Official Regional and Minority Languages
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Abaza:
- Karachay–Cherkessia (state language; with Cherkess, Karachay, Nogai and Russian)
Adyghe:
- Adygea (state language; with Russian)
Aghul:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Albanian:
- Serbia (in Kosovo and several municipalities in Central-Serbia)
- Macedonia (in some municipalities)
Albanian:
- Montenegro (with Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian)
Altay:
- Altay, Republic of (state language; with Russian)
Aranese see Occitan
Armenian:
- Nagorno Karabagh
Assamese:
- India (with Hindi, English {as a "subsidiary official language"} and 20 other official languages)
- Assam
Avar:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Azeri:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Balkar:
- Kabardino-Balkaria (state language; with Kabardian and Russian)
Bashkir:
- Bashkortostan (state language; with Russian)
Basque:
- Basque Autonomous Community (with Spanish)
- Navarre (in some areas with Spanish)
Bengali:
- India (with Hindi, English {as a "subsidiary official language"} and 20 other official languages; second most spoken Indian Language)
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Assam
- Tripura
- West Bengal
Bosnian:
- part of Serbia
- Sandžak region
- Montenegro (with Montenegrin, Albanian, Croatian and Serbian)
Buryat:
- Buryatia (state language; with Russian)
- Zabaykalsky Krai
- Agin-Buryat Okrug (authorized language)
Cantonese Chinese:
- Hong Kong (for Chinese language, both Cantonese and Mandarin are spoken de facto; co-official with English)
- Macau (for Chinese language, both Cantonese and Mandarin are spoken de facto; co-official with Portuguese)
Catalan:
- parts of Spain
- Balearic Islands (with Spanish)
- Catalonia (with Spanish)
- Valencia (named as Valencian, with Spanish)
- parts of France
- Pyrénées Orientales
- parts of Italy
- Alguero
Chechen:
- Chechnya (state language; with Russian)
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Cherkess:
- Karachay–Cherkessia (state language; with Abaza, Karachay, Nogai and Russian)
Chipewyan:
- Northwest Territories (with Cree, English, French, Gwich'in, Innuinaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tłįchǫ (Dogrib))
Chukchi:
- Sakha (local official language; in localities with Chukchi population)
Chuvash
- Chuvashia (state language; with Russian)
Cree:
- Northwest Territories (with Chipewyan, English, French, Gwich'in, Innuinaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tłįchǫ (Dogrib))
Crimean Tatar
- Crimea (with Russian and Ukrainian)
Croatian:
- part of Austria
- Burgenland (with German and Hungarian)*part of Italy
- Molise
- part of Serbia
- Vojvodina (with Hungarian, Pannonian Rusyn, Romanian, Serbian and Slovak)
- Montenegro (with Montenegrin, Albanian, Bosnian and Serbian)
Dargwa:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Dolgan:
- Sakha (local official language; in localities with Dolgan population)
Dutch:
- The Nord-Pas-de-Calais (France) (Flemish Language with French, English for some part of the region)
English:
- parts of Canada:
-
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba (with French)
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Saskatchewan
- New Brunswick (with French)
- Northwest Territories (with Chipewyan, Cree, French, Gwich'in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Slavey (North and South) and Tłįchǫ)
- Nunavut (with Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, and French)
- Yukon (with French)
- The United Kingdom:
-
- England
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
- Wales
- Isle of Man (with Manx Gaelic)
- Guernsey (with French)
- Jersey (with French)
- parts of the United States. See English-only movement. English is an official language in the following states and territories:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii (with Hawaiian language)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Puerto Rico (with Spanish)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Tennessee
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Utah
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Erzya:
- Mordovia (state language; with Moksha and Russian)
Even:
- Sakha (local official language; in localities with Even population)
Evenki:
- Sakha (local official language; in localities with Evenki population)
Faroese:
- Faroe Islands (with Danish)
Finnish:
- Karelia (authorized language; with Karelian and Veps)
French:
- parts of Canada
-
- New Brunswick (co-official with English)
- Northwest Territories (with Chipewyan, Cree, English, Gwich'in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Slavey (North and South) and Tłįchǫ)
- Nunavut (with English, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut)
- Quebec
- Yukon (with English)
- Guernsey (with English)
- Jersey (with English)
- Pondicherry (co-official with Tamil in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Also Telugu and Malayalam are its regional official languages)
- part of Italy
- Aosta (co-official with Italian)
- part of USA with Louisiana
Frisian (West):
- The Netherlands: co-official in the province of Friesland (with Dutch)
Gagauz:
- Gagauzia (Moldova) (with Russian)
Galician:
- part of Spain
- Galicia (with Spanish)
German:
- Italy
- South Tyrol (together with Italian and Ladin)
Greek:
- parts of south Albania
- parts of south Italy
- Salento (Grecia Salentina, together with Italian)
- Calabria (Bovesia, together with Italian)
Guaraní:
- in Argentina
- Corrientes Province (co-official with Spanish)
Gujarati:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
- Gujarat
Gwich'in:
- Northwest Territories (with Cree, Chipewyan, English, French, Innuinaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tłįchǫ (Dogrib))
Hawaiian:
- Hawaii (with English)
Hungarian:
- part of Serbia
- Vojvodina (with Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, Slovak and Ruthenian)
- part of Romania
- part of Slovenia
- part of Croatia
- part of Slovakia
- part of Austria
Ingush:
- Ingushetia (state language; with Russian)
Inuinnaqtun:
- Northwest Territories (with Cree, Chipewyan, English, French, Gwich'in, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tłįchǫ (Dogrib))
- Nunavut (with English, French, and Inuktitut)
Inuktitut:
- Nunavut (with English, French, and Inuinnaqtun)
- Northwest Territories (with Cree, Chipewyan, English, French, Gwich'in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tłįchǫ (Dogrib))
Inuvialuktun:
- Northwest Territories (with Cree, Chipewyan, English, French, Gwich'in, Innuinaqtun, Inuktitut, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tłįchǫ (Dogrib))
Irish:
- Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) (along with Ulster Scots and English)
Italian:
- part of Croatia
- Istria county (with Croatian)
- part of Slovenia
- Izola, Koper and Piran municipalities (with Slovene)
Japanese:
- Part of Palau
- Angaur (with English)
Kabardian
- Kabardino-Balkaria (state language; with Balkar and Russian)
Kalaallisut:
- Greenland
Kalmyk:
- Kalmykia (state language; with Russian)
Kannada:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Karnataka
Karachay:
- Karachay–Cherkessia (state language; with Abaza, Cherkess, Nogai and Russian)
Karelian:
- Karelia (authorized language; with Finnish and Veps)
Kashmiri:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Jammu and Kashmir
Kazakh:
- Republic of Altay (official language; in localities with Kazakh population)
- part of the People's Republic of China
- Ili, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Barkol, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Mori, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- part of Mongolia
- Mori, with Mongolian
Khakas:
- Khakassia (state language; with Russian)
Khanty:
- Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug (aboriginal language; with Mansi and Nenets)
- Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (aboriginal language; with Nenets and Selkup)
Komi:
- Komi (state language; with Russian)
Komi-Permyak:
- Perm Krai
- Komi-Permyak Okrug (official language)
Korean:
- part of the People's Republic of China with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Changbai (Jangbaek, Changbaek)
- Yanbian (Yeonbyeon,Yŏnbyŏn)
Kumyk:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Kyrgyz:
- part of the People's Republic of China
- Kizilsu (with Chinese (Mandarin))
Lak:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Lezgian
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Macedonian:*part of Albania
- part of Serbia
Malayalam:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Kerala
- Pondicherry
- Lakshadweep
Mansi:
- Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug (aboriginal language; with Khanty and Nenets)
Marathi:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Maharashtra
- Goa
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
Mari (Hill and Meadow):
- Mari El (state language; with Russian)
Mayan:
- Mexico (*only recognized)
- Guatemala (*only recognized)
- Belize (*only recognized)
- Honduras (*only recognized)
- El Salvador (*only recognized)
Moksha:
- Mordovia (state language; with Erzya and Russian)
Mongolian:
- part of the People's Republic of China
- Inner Mongolia, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Haixi, with Tibetan and Chinese (Mandarin)
- Bortala, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Bayin'gholin, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Dorbod, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Qian Gorlos, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Harqin Left, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Fuxin, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Weichang, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Subei, with Chinese (Mandarin)
- Henan, with Chinese (Mandarin)
Náhuatl:
- Mexico (*only recognized)
- El Salvador (*only recognized)
Nenets:
- Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug (aboriginal language; with Khanty and Mansi)
- Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (aboriginal language; with Khanty and Selkup)
Nepali:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
Nogai:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
- Karachay–Cherkessia (state language; with Abaza, Cherkess, Karachay and Russian)
Occitan (Aranese):
- Aran Valley (with Catalan and Spanish)
Oriya:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Orissa
Ossetic (Digor and Iron dialects):
- North Ossetia—Alania (state language; with Russian)
Portuguese:*part of the People's Republic of China
- Macau (with Chinese)
Punjabi:
- Pakistan
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Punjab
- Delhi
Romanian:
- Vojvodina (with Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak and Ruthenian)
Russian. Russian is fixed as a state language in the Constitutions of the republics of the Russian Federation:
- Adygea (state language; with Adyghe)
- Altay, Republic of (state language; with Altay)
- Bashkortostan (state language; with Bashkir)
- Buryatia (state language; with Buryat)
- Chechnya (state language; with Chechen)
- Chuvashia (state language; with Chuvash)
- Dagestan (state language; with the languages of the Dagestan peoples)
- Ingushetia (state language; with Ingush)
- Kabardino-Balkaria (state language; with Balkar and Kabardian)
- Kalmykia (state language; with Kalmyk)
- Karachay–Cherkessia (state language; with Abaza, Cherkess, Karachay and Nogai)
- Karelia (state language)
- Khakassia (state language; with Khakas)
- Komi (state language; with Komi)
- Mari El (state language; with Mari (Hill and Meadow))
- Mordovia (state language; with Erzya and Moksha)
- North Ossetia—Alania (state language; with Ossetic)
- Sakha (state language; with Sakha)
- Tatarstan (state language; with Tatar)
- Tyva (state language; with Tuvan)
- Udmurtia (state language; with Udmurt)
- Russian (with Gagauz) is an official language of Gagauzia (autonomous republic within Moldova)
Rusyn:
- Vojvodina (with Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak)
- Ukraine
- Zakarapts'ka region (with Ukrainian, Hungarian)
Rutul:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Sakha:
- Sakha (state language; with Russian)
Sanskrit:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
Sami:
- Finland (in four municipalities)
- Norway (in six municipalities in two provinces)
- Sweden (in four municipalities and surrounding municipalities)
Sarikoli:
- part of the People's Republic of China (It's different from Tajiki of Tajikistan)
- Taxkorgan (with Chinese (Mandarin))
Scottish Gaelic:
- Scotland (United Kingdom) (with English and Scots)
Scots:
- Scotland (United Kingdom) (with English and Scottish Gaelic)
- Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)
- Donegal (Republic of Ireland)
Selkup:
- Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (aboriginal language; with Khanty and Nenets)
Sindhi:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Pakistan (Official language in the Province of Sindh along with Urdu and English)
North and South Slavey:
- Northwest Territories (with Cree, Chipewyan, English, French, Gwich'in, Innuinaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, and Tłįchǫ (Dogrib))
Slovak:
- part of Serbia
- Vojvodina (with Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Romanian and Ruthenian)
Slovene:
- part of Italy
- Friuli-Venezia Giulia (with Italian, Friulian and German)
- part of Austria
- Carinthia (with German)
Spanish:
- Puerto Rico (with English)
- Philippines (mainly as Chavacano in Basilan and Zamboanga Peninsula)
Tabasaran:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Tahitian:
- French Polynesia (with French)
Tamil:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Pondicherry
- Tamil Nadu
Tat:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Tatar:
- Tatarstan (state language; with Russian)
Telugu:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Andhra Pradesh
- Pondicherry
Tibetan:
- Tibet Autonomous Region (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Aba (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Garzê (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Diqing (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Wenshan (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Gannan (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Haibai (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Hainan (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Huangnan (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Golog (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Gyêgu (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Haixi (with Mongolian and Chinese (Mandarin))
- Muli (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Tianzhu (with Chinese (Mandarin))
Tłįchǫ:
- Northwest Territories (with Cree, Chipewyan, English, French, Gwich'in, Innuinaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, and South Slavey)
Tsakhur:
- Dagestan (as one of the Dagestan peoples languages; with Russian)
Tswana:
- South Africa (with Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu)
Turkish:
- Macedonia in Plasnica and Centar Župa
- Kosovo in Prizren and Mamuša
- part of Bulgaria
Tuvan:
- Tyva (state language; with Russian)
Udmurt:
- Udmurtia (state language; with Russian)
Urdu:
- India (with 22 other regional languages)
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Delhi Territory
- Uttar Pradesh state
- Bihar state
- Andhra Pradesh mainly in Hyderabad (former princely state of Nizam) and adjacent areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka
Uyghur:
- Xinjiang (with Chinese (Mandarin))
Veps:
- Karelia (authorized language; with Finnish and Karelian)
Vietnamese:
- Guangxi Province, China (some regional status)
- Part of Cambodia
- Part of Laos
Welsh:
- Wales (United Kingdom) (with English)
Yiddish:
- Russia (only in Jewish Autonomous Oblast, with Russian)
Yukaghir:
- Sakha (local official language; in localities with Yukaghir population)
Zhuang:
- Guangxi (with Chinese (Mandarin))
- Lianshan (with Chinese (Mandarin))
Read more about this topic: List Of Official Languages
Famous quotes containing the words official, minority and/or languages:
“In a country where offices are created solely for the benefit of the people no one man has any more intrinsic right to official station than another.”
—Andrew Jackson (17671845)
“If when a businessman speaks of minority employment, or air pollution, or poverty, he speaks in the language of a certified public accountant analyzing a corporate balance sheet, who is to know that he understands the human problems behind the statistical ones? If the businessman would stop talking like a computer printout or a page from the corporate annual report, other people would stop thinking he had a cash register for a heart. It is as simple as thatbut that isnt simple.”
—Louis B. Lundborg (19061981)
“It is time for dead languages to be quiet.”
—Natalie Clifford Barney (18761972)