What is Official language?
[[File:Meithei_manuscript,_a_Indian_language.jpg|thumb|upright=2.5|center|A [[Puya (Meitei texts)|Puya]] ([[Ancient Manipuri]] manuscript), dating back to the period of [[Ancient Manipur]]]] [[File:Ancient Tamil Script.jpg|thumb|right|Ancient [[Tamil language|Tamil]] inscription at the [[Brihadeeswara Temple]] in [[Thanjavur]]]] An '''official language''' is a [[language]] that has special [[wikt:status|status]] in a [[country]] or other [[organization]]. Usually, the [[government]] does its [[business]] in the official language. They are sometimes named in a country's [[constitution]]. Some countries, like [[Switzerland]] and [[Luxembourg]], have [[Multilingualism|more than one]] official language. Other countries, such as the [[United States]] and [[Australia]], may not have a ''[[de jure]]'' official language set by [[law]], but they may have one or more [[national language]]s that is considered ''[[de facto]]'' official because it is used by the government and people in the country. An official language does not have to be a written language. It can be a [[pidgin]] language (like in [[Papua New Guinea]]), or a sign language (like in [[New Zealand]]). == De jure, de facto, and minority languages == A [[de jure]] language is a language that is officially recognized by the government. For example, Persian is the de jure language of Tajikistan. However, a [[de facto]] language is a language that is generally accepted as the official language but has no legal status. For example, English is a de facto language of the United States as it has no official status. Other languages are not generally accepted as the official language, but are recognized as languages commonly spoken in the region. For example, Irish is a minority language of Great Britain, as it does not have official status but is commonly spoken there. == Related pages == * [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]] *[[National language]] * [[Lingua franca]] [[Category:Languages]] [[Category:Vocabulary]] {{stub}}