The US has no official language: I was at a local pub quiz 2 nights ago. One question asked was "How many official languages does the US have ?". We got it wrong as did almost...

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

I was at a local pub quiz 2 nights ago. One question asked was "How many official languages does the US have ?". We got it wrong as did almost everybody else. The answer is "none ?' I will of course remember this forever. Also explains why I sometimes cannot understand an American or they can't understand me. And also explains why they call an adapter a spigot. Sounds like anything goes.

Elaine2025 Loc: Seattle, Wa

chrissybabe wrote:

I was at a local pub quiz 2 nights ago. One question asked was "How many official languages does the US have ?". We got it wrong as did almost everybody else. The answer is "none ?' I will of course remember this forever. Also explains why I sometimes cannot understand an American or they can't understand me. And also explains why they call an adapter a spigot. Sounds like anything goes.

English is our language, but my guess is a lib will supply another answer.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

chrissybabe wrote:

I was at a local pub quiz 2 nights ago. One question asked was "How many official languages does the US have ?". We got it wrong as did almost everybody else. The answer is "none ?' I will of course remember this forever. Also explains why I sometimes cannot understand an American or they can't understand me. And also explains why they call an adapter a spigot. Sounds like anything goes.

LOL on the "spigot"

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

I guess it is such an odd thing that even locals don't know the answer. There is NO official US language. Check with google if you don't believe me. It happens that English is the most frequently SPOKEN language but it IS NOT an official one.
Of course google and the dozens of sites it references could be lying.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Interesting topic.
https://usconstitution.net/consttop_lang.html

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Manglesphoto wrote:

LOL on the "spigot"

Well, yea, that's because it's a spigot.

(Adapter could be a million things.

)

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Elaine2025 wrote:

English is our language, but my guess is a lib will supply another answer.

I live in the United Sates in SW Miami, with many other United States citizens, most of whom predominantly speak Spanish in their daily lives. Not me, but not a problem either.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

Longshadow wrote:

Well, yea, that's because it's a spigot.

(Adapter could be a million things.

)

Although I started this because it was interesting and we didn't get the question right I wondered how many US citizens knew this. I couldn't help adding the bit about adapter and spigot. This will be the last time I will reply to the spigot thing.
Now it is interesting that you make the point that an adapter could mean a million things, I suspect it is way less than that, maybe a few thousands. I note that you are NOT desiring to rename (a few thousand -1) adapters to something else to take away all this confusion but instead are preferring to take the 4-5 meanings of spigot (as per the several dictionaries I have checked) and add another meaning to it so that it becomes 5-6 meanings thus adding to the confusion !
I suspect the shuttle crashed because one of the engineers (also a photographer in his spare time) was asked to change an adapter but instead he changed a spigot which so happened to be the connection to the oxygen tank.........

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

Kmgw9v wrote:

I live in the United Sates in SW Miami, with many other United States citizens, most of whom predominantly speak Spanish in their daily lives. Not me, but not a problem either.

Spanish is the second most popular language and not 'official' either.

CWGordon

So, what language would a liberal say? How about a Fascist?

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

chrissybabe wrote:

Spanish is the second most popular language and not 'official' either.

Understood.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

chrissybabe wrote:

Although I started this because it was interesting... (show quote)

It was a joke, wink, wink.

machia Loc: NJ

This won’t be popular, but here it goes.
Every immigrant who ever came here learned English. Every immigrant except the Hispanic in the past 25 years. They are catered to in fact. I won’t get political but the catering has an obvious cause.
Press 3 for Italian ? Press 4 for Japanese ? Press 5 for Hebrew ?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

machia wrote:

This won’t be popular, but here it goes.
Every immigrant who ever came here learned English. Every immigrant except the Hispanic in the past 25 years. They are catered to in fact. I won’t get political but the catering has an obvious cause.
Press 3 for Italian ? Press 4 for Japanese ? Press 5 for Hebrew ?

Press 27 for Igbo.....

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

machia wrote:

This won’t be popular, but here it goes.
Every immigrant who ever came here learned English. Every immigrant except the Hispanic in the past 25 years. They are catered to in fact. I won’t get political but the catering has an obvious cause.
Press 3 for Italian ? Press 4 for Japanese ? Press 5 for Hebrew ?

You became very political—and fast.
What is the “obvious cause”?