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It may come as a surprise, but the USA has NO official language, English or otherwise. This misconception stems from three factors. The first is that the US was established as a collection of English-speaking colonies who ultimately decided that their motherland was not giving them a fair deal in exchange for their taxes. The second is that over ninety-seven percent of the population has some capacity to speak English. The third is that rather than the nation having an official language, thirty states have designated English as the official language [1]. This combination of heritage, state law and common practice can easily lead even the most educated person to assume English is the official language of the United States of America.

Having established that it is not the official language, two alternatives remain. First, the issue of whether an official language is desirable for a nation such as the US and secondly whether that language should in fact be English.

Denoting a certain tongue as an official language gives that language a status above other languages within the nation. It could mean that all signs have to be in that language and official documents such as legislation. It usually means that children must be educated in that language and that state broadcasting and media services be provided in the language.

Language is a tool in the construction of identity. Identity, be it regional or national is based on a collection of shared history and experience. It is the expression of culture. Countries that do have official languages, or at least officially recognised languages often have distinct historical and cultural reasons for doing so. For instance, New Zealand passed the Maori Language Act, which enables Maori to use their language in court proceedings and encourages the promotion of Maori language and culture [2]. Similarly, in Canada both French and English are official languages, reflecting the nation's joint history. In India, English is an official language used as a unifying tongue between hundreds of regional languages, few of whose speakers are conversant in the language of the former Raj.

Establishing an official language then is either a case of recognising an ethnic-based distinct culture within the nation or providing an instrument to unify peoples who might otherwise have little in common and aid in their administration. The question is now whether either of these cases apply to the US.

The US has long been a land of opportunity, settlers

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