The Effects of Official English Laws on Limited‐English‐Proficient Workers

2000/07/01 by Madeline Zavodny · 1 voice · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Gender Studies in Language #Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity #Multilingual Education and Policy

paper · doi:10.1086/209965

openalex publication_date 2000/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

Workers with limited English skills may suffer adverse effects when states declare English the official language. If employers believe official English laws allow or require them to adopt workplace English‐only rules that lower the demand for limited-English‐proficient workers, such laws may harm individuals who do not speak English well. Using data from the 1980 and 1990 censuses, I estimate whether the earnings of limited-English‐proficient workers who live in states that adopted official English laws declined relative to other workers. The results suggest a substantial decline in the annual earnings of men with limited English proficiency.

Cited by

• The Effect of Native Language on Internet Usage
• Languages of the United States [wikipedia]

Discussions

• Seems like a good time to promote some of my research: official English laws reduce earnings of workers with limited English ability doi.org/10.1086/209965 [bsky, 6 points, 0 comments]

Related

• English Language Proficiency among the Foreign Born in the United States, 1980–2007: Duration, Age, Cohort Effects
• Employers’ Language Proficiency Requirements and Hiring of Immigrants
• Immigrant Language Proficiency, Earnings, and Language Policies
• Immigrant Integration in the United States: The Role of Adult English Language Training
• The Gap That Can’t Go Away