NATIONAL LANGUAGE

views updated

NATIONAL LANGUAGE. A language officially designated the language of a nation or country, usually for cultural and/or ethnic reasons. Such a language may or may not be the OFFICIAL LANGUAGE of the country in question (that is, used in its government and administration): for example, in Botswana, the national language is Setswana, but the official language is English. Compare NATIVE LANGUAGE.

About this article

NATIONAL LANGUAGE

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article

NEARBY TERMS

NATIONAL LANGUAGE