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Puerto Rico Elevates English
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Gov. Pedro Rossello today signed into law a bill that gives English equal status with Spanish as an official language of this American territory. "Now we have two hymns, two flags, two languages," Mr. Rossello, a statehood advocate, declared to hundreds of cheering supporters at a signing ceremony in this western San Juan suburb. He dismissed as "a rhetorical storm" the arguments of critics who had sought to safeguard Spanish's 21-month-old status as the island's sole official language.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 10 of the National edition with the headline: Puerto Rico Elevates English. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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