President Donald Trump signed an executive order recognizing English as the official language of the United States, pravilamag.ru reports.
The order emphasizes that English has been used as the national language since the founding of the country, and that key historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, were written in English.
According to the document, this decision will “facilitate communication,” “strengthen shared national values, and create a more cohesive and effective society.”
According to Deadline, the new order cancels the previous document signed by Bill Clinton in 2000, which guaranteed access to government services for people with limited English proficiency. At the same time, the new policy does not require changes in the work of government and commercial organizations, which means there is no ban on doing business and paperwork in other languages.
According to the Census Bureau, residents of the United States communicate in more than 350 languages. In addition to English, the most common are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic.
The Wall Street Journal notes that in the entire 250-year history of the United States, the country has never had an official language approved at the federal level.
