Language

Languages (2007):[138]

1. English (only): 225.5 million
2. Spanish, incl. Creole: 34.5 million
3. Chinese: 2.5 million
4. French, incl. Creole: 2.0 million
5. Tagalog: 1.5 million
6. Vietnamese: 1.2 million
7. German: 1.1 million
8. Korean: 1.1 million

English is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English. In 2007, about 226 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish, spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language.[138][139] Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least twenty-eight states.[5] Both Hawaiian and English are official languages in Hawaii by state law.[140]

While neither has an official language, New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French.[141] Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms.[142] Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: Samoan and Chamorro are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectively; Carolinian and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands; Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico.