U.S. English Foundation Research
Many Languages, One America: 2014
Throughout the history of the United States, many languages have risen to the rank of ‘most important foreign language to know.’ A century ago, this title was bestowed on German. In subsequent years, the spotlight moved to French, then Japanese, and today is cast on Spanish. Tomorrow, Arabic or Chinese might take center stage.
The United States has never been a land of just two languages. We have revolved around one central language—English—with many other languages contributing to the melting pot culture of the United States. The amount of linguistic diversity in our nation varies between states, and even within states. Speakers of non-English languages, 325 at last count, are not evenly distributed within the United States, leaving each state, county and metropolitan area with its own unique linguistic composition.
The scope of these differences illustrates the perilous nature of concentrating on a second or third language when creating language policy. Linguistic diversity in America encompasses far more than what even the most ambitious translation efforts could meet. By encouraging all residents of the United States to learn English as a common, shared language, the doors to communication open to all and linguistic barriers are broken down.
In 2005, the U.S. English Foundation published Many Languages, One America to highlight the true degree of linguistic diversity within the United States. With an influx of immigration, rampant government multilingualism and new Census Bureau data, it is important to update this briefing with the most current language usage statistics.
To view a PDF version of the full Many Languages, One America Briefing, please click here.
To view state-specific data, please see the links below:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
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The U.S. English Foundation offers access to free English language lessons via U.S.A. LEARNS, an educational resource for adult immigrants who want to learn or improve their English skills as they become part of American society.