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United states language – United states official languages

United states language statistics united states language map united states language schools united states language policy

United states official languages

The official language of a country is often an important part of its national identity but as a

Country of Immigrants Does the United States have a strong identity tied to a unified language?

Before we answer that question, please subscribe to our channel so you never miss a video

While most people in the U.S. official language of.

The United States has and never has an official language at the federal level.

There is no mention of an official language in the constitution and the founding fathers did not

It seems that an opinion has been recorded on the matter, but that doesn’t mean it’s not off topic.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the issue over the years and where it stands today

You can at least trace the argument about an official language

In the 1750s, when British settlers in Pennsylvania raised concerns about many of their neighbors speaking German

Things got especially heated when the Brits started seeing road signs in both English

and the Germans but by 1790 the Germans made up about 33% of the population of Pennsylvania

And of course Native American speakers were speaking more than 300 indigenous languages long before any European

Several attempts were made by naturalists to ban and force assimilation of other languages over the next few centuries.

United states language statistics united states language map united states language schools united states language

Native American children in the late 1800s were sent to boarding schools where they were forced to learn English and punished if they spoke their language.

He even had to drop his name and replace it with English

Recent efforts have attempted to revive indigenous languages and some states have created

Native Americans speak official languages but more on that later

If we go back to around the time of WWI in the early 1900s, at least 14 states have banned teaching German in schools

And Montana made it illegal to speak the language in public

Then Japanese schools started by immigrants in Hawaii during WWII were forced to close

As the fear of the Japanese people was suppressed by the federal government

And throughout history slaves were forbidden from speaking their native language because slave owners feared they would start a rebellion

So despite having no official language on the books when the U.S.

Now you might be wondering whether efforts have been made to legally make English the official language?

Some groups are determined to make English the law of the land

English is the de facto language of America as it is spoken by more than 300 million Americans and is used for government documents and business contracts.

But some MPs want to make it official

In 1981, a representative from Hawaii introduced English to the U.S. introduced a constitutional amendment to make it the official language of

The Senate passed an English-language amendment to an immigration reform bill, but the bill never became law.

Failed attempts to write official language into federal law have not prevented states from taking individual action on the matter.

31 states have their own laws declaring English as an official language, which usually means that it should be

Three states have declared more than one official language

In addition to English, there are more than 20 indigenous languages in Hawaii, including Hawaiian, Sioux in South Dakota, and Alaska.

The debate about making English the official language of America may never end

And the increasing use of other languages is only fueling the fire of English supporters.

Census reports At least 350 languages spoken in homes across the country

And this number is sure to increase in the next census.

So while English isn’t going anywhere, it isn’t going alone either.