[jinx]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Usually the two or three languages that are prevalent in an area are the ones you'll routinely find in public offices.

California, on one hand, agreed to allow the publication of state documents in other languages to represent minority groups and immigrant communities. Languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog (Filipino/Pilipino), Persian, Russian, Vietnamese and Thai appear in official state documents, and the Department of Motor Vehicles publishes in 47 languages.

In 2000, the census bureau printed the standard census questionnaires in six languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese (in traditional characters), Vietnamese, and Tagalog. The English-only movement seeks to establish English as the only official language of the entire nation.

On May 19, 2006, the United States Senate voted to make English the national language of the United States. According to the bill, written by Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), the federal government will no longer provide multilingual communications and services, except for those already guaranteed by law. Shortly after the approval of the Inhofe amendment, the Senate voted for another bill by Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), according to which English is the "common unifying language of the United States", but mandated that nothing in that declaration "shall diminish or expand any existing rights" regarding multilingual services. Neither of the bills were signed into law.

Which mulit-language services are "already protected by law", which ones aren't included in that, that the govt. will no longer be providing? If it doesn't change (diminish or expand) anything, what's the point? What does "English Only" or "English First" mean?