Official Languages Act

Official Language Act or Official Languages Act may refer to:

  • the Official Languages Act (Canada) passed in Canada to enshrine official bilingualism
  • the Official Language Act (Quebec) passed in Quebec to ensure that French retained its primary status
  • the Official Languages Act (Ireland) passed in Ireland to promote the provision of state services in Irish
  • Several acts passed in Sri Lanka:
    • the Official Language Act No. 33 of 1956 (Ceylon), commonly known as the Sinhala Only Act, passed in Ceylon in 1956 to replacing English with Sinhala as the official language of the country
    • the Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act No. 28 of 1958 (Ceylon) passed in Ceylon in 1958 allows Tamil in education, public service entrance exams and administration in the Northern and Eastern provinces
    • the Official Languages Act of 1987 (Sri Lanka) passed in Sri Lanka in 1987 to make Tamil an official language of the country
    • the Official Languages Commission Act No. 18 of 1991 (Sri Lanka) passed in Sri Lanka in 1991 to establish the Official Languages Commission of Sri Lanka
  • the Official Languages Ordinance passed in Hong Kong in 1974 to bring the English and Chinese languages to equal status as official languages of the territory

Famous quotes containing the words official, languages and/or act:

    “No sane local official who has hung up an empty stocking over the municipal fireplace, is going to shoot Santa Claus just before a hard Christmas.”
    —Alfred E. Smith (1873–1944)

    “The less sophisticated of my forbears avoided foreigners at all costs, for the very good reason that, in their circles, speaking in tongues was commonly a prelude to snake handling. The more tolerant among us regarded foreign languages as a kind of speech impediment that could be overcome by willpower.”
    —Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)

    “It has often been argued that absolute scepticism is self-contradictory; but this is a mistake: and even if it were not so, it would be no argument against the absolute sceptic, inasmuch as he does not admit that no contradictory propositions are true. Indeed, it would be impossible to move such a man, for his scepticism consists in considering every argument and never deciding upon its validity; he would, therefore, act in this way in reference to the arguments brought against him.”
    —Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914)