Language Restrictionism

In the context of U.S. bilingual education, language restrictionism is defined as systematic efforts to stop a linguistic or ethnic group of people from speaking, learning, or maintaining their native or home language. In the United States, language restrictionism has been justified under the banner of promoting national unity, ensuring the homogeneity of the citizenry, or as a means of “Americanizing” immigrants or native peoples. Learning and using the English language is usually considered the defining characteristic of “Americanism.”

Many scholars agree that a restrictive period of language policy lasted from the 1880s through the 1960s. James Crawford, in his book Educating English Learners, provides what may be the most comprehensive overview of the history of language restrictionism in the United States, as expressed in attitudes and policies restricting bilingual education. This entry draws from his work and that of others who have looked into this peculiarly American idea.

Although the founding fathers never selected an official language for the new nation, restricting the use of languages in public places, especially in schooling, is documented as early as the mid-17th century. Benjamin Franklin was perhaps the most notable personality who promoted language restrictionism. He opened an English-only parochial school for native German-speaking children in the 1750s. When parents realized that the school's emphasis was imposing a language shift away from German, they removed their children and withdrew political support for Franklin. In 1780, John Adams also proposed opening an English-only school, but his request was ignored by the Continental Congress, probably because the support of German-speaking colonists was vital to the nation-building effort that lay ahead.

Terrence Wiley, in a book chapter titled “Accessing Language Rights in Education,” provides a history of educational language policy in the United States. In it, he identifies the groups against whom language restrictionism has been aimed historically: immigrants, including refugees, enslaved peoples, and indigenous peoples. He and others have argued that language restrictions targeting minority populations are directly and indirectly associated with social, political, economic, and educational policy debates. Further, presumed social hostility against certain populations resonates in the degree of restrictiveness against a language and the impact of restrictions on that population.