English-Only Movement in the USA – Is there hope for language tolerance?
English-Only Movement in the USA – Is there hope for language tolerance?

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyze the circumstances and grounds of the development of an English-Only movement in the United States of America (USA), which strives to establish English as the official language on a federal level, to evaluate its role in the contemporary language policy in the United States where less than half of all states do not have now English enacted as the official language, and to confirm or reverse the thesis as to whether or not the English-Only movement is a right-wing conservative initiative and an influential interest group practicing a so-called language imperialism. The paper is intended to introduce the existence and activities of a movement to Czech professionals dealing with language issues and to outline a picture of the American identity, values and culture which are important vehicles for understanding the impact of the movement on the American society. The article also briefly describes the situation in five selected Southwestern states with a large Hispanic minority population and confirms or reverses the initial proposition. The paper uses two research methods: the historical method describing the genesis of the movement and a comparative method focused on other similar movements and opposition groups.

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