Why doesn't the United States have an official language?

Question

I found this out when I clicked on "United States" in the medal count chart. Only 82% in the US speak English (if you take illegals into consideration, it's probably closer to 50%, but that doesn't mean we can't have an official language!).

Answer 1

I always laugh at canadians for boasting having 2 official languages, french and english. They think of themselves as so multiculit. But what is mulitculit about have only 2 official languages? The US has no official language because there would be too many to add in order to encompass the wide array of diversity inside the US. We have no official language, we have no official religion and we never have from the beginning of our history to the present. It would be unAmerican to have federal official anything. Only marxists like the idea of federalizing everything including the spoken word. Try to speak english in "mulitculti" quebec! You get a fine!

Answer 2

We DO have an "official" language in that our laws are written in English. We do NOT have one in the sense that using other languages gets people into trouble. Like it or not, the USA has been a bi-lingual nation for many decades. In my opinion, as long as our laws are written in English and every official document is available in an English language version, then it's silly to NOT have multi-lingual communication in place where needed. It doesn't do much good to post a "Don't dump your trash here" sign in English when 80% of the people in the neighborhood read only Korean.  

Answer 3

I think because before recently we never thought we had to specify one.  Of course, now it is a hot potato, so congress won't want to touch it.  Should have done it 50 years ago.

Answer 4

No one thought it was necessary until now - and yes, I think we need it.  I'm tired of paying for ballots, etc. printed in hundreds of languages.

Answer 5

Because we are a nation founded on many different cultures and languages. We are really one of a kind in that way. No other country ever had so much free open space and invited the world to join them in it like we did in the 1800's.

An official language is anti-freedom in my opinion. Why do we need an official language? All it would do if force businesses to use English and print it on everything. This is America, we should have the choice to speak, write or sell whatever we want in whatever language we want.

Basically an official language goes against the American ideas of freedom.

EDIT: As for your tax payer argument I think you can settle that at your local level depending on what the primary language in your city is. No need to blanket everyone with the same policies. Every area is different.

I say to bad if it costs some people more money, petition your city an official language if it bothers you. This is America, we can not curtail freedom for convenience. We have enough laws.

EDIT AGAIN: For your school arguement thats easy, stop giving illegal immigrants free educations. Simple.

If we can't enforce the laws we have now what makes you think new ones would be enforced?

I am very anti-illegal immigration. I am a conservative libertarian.

Answer 6

The official language in any country is the language in which that country's government functions are conducted - look up the definition. In the United States, government functions are conducted in English.

Are you doing a Chicken Little act, like so many have before you?

Answer 7

They could never decide between Cherokee or Navajo.

Answer 8

Because it (used to be) a free country.

Speak what you like.

Answer 9

Because we're a nation comprised of people from every corner of the globe, every creed, nationality, religion, race. Got it??