2006-11-25 17:13:12 · 12 answers · asked by SK 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
A national language is a language (or language variant, i.e. dialect) which uniquely represents the national identity of a nation or country. A national language is used for political and legal discourse and so designated by a country's government. Some countries have more than one national language, such as Canada which uses both French and English. A national language is not to be confused with the predominant language, which is spoken by the majority of people from within a country's borders.
On May 19, 2006, the United States Senate voted to make English the national language of the United States. According to the bill, written by Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), the federal government will no longer provide multilingual communications and services, except for those already guaranteed by law. Shortly after the approval of the Inhofe amendment, the Senate voted for another bill by Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), according to which English is the "common unifying language of the United States," but mandated that nothing in that declaration "shall diminish or expand any existing rights" regarding multilingual services.
Languages spoken in the United States in order of predominance:
English 82.1%
Spanish 10.7%
other Indo-European 3.8%
Asian and Pacific island 2.7%
other 0.7%
(2000 census)
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2006-11-25 17:42:27 · answer #1 · answered by funnyrob01 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no official language of the United States of America, however, English is the main language used by the government and the majority of the population.
However, the state of Arizona did just pass a referendum naming English as the official language of the state.
2006-11-25 17:21:07 · answer #2 · answered by but_ya_are_blanche 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is no official language of the US. The de facto language is English.
2006-11-25 17:23:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
English should be but there are certain areas where spanish is a requirement for a job.
2006-11-25 17:39:37 · answer #4 · answered by julie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
english
2006-11-25 17:23:28 · answer #5 · answered by pooh b 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
english
2006-11-25 17:20:17 · answer #6 · answered by GIR 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
english
2006-11-25 17:14:34 · answer #7 · answered by justcurious 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
English. Where are you from?
2006-11-25 17:35:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
English . where u from?
2006-11-25 17:15:13 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
English. You can't be from Mexico or Canadia?
2006-11-25 17:20:23 · answer #10 · answered by Professor DOT BOMB 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋