Topic: Official languages: in the constitution, in a statute, or nowhere at all
How does Taiwan mark Official languages: in the constitution, in a statute, or nowhere at all?
Everyday topic
Taiwan's approach is unique among these seven markets: it declines to name a single national language. Article 3 of the National Languages Development Act defines national languages as the natural languages used by each of Taiwan's indigenous communities and Taiwan Sign Language; Article 4 then states that all national languages are equal and that no one may be discriminated against or restricted for using them. The statute does not elevate one language out of many — it takes them in as a set and declares them equal to one another. That sign language sits in the same list is the clearest evidence of what is meant: a national language here is defined as one that people on this island actually use, not one the government works in. Article 7 adds that languages facing a break in transmission get priority for revitalisation. It is the mirror image of the Indian structure, which names one language and then legislates separately for everything else.
What is this topic?
India's constitution devotes an entire Part to language; Article 343 makes Hindi in Devanagari script the official language of the Union, with a fifteen-year transition clause for English. Indonesia's constitution settles it in one sentence — the language of the state is Indonesian. Brazil's Article 13 does the same. China's constitution never uses the phrase "official language"; it puts the promotion of standard spoken Chinese in the last line of the article about education. Taiwan goes the other way: its National Languages Development Act declines to name a single national language and instead lists every indigenous community's language, plus Taiwan Sign Language, as national languages of equal standing. Japan has no statutory official language at all. Neither the US constitution nor any act of Congress names one — English was designated by executive order in March 2025.
Sources and dates
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