Editing Talk:84: National Language

Any idea what she's saying? [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 08:37, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
:Yes, she's [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071104151337AAWzYeu introducing herself]: "Hello, my name is Sarah". -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:00, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Is it worth noting that the United States does not actually ''have'' an official language, at States-wide level?  The United Kingdom has English legislated for, while officially recognises various Celtic languages regionally (equivalent to that Cherokee example that may well be a state/sub-state official lingo?).  India has English and Hindi on the relevent official national statutes (as well as many and varied other ones listed regionally, IIRC), so may technically demand English usage more so than the US itself.

(It is somewhat an urban legend that the US was just a hair's-breadth away from adopting German as its official language, but still fun to speculate how that might have affected its alliances for either World War, had it been linguistically more connected to the 'other side', and perhaps having a Special Relationship with the different European power thus affecting what side they'd officially support in 1914/1939.)

It's a convention, of course.  But there are any number of communities that (many generations since the original settling event) still maintain their own non-Anglo/non-Native language, internally, as a majority tongue for the community.  Albeit to various lesser or even effectively insignificant degrees in the grand scheme of things, compared to the national usage of English.  (Somewhat mis-spelt English, of course. ;) [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 07:09, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:Indeed. Those who don't know me already tend to consider ''my'' English strange, if I visit the States. And that's without my deliberately invoking any pericombobulations or general contrafibularities...
:Not that my accent and dialect are typical of the UK, either (we have a wide range of linguistic/vocal variation, as indeed most long-and-continuously inhabited places do), but most people are used  and prepared to deal with even quite strong variations that are perhaps not so well known (or even comprehenisible) across the Pond. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.94.209|172.71.94.209]] 21:03, 5 December 2022 (UTC)

I did this when my Human Geography teacher asked the class if English should be the United States' official language. Best moment of that class.[[Special:Contributions/173.22.5.38|173.22.5.38]] 04:40, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

That kind of illustrates the point, doesn't it? Either assimilate into the natives or beat them. Naturally, the natives would not be happy about the second option. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.5|108.162.246.5]] 23:00, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Yeah! Peepl what wanna go inta me cuntri shuld learn dat wat language we speak and how 2 speak it properlys! 17:37, 23 July 2015 (UTC)
:[[1627|Are you for real?]]

The official language of Belize is English, and only 42% speak it there.  The rest speak Spanish like all the rest of the countries around them.  Belize was settled by the English pirates rather than by the Spanish settlers.

starts speaking in p r o t o  i n d o  e u r o p e a n

South Africa has eleven official languages. All forms, correspondence etc. has to be made available in all eleven languages, by law. Although everyone speaks English to some degree. [[User:The Cat Lady|The Cat Lady]] ([[User talk:The Cat Lady|talk]]) 15:47, 11 August 2021 (UTC)