An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other territory. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration.^[1] However, official status can also be used to give a language (often indigenous) a legal status, even if that language is not widely spoken. For example, in New Zealand the M?ori language has official status under the M?ori Language Act even though it is spoken by less than five percent of the New Zealand population.^[2] Non-national or supra-national organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union may also have official languages.

Legality

True official languages are those designated as such by a regulation or law, such as the M?ori Language Act or the Welsh Language Act 1967. However many languages are considered to be de facto official languages, meaning that although a language may have no official status in a particular country, it is the most commonly used language in that country and the one usually used in official settings. One example of this is the English language in the United States. The US has no official language (although 30 US states do^[3]), but because English is used for most official matters and the most commonly spoken language, it can be considered the official language in practice if not in law.

An official language is not to be confused with a national language, although the national language may be official if given legal recognition by the government.^[4]

The practical effects of a language's 'official' designation vary, and often depend on how widely the language is spoken. In some cases only the official language(s) may be used in court, the education system or other settings, whereas in other cases official status merely allows for that language to be used. For example, the M?ori Language Act allows M?ori to be used in legal settings, but the vast majority of New Zealand legal proceedings are still carried out in English despite English having only de facto official status. In other countries in which the official language is more generally but not universally spoken, such as the Republic of Ireland and Wales, state publications and signage must be available in the official language as well as the dominant language. Official language status usually increases the likelihood that a language will be widely taught in schools, and in many cases (for example Ireland) the official language is a compulsory subject.

Politics

Official language status is often connected with wider political issues of sovereignty, cultural nationalism, and the rights of indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities. For example, the campaign to make English the de jure official language of the United States is often seen as a way of marginalizing non English-speaking minorities, particularly Hispanic and Latino Americans, whereas in the Republic of Ireland the decision to make the Irish language an official language was part of a wider program of cultural revitalization and Gaelic nationalism. Various indigenous rights movements have sought greater recognition of their languages, often through official language status.

See also

• List of official languages (by language)
• List of official languages by state
• List of official languages by institution
• National language
• Working language

References

• Akira Nakanishi (1990) "Writing Systems of the World: Alphabets, Syllabaries, Pictograms", ISBN 0804816549 — the book lists official languages of the countries of the world, among other information, although it contains errors; e.g., it names English as the official language of the United States.

af:Amptelike taal als:Amtssprache ang:Ambihtlicu spr?c ar:??? ????? an:Idioma ofizial ast:Idioma oficial zh-min-nan:Koa?-hong gí-giân be:????????? ???? be-x-old:????????? ???? bs:Slu?beni jezik br:Yezh ofisiel bg:????????? ???? ca:Llengua oficial cv:???????? ????? cs:Ú?ední jazyk ny:Chinenero ya ndzika cy:Iaith swyddogol da:Officielt sprog de:Amtssprache dv:?????? ???? et:Riigikeel el:??????? ?????? myv:????????? ???? es:Idioma oficial eo:Oficiala lingvo ext:Luenga oficial eu:Hizkuntza ofizial fa:???? ???? fr:Langue officielle ga:Teanga oifigiúil gv:Çhengey oikoil gd:Cànan Oifigeil gl:Lingua oficial ko:??? hy:?????????? ????? hr:Slu?beni jezik id:Bahasa resmi is:Opinbert tungumál it:Lingua ufficiale he:??? ????? jv:Basa resmi ka:?????????? ??? ku:Zimanên fermî la:Lingua publica lv:Valsts valoda lb:Offiziell Sprooch lt:Valstybin? kalba li:Offesjeel taol ln:Lokótá ya L??ta hu:Hivatalos nyelv mk:?????????? ????? ml:???????? ??? ms:Bahasa rasmi mn:????? ???? ??? nah:?chc?uhtlaht?lli nl:Officiële taal ja:??? ce:??????? ???? no:Offisielt språk nn:Offisielt språk nrm:Langue officielle oc:Lenga oficiala nds:Amtsspraak pl:J?zyk urz?dowy pt:Língua oficial crh:Resmiy til ro:Limb? oficial? rmy:Prinjardi chhib qu:Tukri simi ru:??????????? ???? sq:Gjuha zyrtare simple:Official language sk:Úradný jazyk sl:Uradni jezik sr:???????? ????? sh:Slu?beni jezik fi:Virallinen kieli sv:Officiellt språk tl:Opisyal na wika ta:????? ???? kab:Tutlayt tun?ibt tt:Räsmi tel th:?????????? vi:Ngôn ng? chính th?c tg:?????? ??????? tr:Resmî dil udm:??????????? ??? uk:???????? ???? vec:?éngua ufisia?e wa:Lingaedje oficir bat-smg:Valst?b?n? ruoda zh:????