Language Rights in the Territories of the United States and the Freely Associated States
Proposal Description
The lack of an official language in the U.S. Constitution has not prevented many states in the United States, including Oklahoma, from enacting language legislation establishing English as the official language. Yet, the constitution of Hawaii (1978) declares both English and Hawaiian as official languages of Hawaii; and the constitutions of Louisiana (1974) and New Mexico (1912) do not mention any official languages, but they enact provisions to protect the language rights of minorities living in the state: Spanish and French in Louisiana and Spanish in New Mexico. This paper offers a classification and analysis of the constitutions, organic acts, and statutes of territories of the United States (Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa) and the Freely Associated States (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau), based on the kinds of language recognition they include. The analysis, which captures the essence of their language legislation, is based on the status (official or not official) of languages spoken in the territory or associated state, as declared in their constitutions, organic acts, statutes, and legal provisions written to protect the language rights of the citizens living there. Unlike many states in the United States which declare English as the sole official language, none of the territories and associated states declares English as the sole official language or establishes provisos that hinder the language rights of minority groups.
Language Rights in the Territories of the United States and the Freely Associated States
The lack of an official language in the U.S. Constitution has not prevented many states in the United States, including Oklahoma, from enacting language legislation establishing English as the official language. Yet, the constitution of Hawaii (1978) declares both English and Hawaiian as official languages of Hawaii; and the constitutions of Louisiana (1974) and New Mexico (1912) do not mention any official languages, but they enact provisions to protect the language rights of minorities living in the state: Spanish and French in Louisiana and Spanish in New Mexico. This paper offers a classification and analysis of the constitutions, organic acts, and statutes of territories of the United States (Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa) and the Freely Associated States (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau), based on the kinds of language recognition they include. The analysis, which captures the essence of their language legislation, is based on the status (official or not official) of languages spoken in the territory or associated state, as declared in their constitutions, organic acts, statutes, and legal provisions written to protect the language rights of the citizens living there. Unlike many states in the United States which declare English as the sole official language, none of the territories and associated states declares English as the sole official language or establishes provisos that hinder the language rights of minority groups.