View source for Official multilingualism

'''Official multilingualism''' is the policy adopted by some [[State (polity)|states]] of recognizing multiple [[language]]s as [[Official language|official]] and producing all official documents, and handling all [[communication|correspondence]] and official dealings, including [[court]] procedure, in these languages. It is distinct from personal [[multilingual]]ism, the capacity of a person to speak several languages.

==States with policies of official bilingualism==

===Afghanistan===
{{see also|Languages of Afghanistan}}
[[Afghanistan]] uses [[Dari language|Dari]] (or Afghan [[Persian language|Persian]]) and [[Pashto language|Pashto]] as official languages. Many citizens are bilingual. These two languages account for 85% of Afghanis' native tongues.<ref name="affactbook">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/ |title=Afghanistan |work=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA |access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="afloc">{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Afghanistan.pdf |title=Country Profile: Afghanistan |publisher=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]] on Afghanistan |date=August 2008 |access-date=10 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408085103/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Afghanistan.pdf |archive-date=2014-04-08 }}</ref>

===Belarus===
{{see also|Languages of Belarus}}
In [[Belarus]], [[Russian language|Russian]] is far more common than [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], and Section 17 of the [[Constitution of Belarus|Constitution]] designates both as official languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/belarusian.shtml |title=Languages across Europe. |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=2013-04-29}}</ref>
===Brunei Darussalam===
[[Brunei Darussalam]]  is extremely diverse linguistically and uses Malay and English as official languages.
===Burundi===
{{see also|Languages of Burundi}}
The official languages of [[Burundi]] are the local [[Kirundi language]] as well as the colonial French.

===Cameroon===
{{See also|Languages of Cameroon}}
[[Cameroon]] is extremely diverse linguistically and uses English and French as official languages.

===Canada===
{{Main|Bilingualism in Canada|Languages of Canada}}
In Canada [[English language|English]] and [[French language|French]] have special legal status over other languages in Canada's courts, [[Parliament of Canada|parliament]] and administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/O-3.01/page-1.html|title=Official Languages Act - 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.)|work=Act current to July 11th, 2010|publisher=Department of Justice|access-date=2010-08-15|archive-date=2011-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105194649/http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/O-3.01/page-1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the provincial level, [[New Brunswick]] is the only official bilingual province, while [[Quebec]] is the only province where French is the sole official language, and the only officially monolingual province. The remaining provinces are predominantly English-speaking, but do not officially recognize English as the only official language. In practice, all provinces, including Quebec, offer some bilingual services and some education in both official languages up to the high school level. English and French are official languages in all three territories (because they are federally administered). In addition, [[Inuktitut]] is also an official language in [[Nunavut]], and nine aboriginal languages have official status in the [[Northwest Territories]].

===Central African Republic===
{{see also|Languages of the Central African Republic}}
Out of 120 languages spoken in the [[Central African Republic]], French and the [[Ngbandi language|Ngbandi-based]] creole [[Sango language|Sango]] are official.

===Chad===
{{see also|Languages of Chad}}
Citizens of [[Chad]] speak over 120 languages, and the standardized [[Chadian Arabic]] serves as the lingua franca with colonial language French also being official.

===Cyprus===
{{see also|Languages of Cyprus}}
The island nation of [[Cyprus]] has had [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]] as its languages since the 1960 [[Constitution of Cyprus|Constitution]] (Article 3, section 1). The usage of either language is complicated by the political dispute that lead to the creation of the [[Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]]. English is also used.

===Finland===
{{see also|Languages of Finland}}
In Finland, [[Finnish language|Finnish]] and [[Swedish language|Swedish]] are both considered national languages. Municipalities of Finland are divided into three categories: unilingual Swedish, unilingual Finnish or bilingual. Finnish is the maternal language of about 90% of the population, and the bilingual or swedophone population is concentrated to the coastal areas of [[Ostrobothnia (administrative region)|Ostrobothnia]] and [[Southwest Finland]]. The autonomous province of [[Åland]] is officially unilingual (Swedish). Both Swedish and Finnish are compulsory school subjects.

===Hong Kong===
{{main|Bilingualism in Hong Kong|Languages of Hong Kong}}
Hong Kong is officially bilingual. Both English and Chinese ([[Standard Mandarin]] and [[Cantonese]]) are official languages.

===North Macedonia===
{{see also|Languages of North Macedonia}}
The official, national and most widespread languages in the [[Republic of North Macedonia]] are [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] and [[Albanian language|Albanian]]. Apart from it, North Macedonia officially recognizes five national minority languages: [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Romani language|Romani]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]], and [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]]. The [[Macedonian Sign Language]] is the country's official [[sign language]]. As of 2019, the [[Albanian language]] is recognized as an official language on the territory of [[North Macedonia]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2019/01/15/albanian-becomes-second-official-language-macedonia/| title = Albanian becomes the second official language in Macedonia - European Western Balkans| date = 15 January 2019}}</ref>
===Philippines===
{{see also|Languages of the Philippines}}
The [[Constitution of the Philippines|Philippine constitution]] designates [[Filipino language|Filipino]] as the national language and – along with English – as official languages. [[Spanish language|Spanish]] was the national and official language of the country for more than three centuries under Spanish colonial rule, and became the [[lingua franca]] of the Philippines in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It remained, along with English, as a de facto official language until removed in 1973 by a constitutional change. After a few months it was re-designated an official language by [[presidential decree]] and remained official until 1987, when the [[1987 Constitution|present Constitution]] removed its official status.<ref name="official languages">Article XIV, Section 3 of the [http://thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/item/1935-constitution.html 1935 Philippine Constitution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615110313/http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/item/1935-constitution.html |date=2013-06-15 }} provided, "[...] Until otherwise provided by law, English and Spanish shall continue as official languages." The [http://thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/item/1943-constitution.html 1943 Philippine Constitution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614055346/http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/item/1943-constitution.html |date=2013-06-14 }} (in effect during occupation by Japanese forces, and later repudiated) did not specify official languages. Article XV, Section 3(3) of the [http://thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/item/1973-constitution.html 1973 Philippine constitution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615092015/http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/item/1973-constitution.html |date=2013-06-15 }} ratified on January 17, 1973 specified, "Until otherwise provided by law, English and Pilipino shall be the official languages. [http://www.chanrobles.com/presidentialdecrees/presidentialdecreeno155.html Presidential Decree No. 155] dated March 15, 1973 ordered, "[...] that the Spanish language shall continue to be recognized as an official language in the Philippines while important documents in government files are in the Spanish language and not translated into either English or Pilipino language." Article XIV Section 7 of the [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines-article-xiv/ 1987 Philippine Constitution] specified, "For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English."</ref><ref name="voluntary and optional">'''Article XIV, Sec 7''': For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English.

The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein.

'''Spanish''' and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis.</ref> Spanish and Arabic are currently designated to be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis.<ref>[http://www.chanrobles.com/article14language.htm#.VOZajPmsWCo Constitution of the Republic of Philippines] Article 14, Sections 6, 7</ref>

Some people in native Tagalog areas are bilingual, while in non-Tagalog areas it is common to be multilingual in Filipino, English, and in one or more of the regional [[Languages of the Philippines|language]]s, or as in other cases in languages such as Spanish, [[Southern Min|Minnan]] ([[Hokkien]]), and Arabic due to factors such as ancestry and religion. Eleven regional languages are recognised by the government as auxiliary official languages in their respective regions, while 90+ other languages and dialects are spoken by various groups.

=== Other bilingual or multilingual countries ===
{{main|List of multilingual countries and regions}}
*{{Flag|Cook Islands}}
*{{Flag|Eswatini}}
*{{Flag|Haiti}}
*{{Flag|India}}
*{{Flag|Iraq}}
*{{Flag|Ireland}}
*{{Flag|Kazakhstan}}
*{{Flag|Kenya}}
*{{Flag|Kiribati}}
*{{Flag|Kosovo}}
*{{Flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
*{{Flag|Lesotho}}
*{{Flag|Macau}}
*{{Flag|Madagascar}}
*{{Flag|Malta}}
*{{Flag|Marshall Islands}}
*{{Flag|Morocco}}
*{{Flag|New Zealand}}
*{{Flag|Niue}}
*{{Flag|Pakistan}}
*{{Flag|Palau}}
*{{Flag|Paraguay}}
*{{Flag|Samoa}}
*{{Flag|Somalia}}
*{{Flag|Sri Lanka}}
*{{Flag|Sudan}}
*{{Flag|Tanzania}}
*{{Flag|Timor-Leste}}
*{{Flag|Tonga}}
*{{Flag|Tunisia}}
*{{Flag|Tuvalu}}
*{{Flag|Ukraine}}
*{{Flag|Uganda}}

== Officially multilingual ==
*{{Flag|Belgium}}
*{{Flag|Bolivia}}
*{{Flag|Comoros}}
*{{Flag|Equatorial Guinea}}
*{{Flag|Eritrea}}
*{{Flag|Fiji}}
*{{Flag|India}}
*{{Flag|Lebanon}}
*{{Flag|Luxembourg}}
*{{Flag|Norway}}
*{{Flag|Papua New Guinea}}
*{{Flag|Peru}}
*{{Flag|Rwanda}}
*{{Flag|Seychelles}}
*{{Flag|South Africa}}
*{{Flag|Singapore}}
*{{Flag|Switzerland}}
*{{Flag|Vanuatu}}
*{{Flag|Zimbabwe}}
*{{Flag|Netherlands}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Concepts in language policy]]
[[Category:Countries and territories by official language]]