When English colonists first settled in the Americas, there was no linguistic separation between the people. However, near the 1800s, upperclass English people wanted to distinguish their power from the poor and therefore adopted a non-rhotic pronunciation of words. Soon, the whole country began to use it. Soon a whole new language was created. Although some Americans, especially those who regularly traded with the English adopted this idea, many were not influenced by the cultural change.

In most countries of immigration, linguistic diversity is by and large ignored by policy makers. If there are language-related policies, they take a deficit view of migrants and their children and focus on improving their English (or whatever the national language may be). Although it may be expensive, schools should promote a bilingual environment rather than promoting only English because it has been proven through research that people who are bilingual tend to succeed financially. As the economy becomes more globally connected than ever, proficient multilingual speakers are needed more than ever.