I think there are quite a few people in America who would be surprised to learn that the country does not have an official language, English or otherwise.
And as we know, many languages grace the streets and homes of this melting pot country.
Why isn’t English official, though?
Like many things, it’s all about what the Founding Fathers envisioned at the beginning of this wild experiment.
It was the ideals of individual liberty and equality, in fact, that stopped America from adopting an official language like 180 other countries around the world.
100 of those have multiple official languages, with Bolivia holding the record for the most with 37.
In the 18th century, there were large portions of the American population that still spoke only their mother tongue, and immigrants from places like Germany, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Ireland, etc were all very common.
It seemed unfair to choose just one, and when John Adams proposed in 1780 that English be made the official language, the idea was deemed “undemocratic and a threat to individual liberty.”
There is no official language at the federal level, but 32 of the 50 states have voted to codify it.
According to the latest census data, 78.3% of the country speaks only English at home, with the second most commonly spoken language being Spanish.
That said 61% of Spanish speakers can also speak English “very well.”
It doesn’t seem like the official language will change anytime soon.
That said, efforts are ongoing to make it happen federally.
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