No official language, panellists say
By Kisean Joseph kisean.joseph@antiguaobserver.com Antigua and Barbuda has no declared official language, two panellists have said, amid debate over government proposals to make Spanish a second official language. On a recent radio panel discussion, Dr Radcliffe Robins and fellow commentator Yves Ephraim argued that English functions as a de facto official language despite never being […]
Black News 
By Kisean Joseph
kisean.joseph@antiguaobserver.com
Antigua and Barbuda has no declared official language, two panellists have said, amid debate over government proposals to make Spanish a second official language.
On a recent radio panel discussion, Dr Radcliffe Robins and fellow commentator Yves Ephraim argued that English functions as a de facto official language despite never being formally written into law or the Constitution. Both warned that declaring Spanish an official language could carry serious social and political consequences for the country.
Robins said an official language must be “specified in law or in the constitution” before it can carry that status. He noted that while parliamentary proceedings are conducted in English, the country has, in his understanding, “never declared an official language” of its own.
He compared the position to the United States, where there is no federal official language, although English is treated as the national standard. At least 32 American states have established English as their official language, Robins said, while states such as Hawaii, Alaska and Louisiana recognise more than one.
According to Robins, formally adopting an official language would require its use across all state documents, including commercial signage, contracts, court records, public administration, medical and benefit records, income tax returns, and state education. He said this requirement exists to protect minority groups from being disadvantaged by the law.
He argued that making Spanish an official language would carry consequences that are “nearly all detrimental,” while acknowledging that promoting a second language could bring separate benefits worth exploring.
Ephraim agreed that there has been no formal declaration, but said English remains the de facto official language because it is the language the government uses to conduct legal, educational, and administrative business, as well as in the courts.
He cautioned, however, that public discussion of the proposal had created the impression that declaring Spanish an official language is necessary to benefit from closer economic ties with Latin America. Ephraim said the two issues are separate and that Antigua and Barbuda could pursue trade and diplomatic opportunities with Spanish-speaking markets without changing its language laws.
He warned that an official declaration would require all government documentation, legal procedures, and administrative processes to be conducted in both Spanish and English. This, he said, could remove the incentive for Spanish-speaking arrivals to learn English, since the law would already accommodate them, potentially creating “two different identities” rather than encouraging integration.
