In communities across the US, people wrestle with which languages to use, and who gets to decide. Despite more than 67 million US residents using a language other than English at home, over half of the states in the US have successfully passed English-only policies. Drawing on archives and interviews, this book tells the origin story of the English-only movement, as well as the stories of contemporary language policy campaigns in four Maryland county governments, giving a rare glimpse into what motivates the people who most directly shape language policy in the US. It demonstrates that English-only policies grow from more local levels, rather than from nationalist ideologies, where they are downplayed as harmless community initiatives, but result in monolingual approaches to language remaining increasingly pervasive. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

‘It’s sometimes easy to gloss over the seemingly ‘copy & paste’ strategies employed by so many English-only advocates in communities across the United States, but Flowers’ innovative methodology, detailed research, and theoretical framing prompt us to see these templated texts and networked rhetorical engagements in a new light. Indeed, she argues, these local sites are where the most impactful forms of language advocacy and activism happen in the US. Drawing together theories and concepts from language policy studies, sociolinguistics, writing studies, and genre studies, Flowers' book can help scholars and supporters of linguistic pluralism understand how to operate rhetorically in those local spaces.’

Scott Wible - Associate Professor of English, University of Maryland

‘This book is an essential resource for those interested in language policy and the official English movement in the US. By carefully tracing the connections among the policy texts and authors, Flowers illuminates the sometimes opaque machinations of the English-only movement. She narrates the compelling journey with care and verve. It is a fascinating read!’

David Cassels Johnson - Professor of Multilingual Education, University of Iowa

‘This is the most interesting, informative, and useful work I have encountered on how language policies dealing with the status of English in the United States evolve at the community level. The book uses a variety of research methods to demonstrate how policies that concern language status are inseparable from economics, race, and identity politics. This book shows that both support for and opposition to English-only policies in the United States is complex and multi-dimensional and cannot simply be reduced to one-off explanations. This is a major contribution to the language policy and planning literature and will be of great interest to language activists.’

Thomas Ricento - Professor Emeritus of Education, University of Calgary