This review of the literature on language uniformity investigates the controversy surrounding the issue of making English an official language in the United States and the consequences that would follow such a practice. The review looks at the basic arguments of making English the "official" language and offers an understanding of a rhetorical issue of communication: the shared symbol system of a culture. The review examines the rhetorical, intercultural and language science perspectives of language development and describes possible outcomes which would arise from making English the official language, citing the examples of the states where English is already an official language and the support for passage of such a resolution in the states with a heavy Latin American population, Florida and California. The review reveals the difficulty of demanding a standard dialect, since the diversity of the country and the dynamics of English, as used in America, preclude codifying the language. The review also discusses the activities of the U.S. English group, headed by the semanticist and former senator, S. I. Hayakawa, who believes that making English official will strengthen America's cultural position in the world. The review concludes that educators should develop improved strategies in English instruction and allow language to experience dynamic change--free from legislative restrictions. (Fifty references are attached.) (KEH)