# Why do north americans speak english? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270 "2003-02-24T23:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![doug\_mclure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@doug\_mclure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doug_mclure)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/1 "2003-02-24T23:07:05Z")
Sitting in my dorm room, in Finland we were discussing… Why when there are so many people who don’t speak English in the United States, and there were so many Germans and French. Why do you guys speak English as the official language and not German? Was there a vote? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/2 "2003-02-24T23:11:42Z")
The United States was originally a British colony, and as such, the primary language of the settlers was English. This naturally carried over after the U.S. won it’s independence from Great Brittain. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/3 "2003-02-24T23:12:47Z")
Actually English is not the official of the United States. We don’t have one but English is the de facto official language because the people that founded the U.S. were English colonists. Canada, of course is part of North America and they have two official languages: English and French. Let us not leave out Mexico either. Spanish all of the way. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/4 "2003-02-24T23:12:50Z")
I’m not sure from your question if you mean North America generally, or you’re really meaning to ask about the U.S. If the former, well, both English and French are the official languages of [Canada](http://lois.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/index.html#langues). ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/5 "2003-02-24T23:14:47Z")
Um, because North America was mostly colonized by the British. France kept small footholds in Quebec & Louisiana, Spain settle Mexico, Central & South America and Portugul Brazil. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/6 "2003-02-24T23:19:27Z")
As noted by **Shagnasty** , the US has no official language, and Canada recognizes both English and French. And Mexico recognizes Spanish as its official language. The State of Louisiana, which has a very heavy French influence, recognizes English and French as its official languages, and Puerto Rico, a US territory, recognizes English and Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![doug\_mclure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@doug\_mclure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doug_mclure)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/7 "2003-02-24T23:31:50Z")
Thanks, so there was no vote or anything, it just … is… The Louisiana thing was interesting alos. Doug ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/8 "2003-02-24T23:54:53Z")
Was Louisiana really settled by the French or was it the Acadians? I always thought it was just the latter (well, not always, but since I knew who the Acadians were). I know it could be a matter of semantics, since the Acadians came originally from France and spoke French, which is the point of our discussion. But I didn’t think it was accurate to say France had a foothold in Louisiana. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/9 "2003-02-25T00:04:38Z")
Then there is the **urban legend** that German almost became the official language of the USA. The story, like so many myths, is based on truth, but has been twisted and stretched to today’s “German but for one vote” story. In 1795, a vote in the Congress came up to decide whether to print the US Code in German as well as in English. During the debate, there was a motion to adjourn, which failed by one vote, but there is no record of the official vote on the final measure. The full story can be found at [http://www.watzmann.net/scg/german-by-one-vote.html](http://www.watzmann.net/scg/german-by-one-vote.html) for more information ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/10 "2003-02-25T00:22:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skammer \* > \*\*Was Louisiana really settled by the French or was it the Acadians? I always thought it was just the latter (well, not always, but since I knew who the Acadians were). > > I know it could be a matter of semantics, since the Acadians came originally from France and spoke French, which is the point of our discussion. But I didn’t think it was accurate to say France had a foothold in Louisiana. \*\* The answer is that both did although most people have no idea of the distinction. To keep it simple, the Louisiana Acadians became the Cajun people that developed the food style and distinct culture in the area west of New Orleans all the way into Central Louisiana. New Orleans proper is not true cajun territory contrary to popular belief. New Orleans was settled by many waves of true French people and was a popular destination for the French looking to escape the French Revolution. Bonus Fact: New Orleans was owned by Spain for almost as long as it was owned by France. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/11 "2003-02-25T00:40:24Z")
Even today there are small communities in the US and Canada where German is spoken. These areas were established in the days of the pioneers. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/12 "2003-02-25T01:10:28Z")
**Frantic** - like the “Pennsylvania Dutch”? Aren’t they actually of _Deutsch_ (German) origin? ---
**Author:** ![Miz\_Information](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@Miz\_Information](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miz_Information)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/13 "2003-02-25T01:18:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shagnasty \* > \*\*The answer is that both did although most people have no idea of the distinction. To keep it simple, the Louisiana Acadians became the Cajun people that developed the food style and distinct culture in the area west of New Orleans all the way into Central Louisiana. New Orleans proper is not true cajun territory contrary to popular belief. > > New Orleans was settled by many waves of true French people and was a popular destination for the French looking to escape the French Revolution. > > Bonus Fact: New Orleans was owned by Spain for almost as long as it was owned by France. \*\* The New Orleans area also has a large population of Creoles. Here is a little history about the culture. In the 16th-18th cent., a person born in Spanish America of Spanish parents, as distinguished from one born in Spain but residing in America. Under Spanish colonial rule Creoles suffered from discrimination; it was consequently Creoles who led the 19th-cent. revolutions against Spain and became the new ruling class. Today Creole has widely varying meanings. In Louisiana it can mean either French-speaking white descendants of early French and Spanish settlers, or mixed-race people who speak a form of French and Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/14 "2003-02-25T02:45:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mnemosyne \* > **Frantic** - like the “Pennsylvania Dutch”? Aren’t they actually of _Deutsch_ (German) origin? Yes. And they live more places than just Pennsylvania. There are pockets of other languages still in existance in the US, but they’re fading. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/15 "2003-02-25T02:50:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Broomstick \* > \*\*There are pockets of other languages still in existance in the US, but they’re fading. \*\* I’m curious about Spanish. My impression is that its use is growing, especially in states near the border. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/16 "2003-02-25T02:51:26Z")
America is multilingual. Period. We have no national language, and we cannot even decide on a _de facto_ language to cover all of our territory. Ref: Los Angeles. Ref: Washington state. Ref: Miami. Ref: Louisiana. Between the Spanish-speaking immigrants and the historic linguistic `pockets’, the old myth of America as an English-speaking nation is fading fast. In the next 20-50 years, it may well be a dead issue. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/17 "2003-02-25T03:30:46Z")
I was told by a teacher that the Founding Fathers considered adopting Hebrew as the language of independent America. Because they likened themselves to the Israelites and the British to the Egyptians. Since I haven’t found any corroborating evidence for this idea since then, I couldn’t accord it any more substance than the one about German. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/18 "2003-02-25T06:26:07Z")
Your teacher is [fulla crap](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_026.html). ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/19 "2003-02-25T07:11:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*America is multilingual. Period. We have no national language, and we cannot even decide on a _de facto_ language to cover all of our territory. Ref: Los Angeles. Ref: Washington state. Ref: Miami. Ref: Louisiana. Between the Spanish-speaking immigrants and the historic linguistic `pockets’, the old myth of America as an English-speaking nation is fading fast. In the next 20-50 years, it may well be a dead issue. \*\* Hardly. There are pockets of immigrants. But at best, only Spanish will be a close second to English. Never, over the [whole country](http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=USA) will English ever be _just another language_. To see that that kind of multilingualism, you need to visit my country, [India](http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=India). It’s pretty much assumed that English is the _de facto_ language of US. I, as a foreign student, had to take **T** est of **E** nglish as a **F** oreign **L** anguage to be even considered at the universities I applied to. Only with English, can you be sure of being understood in the overwhelming majority of the country. Not true of any one language in India. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270/20 "2003-02-25T12:51:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*America is multilingual. Period. We have no national language, and we cannot even decide on a _de facto_ language to cover all of our territory. Ref: Los Angeles. Ref: Washington state. Ref: Miami. Ref: Louisiana. Between the Spanish-speaking immigrants and the historic linguistic `pockets’, the old myth of America as an English-speaking nation is fading fast. In the next 20-50 years, it may well be a dead issue. \*\* America, as an entity, is very much English-speaking. That a distinct minority happens also to speak Spanish or other languages doesn’t make much of a difference. English is the language that future generations adopt as a matter of course. Think about this – while many Hispanic aliens/immigrants only speak Spanish, how many second-generation Hispanics, even in heavily Hispanic areas, speak only Spanish and no English? Vanishingly few, if any. Something similar has already happened in my native state of Louisiana … and it happened a good century ago. I dare say there are no monogolot French speakers in Louisiana in 2003. If there are any, they are no younger than 80 or so. Even my Cajun paternal grandparents, born in 1899 (grandpa) and 1906 (grandma), spoke mostly English – though they argued with one anoher in French to spare the ears of us kids. Actually, contrary to belief, use of French, even in heavily Cajun areas, is reduced to idioms and the occasional expression – and some BS talk for the benefit of tourists. They virtually all speak English – as a first language, to boot. English in the U.S. is going nowhere, and I can’t imagine it being marginalized in the U.S. anytime in the next several centuries. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-north-americans-speak-english/157270.md?page=2)