Should English be a requirement to be an American?

[Apparition of Jack]

So I have criticised the government’s response to immigration in the past, and frankly I do still think like ICE raids, detention centres are highly unconstitutional as well as just needlessly cruel, but I’m also prepared to accept that the reality of migration and demographics change can’t just be hand-waived away and that something needs to be done to build a cohesive sense of community. 
 

With that being said, would making English (or whatever local language of the country you’re migrating too) a requirement for migration be an acceptable solution? 

The great post-War multicultural experiment states that someone can become a part of nation regardless of their race, religion, sexuality etc, but this also presents the problem of people feeling disconnected and like there’s no unifying sense of community / belonging. If a Sunni Indonesian and an agnostic Anglo-Saxon are both equally “American”, for instance, then what can being American actually be about? 
 

You could argue it’s a shared sense of civic values, which I do see the argument for, but then how can this be upheld if these two people can’t even communicate properly in the same language? 

Having language and the promotion of said language be the basis of American (or Canadian, or French, or whatever) identity could be a reasonable middle-ground between the two positions. Language isn’t just the superficial tool of communication we use every day, it’s also a deeper expression of a culture’s basic ideas, identity, etc. Like, just take the word “nothingburger.” That’s a specific English word that resonates with a specific English idea based in culture, history etc, that probably wouldn’t translate well into other languages. If language became the default basis for common mixed-heritage communities, could a lot of the tensions and anxieties about changing demographics be abated?

Just musing here.

Edited Wednesday at 03:05 AM by Apparition of Jack

[Leo Gura]

English is too foreign. Real Americans must only speak American. Preferably with a Southern twang and drawl.

[UnbornTao]

3 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

English is too foreign. Real Americans must only speak American. Preferably with a Southern twang and drawl.

 

Edited Wednesday at 06:12 AM by UnbornTao

[LordFall]

Yes I think integration is crucial to immigration policy. AI translation should make this all a lot easier in the next few years