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title: "SET LANGUAGE (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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# SET LANGUAGE (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-asdb-asdw-xxx-md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-asdb-asdw-xxx-md.md)]

  Specifies the language environment for the session. The session language determines the **datetime** formats and system messages.  
  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
  
SET LANGUAGE { [ N ] 'language' | @language_var }   
```  
  
## Arguments  
 [**N**]**'***language***'** | **@***language_var*  
 Is the name of the language as stored in [sys.syslanguages](../../relational-databases/system-compatibility-views/sys-syslanguages-transact-sql.md). This argument can be either Unicode or DBCS converted to Unicode. To specify a language in Unicode, use **N'***language***'**. If specified as a variable, the variable must be **sysname**.  
  
## Remarks  
 The setting of SET LANGUAGE is set at execute or run time and not at parse time.  
  
 SET LANGUAGE implicitly sets the setting of [SET DATEFORMAT](../../t-sql/statements/set-dateformat-transact-sql.md).  
  
## Permissions  
 Requires membership in the **public** role.  
  
## Examples  
 The following example sets the default language to `Italian`, displays the month name, and then switches back to `us_english` and displays the month name again.  
  
```  
DECLARE @Today DATETIME;  
SET @Today = '12/5/2007';  
  
SET LANGUAGE Italian;  
SELECT DATENAME(month, @Today) AS 'Month Name';  
  
SET LANGUAGE us_english;  
SELECT DATENAME(month, @Today) AS 'Month Name' ;  
GO  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [Data Types (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/data-types/data-types-transact-sql.md)   
 [syslanguages](../../relational-databases/system-compatibility-views/sys-syslanguages-transact-sql.md)   
 [sp_helplanguage (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/sp-helplanguage-transact-sql.md)   
 [SET Statements (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/set-statements-transact-sql.md)