, and salience of minority languages like Spanish in institutional settings and in the linguistic landscape and suggest directions for future research.