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Writer's pictureJackie Amidon Donaldson

What You Should Know about English in the U.S.

Some Americans believe that English is the official language of the U.S. But it's not. In fact, some states have more than one official language. Do you know what they are?



Some people in the US are traditionalists. They believe that English should be the only language spoken. They also believe that it's a law that originates from the U.S. Constitution.


However, that's not true.


Even in 1787 when the Constitution was written, there were several languages being spoken in the U.S., including English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Flemish, among many more.


The Founding Fathers did not make any declaration or law requiring that the U.S. has one official language because they didn't want to leave anyone out.



It's actually up to the states to name an official language. Thirty U.S. states have an official language.


While all 30 states selected English, four states have chosen an additional official language.


For example:


🇺🇸 Louisiana declared that French and English are its official languages.

🇺🇸 In New Mexico, it's Spanish and English.

🇺🇸 And in Hawaii, it's Hawaiian and English.

🇺🇸 However, in Alaska, there are 20 official languages, including 19 native ones.


What do you think? Should the U.S. have an official language? What about your country, what's the official language?


Learn more about English as it's spoken in the U.S., as well as cultural tidbits, in my English conversation and Business English classes. Contact me today for more info.


 

Jackie Donaldson is a language teacher and pronunciation specialist at Amidon Studios. She founded Amidon Studios in 2017 after managing a language institute in Lima, Peru. She's taught English and Spanish to students from all over the world while living in Peru, Mexico, and the U.S. When she's not working or studying, you'll find her gardening, playing with her cat Frankie, swimming, and exploring the globe.



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