Language Matters | Trump order on English as official US language ignores human right to use one’s own tongue
US president’s revoking of a Clinton-era order to provide language assistance to poor speakers of English appears to flout a UN declaration
English was recently designated the official language of the United States of America, via an executive order issued by President Trump on March 1, 2025.
At face value, instituting an official language – one granted a special legal status that elevates its use in government, education, and other formal domains – should not necessarily raise eyebrows.
Save for Australia, Eritrea, Mexico, and the United Kingdom – and, until just now, the US – all countries have an official language. Many have more than one: Hong Kong has two, English and Chinese, India has 22, and Bolivia recognises 37 official languages – Spanish and three dozen indigenous languages.
Also at first glance, such a policy may seem pragmatic. While there are some 350 languages spoken in homes across America, 78 per cent of the country speak only English at home.
