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CNS World Studies Hybrid 2014-15

Official Languages
Research the question, Should multilingual states adopt a single, official
language?

Luxembourg French and German are official languages and spoken by


everyone but official government business is conducted in French.
Singapore has four official language English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay
and Tamil but hardly any residents speaks all four.
South Africa English is a lingua franca and main language of government
and media but less than 10% of South Africans speak it as a first
language.
India Hindi and English are official national languages but each state has
its own official language which is used in local media. Many Indians are at
least trilingual as a result.
Belgium Three official languages being Flemish, French, and German.
Education of more than one language is required due to this system.
There are disagreements and crisis on what the official language should
be.
Nigeria over three hundred different languages are spoken. Separate
cultures desperately try to retain their identity and causes chaos.
Relations between ethnic groups is difficult. Government has issues
maintaining the balance between groups.
United States over 75% of people in the United States speak English.
While there are many different languages spoken here, English is the most
popular. It is effective because communication is easy throughout the US.

Paragraph:
Multilingual states should adopt a single, official language because it would create a
more convenient way of communication for the state. For example, in Luxembourg,
French and German are the official languages of the country but all government
business in conducted in French. By choosing a single language to conduct business
isolates the people who speak German in Luxembourg forcing them to learn how to
speak both languages. This same problem is evident in many countries. Singapore
has four official languages English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. The
problem here though is that hardly any residents speak all four. How do they
conduct government business/media when not everyone speaks the same
language? It is more difficult for them to spread news and information. Belgium has
three official languages Flemish, French, and German. Currently, they have
created a system that works for all three languages and are praised for their
success. This includes requiring the students to learn at least one other language
and be bilingual/trilingual. But before this solution, there were many problems.
Flemish speakers created a nationalist movement wanting Flemish (a Dutch dialect)
to be the single, official language and there were strong disagreements between
various parties supporting different languages. In Nigeria, over three hundred
different languages are spoken. Because of their lack of one single official language,
separate cultures desperately try to retain their identity and causes chaos. The
relations between ethnic groups is difficult and the government has issues
maintaining the balance between groups. The United States is a good example of a

CNS World Studies Hybrid 2014-15


Official Languages
state that has had success in having a majority language. Over 75% of the people in
the United States speak English as their main language. While there are many
different languages spoken there, English is the most popular and many people who
speak other languages learn English in order to communicate. This is effective in
the United States as communication is easier throughout and the media/news is
able to spread information to larger masses of people. Overall, multilingual states
should adopt a single, official language because it makes it easier to communicate
and conduct government business. While it is useful to be bilingual, by keeping a
single language creates a more efficient system. This doesnt mean that it should be
discouraged to learn a different language, it is just important to learn the single
official language of your state.

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