Explanation of terms: national language or official language?
Anyone who deals with languages will inevitably come across various terms that are often very similar. We also repeatedly use certain terms to classify the use of a language or to explain it in more detail.On this page we explain the most important terms.
Overview of languages
Official language
An official language is a language used by a government for official purposes, including legislation, administration and court proceedings. It is specified in the constitution or laws and is used for government documents, public announcements and education. However, an official language can be used at more than just the state level.Examples:
German is the official language in Germany and Austria, while English is used in several countries such as Canada (alongside French) and Australia. Inuktitut, on the other hand, is an official language in 2 Canadian provinces, but not at state level.
National language
A national language is a predominant language in a country that is spoken by a large part of the population and is often, but not always, defined as such by law. It forms an important part of cultural identity and is often used in the media and education.Examples
Swedish is the national language in Sweden, where it also functions as the official language; English plays this role in the USA, although there is no law at state level establishing English as the official language.
Minority language
This refers to languages that are only spoken by a minority of a country. If it is a recognized minority language, it enjoys legal protection or special rights granted by the state. They are also often recognized in regional or international agreements. As with official languages, there are also regional regulations that do not always affect an entire country.ExamplesCatalan is a recognized minority language in Spain. Sami, spoken by the indigenous Sami people in Norway, is a recognized minority language throughout Norway. Finnish, on the other hand, is only recognized as a minority language in the Norwegian region of Finnmark.
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is used to facilitate communication between people of different mother tongues within a multilingual area. It is often crucial for trade, education and official functions.Examples:
In India, Hindi is used as a lingua franca because there are many different languages in the country. In East Africa, Swahili is used by speakers of different mother tongues for everyday communication. At international level, English and Spanish are often used as lingua franca.
Trade language
Similar to a lingua franca, a trade language is also used for communication between people of different mother tongues. However, the focus here is on trade and is sometimes even industry-specific. In practice, however, there is rarely a difference to a lingua franca.Examples
English is the dominant language of commerce on a global level. In South and East Asia, it is mostly Chinese.