Jim Lo Scalzo / Epa
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday that makes English the official language of the US. Federal agencies can decide whether they will continue to offer services and documents in other languages beyond English.
Despite the widespread idea, English was not so far the official language of the US, one of the few countries in the world than any language.
This Saturday, the US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that Declares English the official language two United States.
The order, signed this Saturday, grants federal agencies and organizations that receive federal funds to autonomy to decide if they will continue to offer services and documents in other languages beyond English.
The measure nullifies a norm established by the former president Bill Clinton which demanded that these entities provide linguistic assistance to individuals who did not speak English.
“Establish English as an official language not only will it simplify communicationas well as will reinforce the shared national values And it will create a more cohesive and efficient society, ”says President Trump’s order.
“To the welcome new Americansa policy of encouraging the learning and adoption of our National Language will make the United States a common home and allow new citizens to realize the American dream, ”says the Executive Order, quoted by.
“Speaking English Not only does it open doors at the economic levelas the newcomers helps to engage in their communities, participate in national traditions and repay our society, ”reads the document.
The United States had not so far had a Official language at federal levelbut 32 of the 50 American states and the five American territories had already recognized English as the official language at the local level.
For decades, Congress lawmakers have introduced legislation to designate English as an official US language, but these efforts were not successful.
In 2023, the now vice president JD Vanceand the Republican Senator Kevin Cramerof Dakota do Norte, presented a bill to declare English as the official language of the country.
A few hours after Trump’s inauguration last month, the new administration Removed the Spanish version a decision that led the Hispanic community to express its confusion and frustration
At the time, the White House stated that being committed to making available again The Spanish version of your site. At the time of this edition, it had not yet been restored.
During his first term, Donald Trump had also ordered the removal of the Spanish version of the White House website – which was restored when President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
According to the latest data from the United States, about 78% of US population speaks only English at home. However, linguistic diversity has been increasing, and other languages, such as Spanish, Chinese and Arabic, are spoken by a significant part of the population.
The second most spoken language in the US is the Spanish: About 13% of the population speaks US uses this language at home-but 61% of these Americans also speak English fluently.
