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