National and official languages (R-Z): Russia[edit] Main article:Languages of Russia TheRussian languageis the only official language ofRussia, but 27 other languages are considered official in different regions in Russia. Singapore[edit] Main article:Languages of Singapore Singaporehas four official languages:English(Singapore English),Chinese,MalayandTamil. Although English is the primary language of business and government and the main language used in education, Malay is designated as the national language. This is due to the geographical and historical ties to Malaysiaas well as the recognition of ethnicMalays(about 14% of the population) as the indigenous people of Singapore. Traditionally, thelingua francaamong the different ethnic groups in Singapore wasBazaar Malay, a Malay-basedcreole. Since independence, the government has been promoting English as the main language of Singapore. The bilingual education policy requires students to study only two languages: English and a"mother tongue"corresponding to the student's ethnicity. Malay is only offered to non-Malay students as an optional third language in secondary schools. As a result, English has displaced Bazaar Malay as the common language among Singaporeans. Therefore, despite the status of Malay as the national language, the majority of the population do not speak the language. Notable official usage of Malay includes the national anthemMajulah Singapura, and drill commands in theSingapore Armed Forces. South Africa[edit] Main article:Languages of South Africa South Africahas 11official languages. Namely:Afrikaans,English,Ndebele,Northern Sotho,Sotho,Swazi,Tswana,Tsonga,Venda, XhosaandZulu.South African Sign LanguageandDutchare distinct in South Africa though incompletely emerged national standard languages which also subsumes a cluster of semi-standardised dialects. “ Arabic,German,Greek,Gujarati,Hebrew,Hindi,Khoi,Nama,Portuguese,San,Sanskrit,Tamil,Telugu,Urdu,Sign Language are all constitutionally recognised in South Africa. ” The above mentioned languages can be considered as minorityLingua francas— none of these languages are of Official Language Status in the country. Turkey[edit] Main article:Languages of Turkey Ethnically, 10-18% ofTurkey's population are of Kurdish origin, and their language isKurdish. But 95-98% of population can speakTurkish as their first language.[citation needed] In that fact, Turkish is a national language of Turkey. Also there are many other ethnic origins like Circassians,ArabiansorBosnians, and they all can speak Turkish as native language. United Kingdom[edit] Main article:Languages of the United Kingdom TheEnglish language(British English) is the de facto official language of theUnited Kingdomand is spoken monolingually by an estimated 95% of the Britishpopulation.[citation needed] Interestingly, official regional languages exist without reference to a national language. [16] United States[edit] Main article:Languages of the United States In theUnited States, English (American English) is the national language only in an informal sense, by numbers and by historical and contemporary association. The United States Constitutiondoes not explicitly declare anyofficial language, although the constitution is written in English, as is all federal legislation. On 11 February 2009,RepresentativeSteve King(R-IA.) introduced House Bill H.R.997, to declare English as the official language of the United States. On 5 May 2009, SenatorJim Inhofe(R-OK) introduced Senate Bill S.991 as a companion bill. On 26 February 2009, Representative Steve King (R-IA.) introduced House Bill H.R.1229, a bill to amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the official language of the Government of the United States, and for other purposes. On 6 May 2009, SenatorJim Inhofe (R-OK) introduced Bill S.992 as a companion bill. On 10 March 2011, Representative Steve King (R-IA.) introduced House Bill H.R.997, a bill to amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the official language of the Government of the United States, and for other purposes. On 8 March 2011, SenatorJim Inhofe (R-OK) introduced Bill S.503 as a companion bill. On 17 March 2011, RepresentativePeter T. King(R-NY.) introduced House Bill H.R.1164, a bill to amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the official language of the Government of the United States. As of August 2011, the last major actions on these bills were:[17] BillLast Major ActionDate H.R.997 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties 23 July 2009 S.991 Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 6 May 2009 H.R.1229 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties 19 August 2009 S.992 Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 6 May 2009 H.R.997 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution. Vietnam[edit] InVietnam, theVietnamese