-“A national language is a national tie, and what country wants it more than America?” (Noah Webster) - Language, Education, and the Making of an American Republic What is the relationship between language and nationhood? What distinguishes today’s English Only phenomenon is the apocalyptic nature of its fears: that the American language is “threatened” and, with it, the basis of American nationhood . We are warned that unless action is taken to halt our “mindless drift toward a bilingual society,”the United States will soon be balkanized, divided, at war with itself. James Crawford, Hold Your Tongue: Bilingualism and the Politics of English Only philological: pertaining to the study and knowledge of language; Thus, the New York Philological Society was a society for the study of language As you listen, highlight the answers to these questions: •Why did Webster and the New York Philological Society want to adopt a national language? •How was “language” tied to the idea of “nation” in the 18th and 19th centuries? •Why was Webster worried about the new nation? Why did he describe it as a “cobweb”? •How did Webster propose to solve this problem? •Were Americans more or less diverse in their languages in the 1790s than today? Maintaining the New Republic • Historically: small, homogeneous, and tended to fail • Virtue • How do you teach citizens to be virtuous? • Education for women Creating a National Language • Noah Webster • Benjamin Franklin Common Schools • Free, Common Schools • Catharine Beecher • Truman & Smith (Cincinnati) • William Holmes McGuffey McGuffey’s Readers • Originally written for a western market • Sold nationally; 122 million copies by 1920 • “NO SECTIONAL matter, reflecting upon the local institutions, customs, or habits of any portion of the United States" Exercises in Articulation Incorrect Ev’ry Trav’ler Sev’ral In-ser-lent Croc-ud-ile Lec’choor Morn-in Ac’s for “ “ “ “ “ “ “ Correct ev-er-y trav-el-er sev-er-al in-so-lent croc-o-dile lec-tyur morn-ing acts In-class Exercises (choose one) 1) McGuffey’s Reader 2) Design a Reader • How does the • What are the values reader try to teach you want to instill? values to students? • • What are those values? • In what way does it • help create a common “American” culture? Create a cover (art & title) Table of Contents From House Resolution 123, (Passed in 1996) The Congress finds and declares the following: 1. Throughout the history of the United States, the common thread binding individuals of differing backgrounds has been a common language. 2. In order to preserve unity in diversity, and to prevent division along linguistic lines, the Federal Government should maintain a language common to all people. 3. English has historically been the common language and the language of opportunity in the United States 4. 7) By learning the English language, immigrants will be empowered with the language skills and literacy necessary to become responsible citizens and productive workers in the United States
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