Today's Progress

Today I was able to complete two paragraphs on the history of Official English and the fear of German taking over in the 18th century.

Drafting Plan for Monday, November 26, 2007

• For today I plan on finishing up explaining possible legislation for an Official English bill. I also will include some of my own arguments for the legislation along with some possible arguments against Official English.
  
• Today I was able to complete explaining the legislation for Official English. I did provide arguments for and against, but I would like to expand on arguments against because its one sided to arguments for right now.
• For my next writing session I will expand on arguments against. I will also begin on the history of Official English.
  

Thesis and Working Outline

Thesis
Although many argue that English as the Official Language means English only, that it will force all people into speaking only English, Official English will require the government to conduct its business in English. Learning English, if anything, benefits people more than it hurts them, they will earn more money, do better in school, and have more career options. Official English is a step in the right direction for everyone.

Working Outline

Intro
1. Explain Official English
2. Some History
3. Thesis

Main Points
1. English as Official Language is not "English Only"
2. Explain how official English works
3. Show proposed bills for Official English
4. Arguments against Official English
5. Arguments for Official English
6. My opinion

Revision Plan for Annotated Bibliography

For my revision of the annotated bibliography I plan to:

1. Organize my entries into categories and organize them alphabetically under those categories.

2. I will expand on my annotations, especially the one that I summarized in one sentence. I would also like to expand on the parts that I will use in my paper.

3. I will also expand on my introduction, explaining where the basis of my research came from, and some of my findings.

Annotated Bibliography

Mujica, Mauro E. (2003, July, 7). Official English legislation: myths and realities. Human Events, 59, Retrieved October 31, 2007, from http://proxy.elmhurst.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=10380206&site=ehost-live

This article explains five different myths about Official English Legislation that many people opposing it will often use as arguments. It debunks these myths and proves that these arguments are illegitimate. Mujica is the Chairman of U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. He is also an immigrant from Chile. The arguments he presents are accurate and show that Official English does not hurt immigrants. At the end of the article, is HR 997: English Language Unity Act of 2003. In my paper I will use the myths and Mujica's debunking of the myths to further my argument for Official English, and I will use the House Resolution presented to show how Official English legislation works.

Primary Sources

1. For my primary sources I can use my own personal experience with language as one primary source. I can also interview other people to find out their personal experiences with this topic. Also because I'm also looking into the legislation for making English the Official Language, I can look at official legislation for states that already have passed this, to see how an Official Language actually works, and what choosing an official language actually means.

2. I can interview people on campus to find out their personal experiences, I could also interview a foreign language teacher, to see their opinion on this topic. To find official language legislation I would need to search a government site to see how official language works in law.

Writer Role

Advocate in a Controversy. Here the writer shifts from an informative or evaluative purpose to a persuasive purpose; the paper now becomes a researched argument.

Should the United States make English its official language?