Oregon has a non-binding “English Plus” resolution (Senate Joint Resolution 16), officially endorsing multilingualism, passed by the legislature in 1989.

OREGON ENGLISH PLUS RESOLUTION

WHEREAS the diverse ethnic and linguistic communities have contributed to the social and economic prosperity of Oregon; and

WHEREAS it is the welcomed responsibility and opportunity of Oregon to respect and faciliate the efforts of all cultural, ethnic and linguistic segments of the population to become full participants in our community; and

WHEREAS Oregon’s economic well-being depends heavily on foreign trade and international exchange and one out of five jobs is directly linked to foreign trade and international exchange; and

WHEREAS we wish to protect and promote the multilingual nature of communication that currently exists in Oregon and to build trust and understanding; and

WHEREAS English is already the predominant language of Oregon and legislation imposing English as the official language of Oregon impairs our pluralistic ideals; and

WHEREAS our federal courts have recognized that English-only rules can have an adverse impact on protected groups and constituties discrimination; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:

That the use of diverse languages in business, government and private affairs, and the presence of diverse cultures is welcomed, encouraged, and protected in Oregon.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN OREGON

2,810,654	English
388,669	All languages other than English combined
217,614	Spanish or Spanish Creole
18,400	German
17,805	Vietnamese
16,344	Russian
15,504	Chinese
11,837	French (incl. Patois, Cajun)
9,377	Japanese
9,185	Korean
6,181	Tagalog
3,723	Arabic
3,276	Scandinavian languages
3,104	Italian
2,884	African languages
2,867	Laotian
2,831	Mon-Khmer, Cambodian
2,743	Hindi
2,729	Persian
1,960	Other Native North American languages
1,573	Miao, Hmong
1,516	Thai
1,468	Serbo-Croatian
1,238	Polish
1,204	Greek
1,144	Portuguese or Portuguese Creole
967	Gujarathi
912	Hungarian
855	Hebrew
747	Urdu
336	Armenian
286	French Creole
228	Navajo
153	Yiddish