Asmi More

During the 2015 Republican primary debate, former president Donald Trump made the infamous remark that the US “is a country that speaks English, not Spanish,” creating massive controversy surrounding the significance and impact of English. Opponents called his statement discriminatory, while supporters justified it, arguing that English is the dominant “universal language.” Their notion has some truth: English-favoring customs and linguistic standards dominate global literature, business, psychology, technology, and daily communication. However, the prominence of English comes from colonial roots, which leads to many countries rejecting it in an attempt to reclaim their cultures. Additionally, considering English the most important language and rejecting other languages, a phenomenon called Anglocentrism, is often weaponized to degrade non-English speakers and non-native English speakers. Many global businesses operate in English, ignoring the fact that a large portion of countries reject the prevalence of English in defiance of colonial Anglocentrism. Perpetuating Anglocentrism often contributes to American exceptionalism and xenophobia; thus, it must be minimized and rejected.

While English is considered the dominant language for international business relations, it is not necessarily considered or accepted as the dominant language everywhere. English dominates the business world because of its practicality, neutrality, and overall necessity for a connecting language in international trade. However, only some countries accept this: Italy and France have proposed and introduced laws that require local businesses to write all internal documentation in their native language. The Italian government says that using English in place of Italian “demeans and mortifies the Italian language,” according to The Conversation. When Britain held its expansive empire, it forced English on many nations, contributing to its widespread usage. Thus, many nations have embraced their native languages (including Italy) to retaliate against colonialism, despite the monopoly of the English language in the business world. 

Setting international relations aside, English has a problematic relationship with domestic American life. One example is Donald Trump’s aforementioned remark, which essentially calls the US an exclusively English-speaking country. Opponents to this sentiment contest that the US has no official language and that proclaiming English as one is discriminatory. Saying America is an English-speaking country when it legally is not associates “American” with “English-speaking,” alienating those who do not speak English in the US. European immigrants built America, and immigrants sustained the Industrial Revolution. This yielded countless quintessential American inventions. Yet, immigrants are still ostracized, as if they did not build the country we know today. Because of this subversion, many immigrants embrace Anglo-conformity, burying their own cultural practices to assimilate. Thus, American Anglocentrism suppresses other cultures while deceptively perpetuating the idea that all are welcome and have opportunities in the “land of the free.”

Anglocentric laws and rules can also disadvantage non-English and non-native speakers, contributing to xenophobia or discrimination towards foreigners. One example of an Anglocentric system is Major League Baseball and its umpiring rules. Last April, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler criticized the disparities between Spanish-speaking players (~25% of MLB players, according to Web Spanish) and English-speaking umpires. Kapler states that when rules are changed and added, with a language barrier at the plate, it disadvantages the Spanish-speaking players. Most importantly, he argues that MLB does not do enough to address this inequality. This situation exemplifies how Anglocentric expectations (for foreigners to conform to English standards without assistance) oppress foreigners and thus contribute to xenophobic discrimination. Additionally, Anglocentrism often erases foreign media and perspectives. Many music industries abroad experience this phenomenon, exemplified by the K-pop band BTS. The band members have spoken out about feeling that there was “no alternative” to singing in English during the pandemic to sustain their careers, despite feeling that their songs lacked their usual artistic integrity. This feeling may be a result of Anglocentric systems that prioritize English music and language, forcing foreign music artists to assimilate in order to be successful.

Anglocentrism presents itself in all industries, and everyone can challenge it by rejecting the idea that foreign languages are inferior. Weaponizing English’s significance and using it to belittle non-native speakers undermines America’s fundamental principle that all are free and have limitless opportunities.