Which country has the most official languages?

AyatollahK

India recognizes 23 official languages in its Constitution (Eighth Schedule), although business in the Supreme Court of India is conducted only in English. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_languages_of_India The only other country above 10, as far as I know, is South Africa with 11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa#Languages "South Africa has eleven official languages: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. In this regard it is second only to India in number." Apr 09 08, 2:35 PM

Triviaballer

It seems as though India and South Africa have the most official languages. Depending on the measure, either India or South Africa (11) have the most official languages. Papua New Guinea has the most spoken languages of any country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_languages_of_India http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_languages_of_South_Africa Apr 09 08, 2:37 PM

author

So, maybe South Africa is the winner,with the following 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga. http://www.cyberserv.co.za/users/~jako/lang/zul.htm Just another small comment on India. Quote: Article 343 of the Indian Constitution recognises Hindi in Devanāgarī script as the official language of central government India. The Constitution also allows for the continuation of use of the English language for official purposes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_India This list confirms that only Hindi and English are STATEWIDE official languages of India. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_official_languages_by_state Apr 10 08, 10:20 AM

zbeckabee

NOTE: Hindi, with the largest number of speakers, is the official "union" language of India. English, which is extensively used in business and administration, has the status of a 'subsidiary official language.' The constitution also recognizes in particular 21 other languages that are either abundantly spoken or have classical status. The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India http://www.languageinindia.com/nov2004/mallikarjunmalaysiapaper1.html Also see: Question #34882 NOTE: Regarding Papua New Guinea having the most spoken languages of any country. Apr 10 08, 1:45 PM