American English Evolves Despite Political Push for “Official” Language

In the United States, linguists observe that American English is changing due to the influence of African American Vernacular English and Spanish, despite a 2025 executive order by Donald Trump attempting to establish “American” as the nation’s official language. The order aimed to promote a unified society but drew criticism for signaling disapproval of languages other than English, particularly Spanish, the second most spoken language in the country.

New York City alone hosts over 700 languages, primarily spoken rather than written. While previous attempts to enforce an official language have failed in the US, Trump’s order reversed a 2000 directive supporting non-English speakers and threatened the preservation of over 300 indigenous languages once spoken north of the Rio Grande.

This linguistic shift manifests in shortened words and expressions, seen in lyrics by artists like Gracie Abrams and Justin Bieber, and reflects a broader trend of language evolution. Linguists note that English has always borrowed from other languages, historically including Latin and now increasingly Spanish, and that attempts to fix it are futile.