English (American 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 2010, about 230 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.[226][227] Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in 28 states.[12]
Both Hawaiian and English are official languages in Hawaii, by state law.[228] Alaska recognizes many Native languages.[229] 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.[230] Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms.[231] Many jurisdictions with large numbers of non-English speakers produce government materials, especially voting information, in the most commonly spoken languages in those jurisdictions.
Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: Samoan[232] and Chamorro[233] are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectively; Carolinian and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands;[234] Cherokee is officially recognized by the Cherokee Nation within the Cherokee tribal jurisdiction area in eastern Oklahoma;[235] Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico and is more widely spoken than English there.[236]