List of official languages by country and territory

Last updated

This is a list of official languages by country and territory. It includes all languages that have official language status either statewide or in a part of the state, or that have status as a national language, regional language, or minority language.

Contents

Definitions

Official language
A language designated as having a unique legal status in the state: typically, the language used in a nation's legislative bodies, and often, official government business.
Regional language
A language designated as having official status limited to a specific area, administrative division, or territory of the state. (On this page a regional language has parentheses next to it that contain a region, province, etc. where the language has regional status.)
National language
A language that uniquely represents the national identity of a state, nation, and/or country and is so designated by a country's government; some are technically minority languages. (On this page a national language is followed by parentheses that identify it as a national language status.) Some countries have more than one language with this status.

List

Country/Region
  1. Number of official (including de facto)
Official languageRegional languageMinority languageNational languageWidely spoken
Flag of the Republic of Abkhazia.svg Abkhazia [a] 2 Georgian Abkhaz
Flag of the Taliban.svg Afghanistan [1] 2
Flag of Albania.svg Albania [2] 1 Albanian Italian
Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria [3] 2 French
Flag of Andorra.svg Andorra 1 Catalan [4]
Flag of Angola.svg Angola [5] 1 Portuguese
Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg Antigua and Barbuda 1 English [6]
Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina 1None (Spanish has de facto status)
Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia 1 Armenian Armenian (state language) [9] Russian
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 1None (English has de facto status)
Flag of Austria.svg Austria [10] [11] 1

German

German (state language)

English

Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan 1 Azerbaijani Azerbaijani (state language) [12] Russian
Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas 1English
Flag of Bahrain.svg Bahrain 1ArabicEnglish
Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 1 Bengali Bengali
Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados 1English
Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus 2 Belarusian
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 3
  • Dutch
  • French
  • German

English

Flag of Belize.svg Belize 1English Garifuna
Flag of Benin.svg Benin 1French
Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan 1 Dzongkha
Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia [14] 37
  1. Castilian (Spanish)
  2. Aymara
  3. Araona
  4. Baure
  5. Bésiro (Chiquitano)
  6. Canichana
  7. Cavineña
  8. Cayubaba
  9. Chácobo
  10. Chimán
  11. Ese Ejja
  12. Guaraní
  13. Guarasu'we
  14. Guarayu
  15. Itonama
  16. Leco
  17. Machajuyai-Kallawaya
  18. Machineri
  19. Maropa
  20. Mojeño-Ignaciano
  21. Mojeño-Trinitario
  22. Moré
  23. Mosetén
  24. Movima
  25. Pacawara
  26. Puquina
  27. Quechua
  28. Sirionó
  29. Tacana
  30. Tapieté
  31. Toromona
  32. Uru-Chipaya
  33. Weenhayek
  34. Yaminawa
  35. Yuki
  36. Yuracaré
  37. Zamuco
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina 3None (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian all have de facto status) [15]
Flag of Botswana.svg Botswana 1English Tswana
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 1

Portuguese [16]

Portuguese
Flag of Brunei.svg Brunei 1 Malay
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria 1 Bulgarian
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina Faso 4Working languages:
  • English
  • French
Flag of Burundi.svg Burundi [43] [44] 3Kirundi Swahili
Flag of Cambodia.svg Cambodia 1 Khmer

French English Chinese

Flag of Cameroon.svg Cameroon 2
  • English
  • French
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 2
  • Chipewyan
  • Cree
  • Gwich'in
  • Inuinnaqtun
  • Inuktitut
  • Inuvialuktun
  • Mi'kmaq
  • North Slavey
  • South Slavey
  • Tłı̨chǫ
Flag of Cape Verde.svg Cape Verde 1 Portuguese Cape Verdean Creole
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg Central African Republic 2
Flag of Chad.svg Chad 2
  • Arabic
  • French
Flag of Chile.svg Chile 1Spanish

Languages of ethnic groups are official in their territories [45]

Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 1 Standard Chinese Other Sinitic languages
Flag of Christmas Island.svg  Christmas Island 3
Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.svg  Cocos (Keeling) Islands 2 Malay
Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 1SpanishLanguages of ethnic groups are official in their territories [46]
Flag of the Comoros.svg Comoros 3
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Democratic Republic of the Congo 1French
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg Republic of the Congo 1French
Flag of the Cook Islands.svg  Cook Islands 2
Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica 1Spanish
Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia 1 Croatian
  • Italian (Istria County)
  • Romani (non-territorial)
  • Slovene (non-territorial)

English

Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba 1Spanish
Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus 2English
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 2Czech
Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark 1 Danish German (in Southern Jutland)English
Flag of Djibouti.svg Djibouti 2
  • Arabic
  • French
Flag of Dominica.svg Dominica 1English
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic 1Spanish
Flag of East Timor.svg East Timor 2
Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador [52] 1
  • Spanish
Languages of ethnic groups are official in their territories
Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt 1Arabic Coptic Egyptian Arabic English
Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador 1Spanish
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg Equatorial Guinea 3
  • French
  • Portuguese
  • Spanish
Flag of Eritrea.svg Eritrea 1 Tigrinya
  • Arabic
  • Italian
Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia 1 Estonian Russian
Flag of Eswatini.svg Eswatini 2
Flag of Ethiopia.svg Ethiopia 5
Flag of Fiji.svg Fiji 3
Flag of Finland.svg Finland 2 Sami (in Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä, Utsjoki)
  • Finnish
  • Swedish

English

Flag of France.svg France 1French [53] Occitan language
Flag of Gabon.svg Gabon 1French
Flag of The Gambia.svg Gambia 1English
Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia 1GeorgianRussian
Flag of Germany.svg Germany 1 German [54]
  • Danish
  • Lower Sorbian
  • North Frisian
  • Romani [55]
  • Upper Sorbian

English

Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana 1English
Flag of Greece.svg Greece 1Greek
Flag of Grenada.svg Grenada 1English
Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala 1 Spanish
Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea 1French
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg Guinea-Bissau 1 Portuguese
Flag of Guyana.svg Guyana 1English Guyanese Creole
Flag of Haiti.svg Haiti 2
Flag of Honduras.svg Honduras 1 Spanish
Flag of Hong Kong.svg Hong Kong 3
  • Cantonese
  • English
  • Mandarin
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 1Hungarian [56]
Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland 2
Flag of India.svg India 22 22 official languages -
Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia 1 Indonesian
Flag of Iran.svg Iran 1 Persian Persian
Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq 2
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland [62] 2Irish
Flag of Israel.svg Israel 1 Hebrew ArabicEnglish
  • Russian
  • English
Flag of Italy.svg Italy 1Italian
  • Ladin
  • Slovene
Other Italo-Dalmatian languages
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg Ivory Coast 1French
Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica 1English Jamaican Patois
Flag of Japan.svg Japan 1None (Japanese has de facto status)Japanese
Flag of Jordan.svg Jordan 1Arabic
  • Circassian
  • Chechen
  • Armenian
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan 2Kazakh
Flag of Kenya.svg Kenya 2Swahili
Flag of Kiribati.svg Kiribati 2
Flag of North Korea.svg North Korea 1 Korean
Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 2
Flag of Kosovo.svg Kosovo [a] 2
  • Albanian
  • Serbian
Turkish
  • Albanian (nationwide)
  • Serbian (Northern Kosovo)
Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait 1 Standard Arabic
Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg Kyrgyzstan 2Kyrgyz
Flag of Laos.svg Laos 1 Lao
Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia 1 Latvian [63] [64] Russian
Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon 1ArabicArabicArmenian
  • Arabic
  • English
  • French
  • Arabic
  • English
  • French
Flag of Lesotho.svg Lesotho 2Sotho
Flag of Liberia.svg Liberia 1English
Flag of Libya.svg Libya 1Arabic
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Liechtenstein 1German
Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania 1 Lithuanian
  • Polish
  • Russian
Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg 3Luxembourgish
  • English
  • Portuguese
Flag of Macau.svg Macau 2
  • Cantonese
  • Portuguese
Flag of Madagascar.svg Madagascar 2Malagasy
Flag of Malawi.svg Malawi 2
  • English
  • Chichewa
Chichewa
Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia 1 Malay [f] Regional/State dialectsMalay
Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives 1 Dhivehi Dhivehi English
Flag of Mali.svg Mali 13
  1. Bambara
  2. Bobo
  3. Bozo
  4. Dogon
  5. Fula
  6. Hassaniya
  7. Kassonke
  8. Maninke
  9. Minyanka
  10. Senufo
  11. Songhay languages
  12. Soninke
  13. Tamasheq
French
Flag of Malta.svg Malta 2Maltese
Flag of the Order of St. John (various).svg Sovereign Military Order of Malta [a] 1Italian
Flag of the Marshall Islands.svg Marshall Islands 2
Flag of Mauritania.svg Mauritania 1ArabicFrench
Flag of Mauritius.svg Mauritius 2English

Mauritian Creole (Also known as 'Morisien')

English
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico 1None (Spanish has de facto status) 68 National languages
Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.svg Federated States of Micronesia 1English
Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova 1 Romanian
Flag of Monaco.svg Monaco [66] 1French Monégasque
Flag of Mongolia.svg Mongolia 1 Mongolian
Flag of Montenegro.svg Montenegro 1 Montenegrin
Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco 2
  • Arabic
  • Berber
Flag of Mozambique.svg Mozambique 1Portuguese
Flag of Myanmar.svg Myanmar (Burma)1 Burmese English
Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia [67] 1English Afrikaans
Flag of Nauru.svg Nauru 2
Flag of Nepal.svg Nepal 1 Nepali [68] all languages spoken as the mother tongue in Nepal [69]
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 1 Dutch

English

Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 3
Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua 1Spanish
Flag of Niger.svg Niger 1French
Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria 1English
  • English
  • Hausa
Flag of Niue.svg  Niue 2
Flag of Norfolk Island.svg Norfolk Island 2
Flag of North Macedonia.svg North Macedonia 2
Flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.svg Northern Cyprus [a] 1Turkish
Flag of Norway.svg Norway 2

English

Flag of Oman.svg Oman 1Arabic Shehri
Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 2Urdu
Flag of Palau.svg Palau 2
Flag of Palestine.svg Palestine 1Arabic
  • English
  • Hebrew
Flag of Panama.svg Panama 1Spanish
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Papua New Guinea 4
Flag of Paraguay.svg Paraguay 2
  • Spanish
  • Guaraní
Flag of Peru.svg Peru 1Spanish Quechua, Aymara and another native languages are official wherever they predominate
Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines 2 Arabic [g] (optional language)
Spanish [g] (optional language)
(+ over 100 more minority languages)
Flag of Poland.svg Poland 1Polish Kashubian (Pomeranian Voivodeship)

English

Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal 1Portuguese Mirandese (Terra de Miranda)

English

Flag of Qatar.svg Qatar 1Arabic
Flag of Romania.svg Romania 1Romanian
  • Armenian
  • German
  • Hungarian
  • Romani
  • Russian
  • Serbian
  • Slovak
  • Tatar
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
Flag of Russia.svg Russia 1Russian(33 languages)
Flag of Rwanda.svg Rwanda 4
Flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.svg Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic [a] 2
  • Arabic
  • Spanish
Arabic
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg Saint Kitts and Nevis 1English
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg Saint Lucia 1English
Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1English
Flag of Samoa.svg Samoa 2
Flag of San Marino.svg San Marino 1Italian
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg São Tomé and Príncipe 1Portuguese
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia 1Arabic
  • Indian Languages
  • Filipino
  • Bengali
Flag of Senegal.svg Senegal 1French
Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia 1Serbian(15 languages)
Flag of Seychelles.svg Seychelles 3
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone 1English Krio
Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore 4Malay
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia 1Slovak
  • Bulgarian
  • Czech
  • German
  • Hungarian
  • Polish
  • Romani
  • Rusyn
  • Serbian
  • Ukrainian
Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia 1Slovene
Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg Solomon Islands 1
  • English
Flag of Somalia.svg Somalia 2 Somali, Arabic
Flag of Somaliland.svg Somaliland [a] 3
  • Arabic
  • English
  • Somali
Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa 11
  1. Afrikaans
  2. English
  3. Southern Ndebele
  4. Sotho
  5. Northern Sotho
  6. Swazi
  7. Tsonga
  8. Tswana
  9. Venda
  10. Xhosa
  11. Zulu
Flag of South Ossetia.svg South Ossetia [a] 2GeorgianGeorgian
Flag of South Sudan.svg South Sudan 1English
Flag of Spain.svg Spain 1Spanish
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka 2

English

Flag of Sudan.svg Sudan 2
  • Arabic
  • English
Flag of Suriname.svg Suriname 1Dutch Sranan Tongo
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 1 Swedish

English

Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland 4
Flag of Syria.svg Syria 1ArabicKurdish
  • Assyrian
  • Western Neo-Aramaic
  • Armenian
Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taiwan 1None (Mandarin Chinese has de facto status)
Flag of Tajikistan.svg Tajikistan 1 Tajik TajikRussian
Flag of Tanzania.svg Tanzania 2
  • Swahili
  • English
Swahili
Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand 1 Central Thai

Sixty-two 'domestic' languages are officially recognized

Burmese
Flag of Togo (3-2).svg Togo 1French
Flag of Tokelau.svg  Tokelau 2
Flag of Tonga.svg Tonga 2
Flag of Transnistria (state).svg Transnistria [a] 3
  • Moldovan
  • Russian
  • Ukrainian
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago 1EnglishTrinidadian Creole
Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia 1ArabicArabic
Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 1 Turkish KurdishTurkish
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg Turkmenistan 1 Turkmen TurkmenRussian
Flag of Tuvalu.svg Tuvalu 2
  • Tuvaluan
  • English
Flag of Uganda.svg Uganda 2
  • English
  • Swahili [77]
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 1Ukrainian
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg United Arab Emirates 1ArabicEnglish
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom and Crown dependencies etc.1None (English has de facto status)
Flag of the United States.svg United States 1None (English has de facto status)(28 languages)Several indigenous languages of recognized federal tribes
  • English
  • Spanish
Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay 2
  • None (Spanish has de facto status)
  • Uruguayan Sign Language
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan 1UzbekRussian
Flag of Vanuatu.svg Vanuatu 3
Flag of Vatican City (2023-present).svg Vatican City 2
  • Italian
  • Latin
Swiss German
Flag of Venezuela.svg Venezuela 2Native languages are official for indigenous peoples
Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam 1 Vietnamese Vietnamese
Flag of Yemen.svg Yemen 1Arabic
Flag of Zambia.svg Zambia 1English
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Zimbabwe 16
  1. Chewa
  2. Chibarwe
  3. English
  4. Kalanga
  5. Khoisan [i] [78]
  6. Nambya
  7. Ndau
  8. Ndebele
  9. Shangani
  10. Shona
  11. Sign language [j]
  12. Sotho
  13. Tonga
  14. Tswana
  15. Venda
  16. Xhosa

Number of countries with the same official language

This is a ranking of languages by number of sovereign countries in which they are de jure or de facto official, although there are no precise inclusion criteria or definition of a language. An '*' (asterisk) indicates a country whose independence is disputed.

Partially recognized or de facto independent countries are denoted by an asterisk (*)

LanguageWorld Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania Countries
English 5823144314 United Kingdom, United States, [k] Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, India, South Africa, Nigeria (See the full list) [79]
French 2719251 France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Madagascar, Monaco, Haiti, Vanuatu (See the full list)
Arabic 23–26*12–14*11–12* Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine* (See the full list)
Spanish 201181 Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico (See the full list) [80]
Portuguese 96111 Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, East Timor (See the full list)
German 66 Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein (See the full list)
Russian 5–8*32–5* Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Abkhazia*, South Ossetia*, Transnistria*. (See the full list)
Swahili 55 Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Serbo-Croatian 4–5*4–5* Serbia (known as Serbian), Croatia (known as Croatian), Montenegro (known as Montenegrin), Bosnia and Herzegovina (known as Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian), Kosovo* (known as Serbian)
Italian 44 Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City
Malay 44 Malaysia (known as Malaysian), Indonesia (known as Indonesian), Singapore, Brunei
Dutch 312 Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname
Persian 33 Iran, Afghanistan (known as Dari), Tajikistan (known as Tajik)
Sotho 33 South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe
Tswana 33 Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Albanian 2–3*2–3* Albania, Kosovo*, North Macedonia
Standard Chinese 2–3*2–3* China, Singapore, Taiwan*
Romanian 2–3*2-3* Romania, Moldova, Transnistria*
Somali 2–3*2–3* Somalia, Ethiopia, and Somaliland*
Turkish 2–3*2–3* Turkey, Northern Cyprus* and Cyprus
Aymara 22 Bolivia and Peru
Berber 22 Algeria and Morocco
Chichewa 22 Malawi and Zimbabwe
Greek 22 Greece and Cyprus
Guarani 22 Paraguay and Bolivia
Hindustani 22 India (known as Hindi) and Pakistan (known as Urdu)
Quechua 22 Bolivia and Peru
Korean 22 North Korea and South Korea
Kurdish 2--2-- Iraq and Armenia
Rwanda-Rundi 22 Burundi (known as Kirundi) & Rwanda (known as Kinyarwanda)
Swati 22 Eswatini (Swaziland) and South Africa
Swedish 22 Sweden and Finland
Tamil 33 Sri Lanka, India (in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry) and Singapore
Tigrinya 22 Eritrea and Ethiopia
Venda 22 South Africa and Zimbabwe
Bengali 22 India (West Bengal, Tripura, Assam) and Bangladesh
Irish 11 Ireland

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Independence disputed.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The third official language  in addition to Pashto and Dari  in areas where the majority speaks them
  3. 1 2 Slovak language is defined as official language together with Czech language by several laws  e.g. law 500/2004, 337/1992. Source: http://portal.gov.cz. Cited: "Například Správní řád (zákon č. 500/2004 Sb.) stanovuje: "V řízení se jedná a písemnosti se vyhotovují v českém jazyce. Účastníci řízení mohou jednat a písemnosti mohou být předkládány i v jazyce slovenském..." (§16, odstavec 1). Zákon o správě daní a poplatků (337/1992 Sb.) "Úřední jazyk: Před správcem daně se jedná v jazyce českém nebo slovenském. Veškerá písemná podání se předkládají v češtině nebo slovenštině..." (§ 3, odstavec 1). http://portal.gov.cz
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Citizens belonging to minorities, which traditionally and on long-term basis live within the territory of the Czech Republic, enjoy the right to use their language in communication with authorities and in front of the courts of law (for the list of recognized minorities see National Minorities Policy of the Government of the Czech Republic). The article 25 of the Czech Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms ensures right of the national and ethnic minorities for education and communication with authorities in their own language. Act No. 500/2004 Coll. (The Administrative Rule) in its paragraph 16 (4) (Procedural Language) ensures, that a citizen of the Czech Republic, who belongs to a national or an ethnic minority, which traditionally and on long-term basis lives within the territory of the Czech Republic, have right to address an administrative agency and proceed before it in the language of the minority. In case that the administrative agency doesn't have an employee with knowledge of the language, the agency is bound to obtain a translator at the agency's own expense. According to Act No. 273/2001 (About The Rights of Members of Minorities) paragraph 9 (The right to use language of a national minority in dealing with authorities and in front of the courts of law) the same applies for the members of national minorities also in front of the courts of law.
  5. 1 2 3 Official language for intercultural relations
  6. Article 152 of the Constitution of Malaysia designated Malay as the national language. Section 2 of that article allowed English to be used officially until otherwise provided by Parliament. In 1967, the Parliament of Malaysia passed the National Language Act, making Malay the official language of Malaysia. The act does, however, allow the use of English for some official purposes. On 11 July 1990, following the amendment of the National Language Act 1963/67 (Act 32) (Revised in 1971), Malay replaced English as the official language of the courts in West Malaysia. The amending Act provided English to be used in the Courts in West Malaysia where it deems necessary in the interest of Justice. East Malaysia continued using English as the official language in their courts. [65] Since 2007, the official policy is to refer to the national language as the Malaysian language (Bahasa Malaysia), although legislation still refers to the Malay language (Bahasa Melayu).
  7. 1 2 As per the 1987 Constitution which states "Spanish and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis". [74]
  8. 1 2 Not designated but meets legal definition
  9. Refers to the Tjwao dialect
  10. See Zimbabwean sign languages
  11. In the United States of America, English is the language of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and The Federalist Papers and remains the working language of the federal administration. At the state level, some states with large Hispanic populations—such as Arizona, California, Florida, New Mexico, and Texas—provide bilingual legislated notices and official documents in both Spanish and English. Attempts have been made to legislate English as the official language of the federal government of the United States, often imbued with nationalist sentiment such as the proposed English Language Unity Act of 2005 with its controversial ties to immigration policy, but these initiatives have not passed into law, despite an English-only movement whose long history includes: Pennsylvania of the 1750s concerning German; the decade of the 1800s in Louisiana concerning French; the 1890s concerning the use of the Hawaiian language in Hawaii; and from 1880 onward—now formally organized—more than a century of American Indian boarding schools suppressing the use of Native American indigenous language.

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Portuguese is the official and national language of Brazil being widely spoken by most of the population. Brazil is the most populous Portuguese-speaking country in the world, with its lands comprising the majority of Portugal's former colonial holdings in the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Malaysia</span>

The indigenous languages of Malaysia belong to the Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian families. The national, or official, language is Malay which is the mother tongue of the majority Malay ethnic group. The main ethnic groups within Malaysia are the Malays, Chinese and Tamils, with many other ethnic groups represented in smaller numbers, each with its own languages. The largest native languages spoken in East Malaysia are the Iban, Dusunic, and Kadazan languages. English is widely understood and spoken within the urban areas of the country; the English language is a compulsory subject in primary and secondary education. It is also the main medium of instruction within most private colleges and private universities. English may take precedence over Malay in certain official contexts as provided for by the National Language Act, especially in the states of Sabah and Sarawak, where it may be the official working language. Furthermore, the law of Malaysia is commonly taught and read in English, as the unwritten laws of Malaysia continue to be partially derived from pre-1957 English common law, which is a legacy of past British colonisation of the constituents forming Malaysia. In addition, authoritative versions of constitutional law and statutory law are continuously available in both Malay and English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of South America</span>

The languages of South America can be divided into three broad groups:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antônio Prado</span> Municipality in South, Brazil

Antônio Prado is a municipality located in the Serra Gaúcha regionin The city is in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It boasts the largest collection of architectural heritage designated by IPHAN related to Italian colonization in Brazil. Its population is estimated at 13,045 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flores da Cunha</span> Place in South, Brazil

Flores da Cunha is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is the largest producer of wines inside Brazil. The Venetian language in its Brazilian form Talian is co-official with Portuguese in Flores da Cunha.

Serafina Corrêa is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prudentópolis</span> Ukrainian-majority municipality in Parana, Brazil

Prudentópolis is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Paraná, in Southern Brazil. As of 2022, it had a population of 49,393 people.

The Italian language in Brazil has been widespread since the second half of the 19th century, particularly due to Italian emigration to Brazil. Today there are an estimated 26 million descendants of Italians residing in the country; among them, Italian is estimated to be spoken as a first language by about 50,000 people. On the other hand, there were 407,924 Italian citizens residing in Brazil in 2013. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, a Venetian linguistic island is still active, whose language is called talian. Italian is also being learned as a foreign language in Brazil by tens of thousands of students a year, partly due to the descendants of immigrants gradually recovering their origins.

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