{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.official-language","code":"thing-q23492","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q23492/","name":"official language","alternateNames":["linguistic co-officiality","State language of Kyrgyzstan","official languages of the European Union","additional official language","official languages of the United Nations","Languages with official status in India","official languages of Puducherry","official languages of Russia","semi-offical language","Schedule languages of India"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A language given special legal status in a country, state or organisation, used in government, courts, education and official documents, whether as the sole official language, one of several co-official languages, an additional official language for particular regions or purposes, or an official language of an international body such as the six official languages of the United Nations and the 24 of the European Union; official and working language designations are distinct and need not cover the same languages within an organisation; many countries, such as India with its scheduled languages or Kyrgyzstan with Kyrgyz as state language and Russian as official, distinguish between state, official and national languages.","purpose":"Let an agent explain official language status and its varieties, relay examples and legal frameworks from language policy sources with attribution, describe the difference between official, national and state languages, and distinguish official status from majority use and from de facto official languages.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Legal designation","Government use","Sole or co-official","Varies by level"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What an official language is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is an official language, and how does it differ from national, state and de facto official languages?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about the status in general or a specific country or organisation?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"kinds","name":"Kinds","description":"Kinds.","findings":[{"id":"kinds-finding","name":"Kinds","description":"Kinds.","questions":[{"text":"What are sole, co-official, additional and regional official languages?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific kind?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"examples","name":"Examples","description":"Examples.","layers":[{"id":"countries","name":"Countries","description":"Countries.","findings":[{"id":"countries-finding","name":"Countries","description":"Countries.","questions":[{"text":"How do India, Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland, Canada and other countries define official languages?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"organisations","name":"Organisations","description":"International organisations.","findings":[{"id":"organisations-finding","name":"Organisations","description":"Organisations.","questions":[{"text":"What are the official and working languages of the UN and EU, and how are they used?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"policy","name":"Policy","description":"Policy and rights.","layers":[{"id":"rights","name":"Rights","description":"Language rights.","findings":[{"id":"rights-finding","name":"Rights","description":"Rights.","questions":[{"text":"What rights does official status confer for citizens, courts and education?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits linguistic rights?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"debates","name":"Debates","description":"Debates.","findings":[{"id":"debates-finding","name":"Debates","description":"Debates.","questions":[{"text":"What debates surround official language choices and minority languages, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and data.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did the idea of official languages develop with nation states?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of language policy?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"data","name":"Data","description":"Data.","findings":[{"id":"data-finding","name":"Data","description":"Data.","questions":[{"text":"Where are lists of official languages by country maintained?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits list of official languages by country?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["State a country's or organisation's official languages, citing the constitution or law.","Explain the difference between official, national and working languages."],"mustNot":["Claim a language is official without a legal source.","Deny speakers' rights that the law gives them to use an official language.","Treat speakers of non-official languages as less entitled to services or respect."],"requiresHuman":["Choosing which language to use in official communications on behalf of a public body."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Language status decides access to courts, education and public services.","Minority language speakers can be excluded when only majority languages are official."],"affectedParties":["Minority language speakers","Citizens using public services"]},"owners":{"steward":"The legislature or constitution that grants the status.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Constitutions and official gazettes"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q34770","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"language","type":"related","note":"in registry terms, as a status"},{"target":"language policy","type":"related","note":"and constitutions"},{"target":"official languages of the United Nations","type":"related","note":"six languages"},{"target":"national language","type":"related","note":"a symbolic or cultural designation"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.official-language","Wikidata: Q23492 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23492)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["UN official languages: 6 count","EU official languages: 24 count","countries with no de jure official language: several count - such as the United States federally"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Language with legal status in government","Sole and co-official languages, additional official languages, state languages, EU and UN official languages, languages with official status in India","A national language may be symbolic; a de facto official language has no law; a majority language may lack status","Not a visible object; a legal designation."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the status","relay examples and frameworks","describe distinctions","distinguish from de facto use"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing official, national and state languages","Assuming majority languages are official","Political framing of language disputes"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Constitutions and language laws","EU regulation 1 of 1958 on languages","UN rules of procedure on official and working languages","European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Not applicable; a legal status.","sole official languages","co-official languages and linguistic co-officiality","additional and regional official languages","state languages as in Kyrgyzstan","official languages of international organisations such as the UN and EU","scheduled and official languages in India"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q23492: official language","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23492","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Official language","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_language","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should the EU and UN official languages be separate primary entries?","How should language policy sources be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming specific countries and organisations; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q23492/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q23492/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T05:23:20Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:28+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}