States that have passed English-only laws aren't typically the sort to shower money on bilingual education. Utah, which declared English its sole official language in 2000, seems to be an exception. The New York Times recently reported that the state is expanding its language-immersion programs for young students. French, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin are currently on the docket. German and Arabic might follow.
Public schools' immersion programs could change the way Utahns think of foreign languages in their midst. Utah's language programs are an important step forward. In the last two decades, Salt Lake City has become more diverse than most Americans realize. With such a public embrace of multilingualism, the state could shed its monocultural reputation entirely.
The Economist
