An official language refers to the language (or multiple languages) that a country's government uses for official business. The practice of adopting, or not adopting, an official language can become highly controversial. After all, language intimately intersects with heritage and national identity, which both elicit strong reactions and opinions from people. With that in mind, what is the United States' official language, anyway?

It's true, there's no official language in the United States. However, the debate about whether or not to adopt an official language has been going on since at least the 1750s. Still, the vast majority of people in the U.S. speak English, which is the country's de facto official language.