The State of Foreign Languages in the U.S

THE STATE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN THE U.S.

REVIEW OF THE 2011 CENSUS REPORT

"THIS STUDY PROVIDES EVIDENCE OF THE GROWING ROLE OF

LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH IN THE NATIONAL FABRIC.”

- CAMILLE RYAN, CENSUS BUREAU STATISTICIAN

In August 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau released the report “Language Use in the United States: 2011” to observe trends in

foreign language use and English proficiency levels throughout the country.

WHO IS SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGES?

The percentage of U.S. residents speaking a language other than English at home rose

to 20.8%.

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2000 2007 2011

% Speaking Other Languages at Home

WHAT FOREIGN LANGUAGES ARE THEY SPEAKING?

That 20.8% represents 60.6 million people who spoke a language other than English in

their home.

37.6 million of those people spoke Spanish at home.

In addition to English and Spanish, six other languages are spoken at home by at least one

million people.

WHERE ARE FOREIGN LANGUAGES SPOKEN MOST?

The national average for percentage of people speaking a language other than English at home is 20.8%, but the

percentage varies widely from state to state.

California has the highest concentration of people who speak a language other than English

at home, at 43.8%.

It is joined by New Mexico, Texas, New Jersey, and New York, all with more than 30% of the population speaking a different language at

home.

West Virginia has the lowest concentration of people who speak a language other than English

at home, at 2.8%.

It is joined by Mississippi, Montana, Kentucky, and Vermont, which all have fewer than 5% of

the population speaking a different language at home.

Within states, large metropolitan areas like New York and Chicago are typically home to large

proportions of people who speak another language at home.

Smaller “micropolitan” areas, notably those in Texas and California, also feature highly

concentrated pockets of foreign language speakers

HOW IS THE USE OF A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE AT HOME RELATED TO

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY?

Those who spoke a language other than English at home were asked to self-evaluate their English skills on a scale of “very well” to “not at all”.

58% reported they speak English very well.

7% reported they do not speak English at all.

The proportion of people who speak English “very well” varies significantly among the top 10 non-English

languages spoken at home.

A higher percentage (80% or more) of German and French speakers claim to speak English very well.

Those who spoke Asian languages such as Korean or Chinese reported lower English proficiency rates (50% or

more).

While the number of people speaking a language other than English at home rose, the percentage of the U.S. population reporting that they spoke English less than

“very well” has not changed since 2007.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

The United States is becoming increasingly diverse in terms of language.

As our country is a major destination for foreign peoples, this trend is expected to continue.

As the number of foreign language speakers in the U.S. grows, improving our language capabilities will

be increasingly imperative.

Expanding our knowledge of foreign languages and bettering our capacity to teach English effectively

will be paramount, not only to compete internationally, but also to communicate

domestically.

To learn more about the state of foreign languages in the U.S., check out the report: “Language Use in the United States: 2011”.

To learn more about Transparent Language, and take a step towards improving your

language capabilities, visit us on our website.